Misplaced Pages

Newsmax Media: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editNext edit →Content deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 01:25, 8 April 2006 view source132.241.246.111 (talk) how on earth is that vandalism?← Previous edit Revision as of 22:27, 16 April 2006 view source 72.75.25.154 (talk) added more examples of misinformation, made style corrections elsewhereNext edit →
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Bias}} {{Bias}}


'''NewsMax.com''' is a ] ] ] that was founded in September ] by ] ], who is its current ], ], and runs the website in ]. '''NewsMax.com''' is a ] ] ] that was founded in September ] by ] ], who is its current ] and ]. It is headquartered in ].


==Background== ==Background==
Christopher Ruddy gained publicity for his asociation with the ], which was described by R. ] Jr., founding editor of the '']'' as an attempt at investigative reporting. . Ruddy received funding for a conspiracy book surrounding the Presidency of ] from ] (founder of ], and co-founder of the ].. The group supplied Ruddy with funding for expenses, ] requests, legal support, and publicity during his pursuit of a ] Ruddy's ties to the Spectator and the project created unease among conservatives. The ''Washington Post'' quoted ] describing Ruddy as "'a very heavy breather' whose book contained 'very few direct quotes, but a great many insinuations'" Christopher Ruddy gained publicity for his asociation with the ], which was described by R. ] Jr., founding editor of the '']'' as an attempt at investigative reporting. . Ruddy received funding for a conspiracy book surrounding the Presidency of ] from ] (founder of ], and co-founder of the ].. The group supplied Ruddy with funding for expenses, ] requests, legal support, and publicity during his pursuit of a ] Ruddy's ties to the Spectator and the project created unease among conservatives. The ''Washington Post'' quoted ] describing Ruddy as "'a very heavy breather' whose book contained 'very few direct quotes, but a great many insinuations'"


Ruddy and ] (who funded the Arkansas Project) remained connected through their promotion of conservative and conspiratorial ideas. Before starting NewsMax, Ruddy was a free-lance reporter for the Scaife-owned '']''. Eventually, Scaife became an investor and the third-largest stockholder in NewsMax. Conservative ] is also an investor. Ruddy and ] (who funded the Arkansas Project) remained connected through their promotion of conservative and conspiratorial ideas. Before starting NewsMax, Ruddy was a free-lance reporter for the Scaife-owned '']''. Eventually, Scaife became an investor and the third-largest stockholder in NewsMax. Conservative ] is also an investor.
Line 10: Line 10:
NewsMax promotes a ] viewpoint, and attacks what it calls liberal thinking as ] . NewsMax promotes a ] viewpoint, and attacks what it calls liberal thinking as ] .


Criticism of NewsMax has focused on its distribution of false information. NewsMax has been accused of being a hub for ] about ], and former U.S. President ] and his wife Hilary, currently one of the two U.S. senators from New York. Criticism of NewsMax has focused on its distribution of false information. NewsMax has been accused of being a hub for ] about ], and former U.S. President ] and his wife, ], currently one of the two U.S. senators from New York.


Newsmax's founders include ], ], Lord ], ], Admiral ], ], and ]. It's Board members include former Secretary of State General ], ], former publisher of Forbes magazine, ], a financial consultant, and ], a former executive of IBM Corporation. NewsMax's founders include ], ], Lord ], ], Admiral ], ], and ]. It's Board members include former Secretary of State General ], ], former publisher of Forbes magazine, ], a financial consultant, and ], a former executive of IBM Corporation.


== Misinformation == == Misinformation ==
On December 19, 2000, NewsMax falsely claimed: "Hillary and Bill Clinton are putting their Chappaqua, N.Y., home for sale because their neighbors have them under 24-hour video surveillance," citing anonymous sources "at some of America's most notorious ]s." In fact, the Clintons have not sold that house.
⚫ On ]th ] Newsmax falsely claimed that U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton refused to meet with ], a group whose members are mothers who have lost children while serving in the military. {{ref|Hil-lie}}


⚫ On ], ], NewsMax falsely claimed that U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton refused to meet with ], a group whose members are mothers who have lost children while serving in the military. {{ref|Hil-lie}}
⚫ On ], ] in a subscription-only email, NewsMax correspondent ] falsely claimed A book by ] would reveal opposition by ] to Hilary Clinton's candidacy to represent New York in the United States Senate. {{ref|hil-lie2}} {{ref|hil-lie2}}

⚫ On ], ], in a subscription-only email, NewsMax correspondent ] falsely claimed A book by ] would reveal opposition by ] to Hilary Clinton's candidacy to represent New York in the United States Senate. {{ref|hil-lie2}} {{ref|hil-lie2}}

On October 17, 2005, NewsMax falsely claimed that it never stated that a concert by the rock band ] in Philadelphia was to be a benefit for the re-election campaign of Sen. ]. In fact, NewsMax did claim that the concert was "in support of Santorum's re-election" when Santorum's campaign had merely bought seats at the concert for its supporters. NewsMax withdrew the original, erroneous article without issuing a correction.


