A quote “too good to check,” or, the prejudices of left-wing pundits

19 Oct, 2009 by B. Daniel Blatt

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The most telling thing about the media hullabaloo over statements left-wing bloggers and pundits claimed were made by conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh was how quickly “journalists” at CNN and MSNBC were to report them to their wide, but dwindling, audiences:

Funny how both of these networks found a quote that happened to be useful in bludgeoning a prominent conservative too good to check. I wonder when was the last time they got the same fact wrong when reporting a political story.

Emphasis added. A statement “too good to check,” kind of reminds me of defense of shoddy reporting, “fake, but accurate.”

MSNBC’s David Shuster refused to apologize for claiming the conservative talker said something which he denied saying and which the network was “unable to verify“.

In their rush to report Rush’s racism, Shuster et al. ended up revealing their own real prejudices. A prejudice, let me remind you, is

2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics.

These folks have a preconceived notion about conservatives in general and conservative talk show hosts in particular. They think they’re racists! They rush to report the quotes attributed to Limbaugh before (and without) having “sufficient knowledge” of the facts. They base their hostility against Rush on his supposed characteristics. There is no evidence from any of his public statements (delivered 3 hours a day, five days a week for twenty-odd years now) and writings that he supports slavery or defends the man who murdered Martin Luther King, Jr.

As Rush himself said:

I never said I supported slavery and I never praised James Earl Ray. How sick would that be? Just as sick as those who would use such outrageous slanders against me or anyone else who never even thought such things.

And how sick that people would use such spurious statements to smear Rush Limbaugh. This is not to say one should never criticize the man, but criticize the words he actually spoke, in the context that he said them. These pundits may have tried to smear Rush, but, in the end, they only tarnished their own reputations and revealed their own prejudices. They have as narrow an opinion of conservatives as they allege Rush has of racial minorities.

Crossposted at GayPatriot.