Media Matters

Media Matters for America practices its very own brand of silliness. They like to compare apples to oranges and then expect us to believe their findings are somehow meaningful.

Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Conservative misinformation is defined as news or commentary presented in the media that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda.

So they count the number of times the media references controversial political statements:

In the five days after Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) referenced Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany while criticizing Republican senators, his comments were reported extensively by major media outlets, including Fox News, CNN, MNSBC, the Associated Press, Roll Call, and ABC -- 19 media reports in all. In the five days after Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said, "We don't do Lincoln Day dinners in South Carolina. It's nothing personal, but it takes awhile to get over things," the media virtually ignored his remarks. Graham's statement was mentioned by CNN, Roll Call, the National Journal's CongressDaily newsletter, and the Frontrunner, which excerpted the Roll Call mention. That's it: four mentions.

Geez, c'mon. Which is more newsworthy? Senator Byrd is a colorful old fellow who, in his younger days, belonged to an organization that wore sheets over their heads and terrorized blacks. Besides, a remark about Hitler trumps Lincoln in the news any day.