=== John McCain === === John McCain ===
On ], ] Newsmax was the source of a rumor that ] himself validated the use of torture. This accusation was then picked up and repeated by ].{{ref|rushcain}} Newsmax specifically claimed: On ], ] NewsMax was the source of a rumor that ] himself validated the use of torture. This accusation was then picked up and repeated by ].{{ref|rushcain}} NewsMax specifically claimed:


:"Sen. ] is leading the charge against so-called “torture” techniques allegedly used by U.S. interrogators, insisting that practices like sleep deprivation and withholding medical attention are not only brutal – they simply don’t work to persuade terrorist suspects to give accurate information." :"Sen. ] is leading the charge against so-called “torture” techniques allegedly used by U.S. interrogators, insisting that practices like sleep deprivation and withholding medical attention are not only brutal – they simply don’t work to persuade terrorist suspects to give accurate information."
Line 52: Line 56:
| title = "Western Journalism Center - Joseph Farah" | work = Public Eye.Org | accessdate = December 15 | accessyear = 2005}} | title = "Western Journalism Center - Joseph Farah" | work = Public Eye.Org | accessdate = December 15 | accessyear = 2005}}
# {{cite web | url = http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/primer.html # {{cite web | url = http://conwebwatch.tripod.com/stories/primer.html
| title = "Joseph Farah and the World Net Daily" | work = Con Watch | accessdate = December 13 | accessyear = 2005}} | title = "Joseph Farah and the World Net Daily" | work = ConWebWatch | accessdate = December 13 | accessyear = 2005}}
#{{cite web | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaifeside050299.htm | title = "'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts" | work = Washington Post | accessdate = December 13 | accessyear = 2005}} #{{cite web | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/clinton/stories/scaifeside050299.htm | title = "'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts" | work = Washington Post | accessdate = December 13 | accessyear = 2005}}
#{{cite web | url = http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=1999/1/31/173313 #{{cite web | url = http://www.newsmax.com/articles/?a=1999/1/31/173313

Revision as of 22:27, 16 April 2006

This article may be unbalanced toward certain viewpoints. Please improve the article by adding information on neglected viewpoints, or discuss the issue on the talk page.

NewsMax.com is a conservative news website that was founded in September 1998 by journalist Christopher Ruddy, who is its current CEO and editor-in-chief. It is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Background

Christopher Ruddy gained publicity for his asociation with the Arkansas Project, which was described by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., founding editor of the American Spectator as an attempt at investigative reporting. . Ruddy received funding for a conspiracy book surrounding the Presidency of Bill Clinton from Joseph Farah (founder of WorldNetDaily, and co-founder of the Western Journalism Center.. The group supplied Ruddy with funding for expenses, Freedom of Information Act requests, legal support, and publicity during his pursuit of a conspiracy theory concerning Foster's suicide. Ruddy's ties to the Spectator and the project created unease among conservatives. The Washington Post quoted John Corry describing Ruddy as "'a very heavy breather' whose book contained 'very few direct quotes, but a great many insinuations'"

Ruddy and Richard Mellon Scaife (who funded the Arkansas Project) remained connected through their promotion of conservative and conspiratorial ideas. Before starting NewsMax, Ruddy was a free-lance reporter for the Scaife-owned Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Eventually, Scaife became an investor and the third-largest stockholder in NewsMax. Conservative James Dale Davidson is also an investor.

NewsMax promotes a right-wing viewpoint, and attacks what it calls liberal thinking as media bias .

Criticism of NewsMax has focused on its distribution of false information. NewsMax has been accused of being a hub for conspiracy theories about Democrats, and former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, currently one of the two U.S. senators from New York.

NewsMax's founders include Kevin Timpy, Bruce Lonic, Lord William Rees-Mogg, James Dale Davidson, Admiral Thomas Moorer, Arnaud de Borchgrave, and Michael Ruff. It's Board members include former Secretary of State General Alexander Haig, Jeff Cunningham, former publisher of Forbes magazine, Alvin Hirsch, a financial consultant, and Robert Lohman, a former executive of IBM Corporation.

