Jan
04
2013

Phony Occupy Link to Weapons Cache

cbs-ows

It's bad enough to treat a unsubstantiated claim by a partisan news outlet, with a record of sensational misinformation on the same subject, as a relevant fact in a story. But how do you justify using this junk journalism as a chance to let a source give free rein to his fantasies of how Occupy might take a turn towards violence?

Jul
12
2012

The Broken Link Between OWS and a Murder

NY Post: "OWS Murder Link"

"OWS MURDER LINK." That's how the New York Post's front page (7/11/12)  announced a report that DNA from a 2004 crime scene had supposedly been matched with DNA from a chain used to hold open a subway gate in an Occupy Wall Street protest. Inside, under the headline "OWS Link to '04 Gal Slay," the paper had 37 paragraphs on the story, along with three large photographs with a caption asserting that "DNA from a March Occupy protest (above) has been linked to the murder" of Juilliard student Sarah Fox. The New York Daily News, for its part, had "OWS [...]

Apr
23
2012

Obama's Not Quite Silver Spoon Swipe UPDATED

Last week Barack Obama declared some sort of class war on Mitt Romney–at least that's what Fox, the New York Post and a few other outlets would have you believe. On April 18, Obama gave a speech at a community college touting, among other things, a rather common only-in-America underdog spirit: Somebody gave me an education. I wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth. Michelle wasn't. But somebody gave us a chance–just like these folks up here are looking for a chance. The next day, as blogger Michael Thaddeus pointed out (4/21/12), Fox host Steve Doocy added a [...]