Media Research Center Releases The Ten Worst Media Distortions of Campaign 2004

Published: 10/28/2004 1:00 AM ET

the Steven P.J. Wood Senior Fellow and Vice President for Research and Publications

The media, I think, wants Kerry to win. And I think theyre going to portray Kerry and Edwards Im talking about the establishment media, not Fox but theyre going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and dynamic and opportunistic and all. Theres going to be this glow about them thats going to be worth maybe 15 points. Newsweek Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas, Inside Washington, WUSA-TV, 7/10/04.

ALEXANDRIA, Va.The Media Research Center today released a special report, The Ten Worst Media Distortions of Campaign 2004, as compiled and ranked by MRC analysts.

The liberal news media have been as big an issue in this campaign as anything else. It is a fact: The media chose sides early and have acted as extensions of the Democratic National Committee and the Kerry-Edwards campaign, said MRC President Brent Bozell.

The Ten Worst Media Distortions of Campaign 2004

Dan Rathers Forgery Fiasco
Ignoring, Then Attacking, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth
Pounding the Bush National Guard Story
Spinning a Good Economy into Bad News
The Networks Outrageous Convention Double-Standard
Swooning Over Edwards Image, Ignoring His Liberalism
CBSs Byron Pitts Promotional Kerry Coverage
CBS Promotes Fears of a New Military Draft
Misrepresenting the 9/11 Commission on Iraq/al-Qaeda Links
Equating New Terrorism Warning to LBJs Gulf of Tonkin

Rathergate CBS News had to appoint an outside two-member investigating committee to find out how and why a) Dan Rather aired a hatchet job on President Bush based on forged documents that CBS was warned about and b) CBS Producer Mary Mapes coordinated with senior Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart concerning the discredited source of those documents.

The Attack On The Swift Boat Vets Last spring, over 250 Vietnam War contemporaries, including veterans who served with him when he was a Swift Boat commander and his entire chain of command, came forward to publicly challenge Kerrys version of Vietnam and his anti-war activities. After being ignored for several weeks the media turned on these honorable men with a vengeance, rather than give them a shred of credibility.

Good Economic Numbers = Bad News? When Bill Clinton ran for re-election in 1996, unemployment was at 5.2 percent, inflation 3 percent, and economic growth 2.2 percent. Today, as Bush stands for re-election, unemployment is at 5.4 percent, inflation 2.7 percent and economists consensus forecast for economic growth this quarter is 3.7 percent. Coverage of the Clinton economic data was overwhelmingly favorable (35 positive, 6 negative stories). Under Bush, its literally reversed to 6 positive, 38 negative. Numbers dont lie. Bias is the only explanation.

The Networks Convention Double-Standard Democratic speakers who savaged Republicans in Boston were touted by network journalists as rock stars. But journalists turned sour when covering the Republicans in New York. CNNs Bill Schneider on the GOP: This is a very angry convention, its a very belligerent convention. TIMEs Joe Klein, a CNN contributor: Ive been doing this for a fair number of years and I dont think Ive seen anything as angry or as ugly as [Sen. Zell] Millers speech.

CBSs Byron Pitts, in a Pro-Kerry Class of His Own Pitts, on the day Kerry accepted the Democratic nomination: Tonights acceptance of the Democratic nomination is more than merely a day, its [Kerrys] destiny. Pitts, attacking the leader of the Swift Boat Veterans instead of addressing their charges: Their leader, John ONeill, was also Richard Nixons point man in attacks on John Kerrys protest of the Vietnam War 30 years ago. Pitts, on Teresa Heinz Kerry: Both rich and reachable.

CBS Cooks Up Fictitious Draft Story CBS correspondent Richard Schlesinger focused this story around Beverly Cocco, portraying her as a mom petrified about a military draft. He never mentioned she is the activist leader of a group called People Against the Draft. He never mentioned that the Pentagon, the Republican Party, and the Bush campaign all oppose a new draft. Dan Rather introduced the segment this way: A mother worries her son will be drafted. Does she have good reason? Both Schlesinger and Producer Linda Karas cited erroneous email chatter about the draft as justification for doing an Evening News segment. Karas incredulously intoned: The truth of the e-mails were absolutely irrelevant to the piece.

The major media are doing all they can to help elect Kerry, just as Newsweeks Evan Thomas indicated, said Bozell. This report presents some of the worst media distortions this year, and proves beyond all doubt that the elite media are not objective or fair or balanced. They are liberal partisans who are sacrificing any remaining credibility in an effort to defeat President Bush.

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The Ten Worst Media Distortions of Campaign 2004