Misinformation

On December 19, 2000, NewsMax falsely claimed: "Hillary and Bill Clinton are putting their Chappaqua, N.Y., home for sale because their neighbors have them under 24-hour video surveillance," citing anonymous sources "at some of America's most notorious supermarket tabloids." In fact, the Clintons have not sold that house.

On May 26, 2001, NewsMax falsely claimed that U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton refused to meet with Gold Star Mothers, a group whose members are mothers who have lost children while serving in the military.

On June 5, 2005, in a subscription-only email, NewsMax correspondent John LeBoutillier falsely claimed A book by Ed Klein would reveal opposition by Daniel Moynihan to Hilary Clinton's candidacy to represent New York in the United States Senate.

On October 17, 2005, NewsMax falsely claimed that it never stated that a concert by the rock band U2 in Philadelphia was to be a benefit for the re-election campaign of Sen. Rick Santorum. In fact, NewsMax did claim that the concert was "in support of Santorum's re-election" when Santorum's campaign had merely bought seats at the concert for its supporters. NewsMax withdrew the original, erroneous article without issuing a correction.

John McCain

On November 29, 2005 NewsMax was the source of a rumor that John McCain himself validated the use of torture. This accusation was then picked up and repeated by Rush Limbaugh. NewsMax specifically claimed:

"Sen. John McCain is leading the charge against so-called “torture” techniques allegedly used by U.S. interrogators, insisting that practices like sleep deprivation and withholding medical attention are not only brutal – they simply don’t work to persuade terrorist suspects to give accurate information."
"Nearly forty years ago, however – when McCain was held captive in a North Vietnamese prison camp – some of the same techniques were used on him. And – as McCain has publicly admitted at least twice – the torture worked!"

The article contradicts itself by demonstrating that torture does not provide intelligence:

"For the next four days, I was beaten every two to three hours by different guards . . . Finally, I reached the lowest point of my 5 1/2 years in North Vietnam. I was at the point of suicide, because I saw that I was reaching the end of my rope."
"McCain was taken to an interrogation room and ordered to sign a document confessing to war crimes. "I signed it," he recalled. "It was in their language, and spoke about black crimes, and other generalities."

Plame-CIA Leak

On October 29, 2005 Newsmax published an article which claimed that "Patrick Fitzgerald Retreats From Plame 'Covert' Claim." The article commented that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald:

"declined to bring any charges to that effect, casting even more doubt on the claim that her (Valerie Wilson) CIA job was a closely guarded secret."

Yet, in the October 28, 2005 Federal indictment of Scooter Libby, page 3, section f stated:

"At all relevant times from January 1, 2002 through July 2003, Valerie Wilson was employed by the CIA, and her employment status was classified. Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson’s affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside the intelligence community."

Moreover, the indictment page 2, section b stated:

"LIBBY was obligated by applicable laws and regulations, including Title 18, United States Code, Section 793, and Executive Order 12958 (as modified by Executive Order 13292)"

And Title 18, Section 793 is the Espionage Act.

References

  1. ""'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts"". Washington Post. Retrieved December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ""Western Journalism Center - Joseph Farah"". Public Eye.Org. Retrieved December 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  3. ""Joseph Farah and the World Net Daily"". ConWebWatch. Retrieved December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  4. ""'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts"". Washington Post. Retrieved December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  5. ""Ron Brown Reports for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review by Christopher Ruddy"". NewsMax. Retrieved December 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  6. ""NEWSMAX MEDIA, INC. SB-2/A#1 REG. NO. 333-83408"". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  7. ""Media Bias"". Newsmax. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  8. ""First detail on new anti-Hillary book is a lie"". Media Matters. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ""First detail on new anti-Hillary book is a lie"". Media Matters. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  10. ""Politics: Gold Mother Stars"". Snopes.com. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  11. ""John McCain: Torture Worked on Me"". Newsmax. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ""Limbaugh repeated NewsMax.com's false claim that McCain 'admitted that torture worked on him'"". Media Matters]. Retrieved December 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  13. ""Patrick Fitzgerald Retreats From Plame 'Covert' Claim"". Newsmax. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ""October 28, 2005 Indictment: US v Libby"" (PDF). United States Attorney General's Office. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  15. ""October 28, 2005 Indictment: US v Libby"" (PDF). United States Attorney General's Office. Retrieved November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

External links

Category: