The Media Does Matter

Written by: DFA Staff on Oct 10, 2008 1:10 PM EDT

Media Matters for America is a not-for-profit, progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Media Matters is the first organization to systematically monitor the media for conservative misinformation every day, in real time.  For more information, visit www.mediamatters.org.

MSNBC.com's First Read again falsely claimed McCain "did not vote" against troop funding

In an October 8 post, MSNBC.com's First Read again falsely claimed that Sen. John McCain opposed -- but did not vote on -- a 2007 troop-funding appropriations bill. Discussing Cindy McCain's claim that Sen. Barack Obama's "vote to not fund my son when he was serving sent a cold chill through my body," NBC News/National Journal reporters Matthew Berger and Carrie Dann reported: "Both McCain and Obama have opposed Senate measures with troop funding attached. ... McCain opposed, but did not vote, on a troop-funding measure earlier that year that did call for a withdrawal timeline, a position with which he vigorously disagrees." In fact, while McCain did not vote on a later version of the appropriations bill, he voted against the measure on March 29, 2007, and said at the time that he was opposing it, in part, because it "would establish a timeline" for U.S. withdrawal from Iraq.

As Media Matters for America documented, First Read's Dann and NBC News deputy political director Mark Murray also falsely claimed in an October 2 post that Sen. Joe Biden was wrong when he said during that day's vice presidential debate that McCain "voted against funding the troops" in a 2007 appropriations bill. First Read wrote: "McCain OPPOSED -- but did not vote on -- a Senate measure with troop funding because it contained a timetable for withdrawal" [emphasis in original].

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