The Rush Limbaugh media lynch mob
By Toby Harnden October 14th, 2009 Telegraph.co.uk EXCERPT:
Which public figure can be quoted as having said something bigoted and disgusting and it doesnt matter whether he did or not because he might have? Who can Big Media brand a racist without checking the facts? Who has to prove he did not say something racist, rather than the accuser proving he did?
A pat on the back for anyone who guessed the answer: Rush Limbaugh (OK, the blog headline was a clue). From CNN to MSNBC to ABC, its been put about that Limbaugh said this:
By Toby Harnden October 14th, 2009 Telegraph.co.uk EXCERPT:
Which public figure can be quoted as having said something bigoted and disgusting and it doesnt matter whether he did or not because he might have? Who can Big Media brand a racist without checking the facts? Who has to prove he did not say something racist, rather than the accuser proving he did?
A pat on the back for anyone who guessed the answer: Rush Limbaugh (OK, the blog headline was a clue). From CNN to MSNBC to ABC, its been put about that Limbaugh said this:
I mean, lets face it, we didnt have slavery in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: slavery built the South. Im not saying we should bring it back; Im just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark.
Its also been spread around that he said this, about the death of the man who assassinated Martin Luther King:
You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honour? James Earl Ray. We miss you, James. Godspeed.
SNIP
Trouble is, he didnt say either of these outrageous things. And it wasnt difficult to check, as protein wisdom shows here. They originated from, er, Wikipedia and Wikiquotes. Both quotes ended up in this book a hit job that doesnt cite any sources. Theyre also included in this internet list posted a year ago and endlessly ripped off ever since.
The irony is, of course, that the people reporting this as fact are the same types who are always denouncing bloggers and the internet as forces of evil intent on destroying proper journalism proper journalism being the kind that involves checking facts. In the case of Rush Limbaugh, however, it seems to be enough that the intention (i.e. to show the talk radio host is a racist) is considered pure.
Even those who have been primary movers in spreading these malicious falsehoods which would lead to payouts of hundreds of thousands in British libel courts if lawsuits were ever filed there are brazenly unapologetic.
END EXCERPT
SNIP
Trouble is, he didnt say either of these outrageous things. And it wasnt difficult to check, as protein wisdom shows here. They originated from, er, Wikipedia and Wikiquotes. Both quotes ended up in this book a hit job that doesnt cite any sources. Theyre also included in this internet list posted a year ago and endlessly ripped off ever since.
The irony is, of course, that the people reporting this as fact are the same types who are always denouncing bloggers and the internet as forces of evil intent on destroying proper journalism proper journalism being the kind that involves checking facts. In the case of Rush Limbaugh, however, it seems to be enough that the intention (i.e. to show the talk radio host is a racist) is considered pure.
Even those who have been primary movers in spreading these malicious falsehoods which would lead to payouts of hundreds of thousands in British libel courts if lawsuits were ever filed there are brazenly unapologetic.
END EXCERPT
