Faux News Lying (Shocker!) About Ohio Early Voting Lawsuit

[ChoppinBroccoli]

I heard them talking about this on the radio today and haven't seen any discussion of it here, so I thought I'd give you a quick recap. Here in Ohio, a bill was passed to allow members of the armed forces to vote early. The Democrats and the Obama campaign correctly identified this as a Contitutional "equal protection" violation and filed suit in order to open up the early voting to EVERYONE. The Republicans, of course, don't want people to vote, so they opposed the lawsuit. They lost. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that they had to open up early voting to everyone, just like the Democrats correctly said. The bill, as written, violates the Constitution (you know, that document that Republicans love so much they spent a day reading it into the Congressional record, but apparently didn't bother to listen to or assimilate any of). This story has been well publicized, so I think most people here are already aware of it.

But there was a lot of discussion about this on the radio, because listen how Faux News reported the story this week. They started out by saying that a bill was passed to allow members of the armed forces to vote early. Then they left out a lot of the stuff in the middle and said that the Democrats, led by the Obama campaign, filed suit, "to block the bill," (implying that the Obama campaign didn't want armed forces personnel, or ANYONE for that matter, to vote early). Then the requisite reference to "activist judges," by stating that the Ohio Supreme Court just went along with what the Obama campaign asked for (the Republican-controlled Ohio Supreme Court, by the way), and blocked the bill. Viewers were left with the distinct impression that the Obama campaign, working in complicity with some "activist Supreme Court judges," went to the mat in order to prevent military personnel from voting early, and now NOBODY in Ohio can vote early. When in fact the truth is the exact opposite.

I should point out that this WASN'T Hannity or O'Really? or any of the other paid shills Faux keeps on staff to spin things their way 100% of the time. This was just some schlub reporting the "news" during the day. Now, I know that this isn't surprising to ANYONE who has ever watched Faux News with a clear mind, but I did find it rather galling that they're permitted to pump out blatant lies and propaganda like this 24 hours a day and still call themselves a "news" organization.

And people wonder why Faux News viewers are the least informed of all Americans.

[LisaL]

1. If they are leaving their viewers with the impression they can not vote early, they are shooting

themselves in the foot. But that is so blatantly wrong, of course.
In fact is the opposite of what they claim-now everyone can vote early (but SOS Husted still managed to cut the hours).

[Honeycombe8]

2. Yes, that is how the GOP & Romney camp has been portraying that since it happened.

It has been corrected on TV by other guests, whenever it has come up. But apparently they are continuing to say it.

Makes me sick that they would outright lie.

[LisaL]

3. Well, those who listen to fox won't try to vote early if they believe what fox is telling them.

[blue_heron]

4. ugh....there should be consequences!

It seems like there used to be some level of integrity in the news (tv and paper). When they got something wrong, intentional or otherwise, and they were called on it, they printed or aired a retraction. Why does no one think they need to do that anymore. There is a Society of Professional Journalists Codes of Ethics. How is the Ethics Committee supposed to work? Is there no procedure like disbarment, which would take the worst offenders off the air or fine them or something?

[defacto7]

5. In a perfect world

I would say you are right on. Unfortunately, what used to be journalism is now simply essay. Journalism is, for the most part, dead. Give thanks to privatization of public news and disregard for that politically incorrect word ethics. That leaves each of us to fend for ourselves if we're interested in the facts.

[ErikJ]

6. Snopes says it is FALSE.

Just like most RW chainmalis. They are getting desperate to pin ANYTHING on Obama.