More of This Please!

(I’m hoping to find more instances of the traditional media looking skeptically at the various wingnut outlets to post occasionally here.)

The LAT provides a useful summary and deconstruction of the latest in wingnut talking points disseminated since the election:

In a time when the nation calls out for cool leadership and rational discussion, Limbaugh stirs the caldron, a tendency he proved in a particularly grotesque way last week when he accused Obama’s party of plotting a government takeover of 401(k) retirement plans.

“They’re going to take your 401(k), put it in the Social Security trust fund, whatever the hell that is,” Limbaugh woofed. “Trust fund, my rear end.”

A slight problem with Limbaugh’s report: Obama and the Democrats have proposed no such thing.

The proposal, in fact, emanated from a single economist, one of many experts testifying to a congressional committee.

There’s more, but what is really useful is the LAT (even though this piece is almost a month old) actually reviewing this stuff to call it out for the lies that they are. And to note that these talk show hosts do this largely because of ratings more than anything else. More examinations of this stuff and conclusions like these: “To broadcast such a report — so drained of context as to constitute a lie — would be a shameless act at any time. But Limbaugh needlessly stirred the fears of the millions he holds in his thrall — making the 401(k) thievery sound like nearly a done deal. Shameless.” is way past due. A more clear-eyed view (read: real fact-checking) of the actual content of the ravings from these quarters may help to diffuse the raft of wingnut BS you know is ramping up for January.

Please, traditional media: Fact checking — it’s not just for Elections anymore.