My radio alarm is set to 850 The Buzz and I’m too lazy to change the station, even though I find the morning snark of Adam Gold and Joe Ovies tiresome. I just lean over and turn off the alarm within five seconds of hearing their voices.
This morning, though, I didn’t roll over quickly enough and had time to realize the discussion was of Rush Limbaugh’s bid to be part of an ownership group buying the NFL Rams. What I heard was appalling.
Gold was interviewing another pompous sports reporter, John Feinstein. Gold said “Limbaugh claims” never to have uttered certain racist remarks that have been attributed to him. Feinstein responded to the effect that he didn’t see how Limbaugh could claim that remarks said on the radio could be taken out of context.
Only problem: Rush never said the alleged racial remarks. They were made up and put on the Wikiquote Web site several years ago and were later used in a book by an irresponsible writer who didn’t check the provenance of the quotes. That book, in a perfect example of circular sourcing, is now used as the source for countless internet mentions of the alleged quotes.
Gold and Feinstein aren’t the only sports “journalists” who have made this error. The big question is, are they intentionally attributing these comments to Limbaugh, knowing they are spurious, or do they simply not know the truth? Either way, it’s an indictment of their professionalism.
One sports writer, when confronted with the truth about the made-up quotes, said Limbaugh didn’t deserve the benefit of the doubt. Huh? Another said it is up to Limbaugh to prove he didn’t say them, truly a new standard in journalism.
Gold probably think his use of “Limbaugh” claims gives him journalistic cover. It doesn’t. It just illustrates his willful refusal to admit that Limbaugh is a victim of a hoax where these two quotes are concerned. One cable host, saying he wanted “to be fair to Rush Limbaugh,” quoted Limbaugh’s denial, but then added that, well, he’s said lots of things that African-Americans consider insensitive. If that were the yardstick, we’d all be in jail.
What we have learned from this is that any goomer with a computer can make up any outrageous quote, attribute it to a conservative, and put it on a Web site and liberal journalists will 1) believe it immediately, 2) use it in reports and 3) read your denial in a snide and sarcastic way that communicates their skepticism.
UPDATE: Certain opinions are worse than torturing dogs.
UPDATE 2: CNN could take the time to fact-check a Saturday Night Live sketch but couldn’t check on the veracity of two made-up racist quotes attributed to Limbaugh on a Web site.
