Since The Networks Won't Do It, Media Matters Will

[babylonsister]

http://mediamattersaction.org/blog/201001110002

Fact Checking the Sunday Shows
8 hours and 3 minutes ago by Eric E. Burns


Every Sunday morning, some of the country's most powerful and influential legislators, government officials, journalists, and newsmakers appear as guests on network talk shows. The programs -- ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, NBC's Meet the Press, and Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday -- occupy a unique place in our media landscape. As the agenda-setters for the next week's worth of political news, they shape conventional wisdom and determine the terms of debate on crucial issues.

These shows also present a critical opportunity to educate the public and correct damaging misinformation -- a responsibility that too often fails to be met. As New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen has explained, the Sunday show format is broken. Shows like Meet the Press and Face the Nation routinely serve largely as hyper-partisan forums that provide little in the way of fact-checking.

To begin addressing these problems, Rosen offered a simple and valuable suggestion: in order to hold politicians and media figures accountable, the networks should produce mid-week fact-checks of the statements made on their Sunday shows. It was an idea that quickly received the support of CNN's Howard Kurtz.

We're not holding our breath while the network heads decide whether or not to act. Instead, we're announcing the creation of a new Media Matters product. Every Monday morning, the Media Matters Action Network will publish a memo correcting the conservative misinformation that was left unchallenged the day before. Over time, we hope that our work will help contribute to a culture of accountability that is currently lacking on Sunday morning.

[spanone]

1. media matters is a great organization and this is a great idea...thanks

r

[malaise]

2. Media Matters rocks

Excellent idea

[Uncle Joe]

3. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, babylonsister.:thumbsup:

[blogslut]

4. Cool

Although, citing Howard Kurtz' endorsement of Sunday show fact-checking isn't something I would do. That man wouldn't know a fact if it bit him in the ass.

[hootinholler]

5. Why stop at Sunday?

Oh wait, there's too much during the week.

-Hoot

[depakid]

6. That's about right

the culture of lies has become so pervasive in the state that they'd be best to focus on one egregious area- and get the message out.

And to be effective, they'd better not simply be preaching to the choir.

[Uncle Joe]

7. I agree with your post, hootinholler.

:thumbsup:

[babylonsister]

8. MM does attempt to do just that during the week, so they're expanding,

I guess.

[Quantess]

9. Good to know.

[monmouth]

10. The Sunday a.m. shows have driven hordes of people to church....n/t

[dem mba]

11. the blogospehere kind of does this already

but it'd be nice to have a definitive and credible one-stop place to find it all.

[gristy]

12. I respectfully suggest that this action must be non-partisan

With this statement it clearly is not: will publish a memo correcting the conservative misinformation that was left unchallenged the day before

[alstephenson]

13. I agree with gristy.

Non-partisan action.

[Scurrilous]

14. K & R

:thumbsup:

[blondeatlast]

15. This calls for another donation to MM. nt