This is not journalism

When the headline of a story by a reputable news source reads "Clinton says Obama voted for oil firm tax breaks" you expect that the article will (a) present the actual quote and (b) provide related facts that allow the reader to judge the veracity of the quote. In this case, the folks at Reuters decided to omit part B and just quote Clinton.

Not that there's anything wrong with simply reporting a candidate's comments; I'd have no problem with the article if the headline read "Clinton speaks to supporters in Pittsburgh" and the body presented key points of her presentation. But it's reckless reporting to highlight something a candidate says without doing even the smallest amount of fact checking.

The media has a responsibility to do real journalism because people really do believe what they read.

Myth of McCain the War Critic Propogates

From the just-because-you-keep-saying-something-doesn't-make-it-true department:

McCain wants us to believe that his position on Iraq has been consistent: the handling of post-Saddam Iraq was a disaster remedied only when the administration finally took his advice and sent a "surge" of additional troops early last year. Many mainstream media outlets tell the same tale. In today's story about McCain's suggestion that Al Queda wants a democrat to win the presidency, Reuters reports "McCain is a stalwart supporter of President George W. Bush's troop build-up in Iraq, while sharply critical of the way the war was managed until the increase".

But that's not the whole story. As Salon and Think Progress have reminded us, McCain's statements through 2005 on the war effort often seemed supportive and occasionally enthusiastic. Even PolitiFact got it wrong by declaring his television commercial "True":

One man opposed a flawed strategy in Iraq. One man had the courage to call for change. One man didn't play politics with the truth.

The reality, of course, is that McCain was sometimes a cheerleader and sometimes a critic. The problem is that nuance doesn't win elections. But that's no excuse for Senator McCain's -- and the media's -- revisionism.

Bush Directs EPA to Weaken Smog Requirements

The Associated Press reports that President Bush became directly involved in setting clean air standards last week. According to revelations originally made by the Washington Post, President Bush successfully pressured the EPA to weaken the smog standards only hours before the new rules were released, despite long-standing consensus among EPA officials and scientists that a higher standard was required.

Is this action legal? Does the President have the authority to override EPA decisions?