Citizendia

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them:
A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right
AuthorAl Franken
LanguageEnglish
Subject(s)American politics/Conservatism
Genre(s)Political satire
PublisherE.P. Dutton
Publication date2003
Media typeHardcover/paperback
Preceded byRush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations
Followed byThe Truth (with jokes)

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right is a book of political commentary and satire by comedian and political commentator Al Franken, published in 2003 by Dutton, a subsidiary in the Penguin Group. Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21 1951 is an Emmy Award –winning American Comedian, Writer, progressive English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Politics of the United States takes place in the framework of a presidential, Federal republic where the President of the United States (the Head of Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Political satire is a significant part of Satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politicsusing political cartoons politicians and public affairs Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of Literature or Information &ndash the activity of making information available for public view E P Dutton is an American book publishing company founded as a book retailer in Boston Massachusetts in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations (ISBN 0-385-31474-4 is a 1996 book by political satirist Al Franken. The Truth (With jokes is a book of political satire and humor by Al Franken, released in October 2005 A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human Alan Stuart "Al" Franken (born May 21 1951 is an Emmy Award –winning American Comedian, Writer, progressive E P Dutton is an American book publishing company founded as a book retailer in Boston Massachusetts in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. It was written with the help of a volunteer group of fourteen Harvard students known as "Team Franken. " The book's subtitle is an ironic parody of Fox News' tagline "Fair and Balanced. Irony is a literary or Rhetorical device, in which there is an incongruity or Discordance between what one says or does and what one means or A parody (ˈpɛɹədiː US, [ˈpaɹədiː] UK) in contemporary usage is a work created to mock comment on or poke fun at an original work its subject " Fox sued Franken over the use of the phrase in a short-lived lawsuit, which has been credited with increasing the sales of the book.

Lies is one of several books published in 2003 written by American liberals challenging the viewpoints of conservatives such as Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, and Bill O'Reilly. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Liberalism is a broad array of related ideas and theories of Government that consider individual Liberty to be the most important political goal Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined Sean Hannity (born December 30 1961 is an American radio and television host, conservative Political commentator, and Ann Hart Coulter (born December 8 1961 is an American Political commentator, Syndicated columnist, and best-selling Author. William James O'Reilly Jr (born September 10 1949 is an American television / radio host, Author, Syndicated columnist, and These books by Franken and fellow authors such as Joe Conason, Michael Moore and Jim Hightower were described by columnist Molly Ivins as the "great liberal backlash of 2003. Joe Conason (born 1954 in New York City) is a journalist Author and political commentator Michael Francis Moore (born April 23 1954 is an Academy Award -winning American filmmaker author and liberal Political commentator. James Allen "Jim" Hightower (born January 11, 1943) is a syndicated columnist liberal commentator populist activist and author Mary Tyler "Molly" Ivins ( August 30 1944 &ndash January 31 2007) was a Populist American newspaper Columnist "[1]

Contents

Summary

Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them largely targets prominent Republicans and conservatives, highlighting what Franken asserts are documentable lies in their claims. A significant portion of the book is devoted to comparisons between President George W. Bush and former president Bill Clinton regarding their economic, environmental, and military policies. The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by George Walker Bush ( born July 6 1946 is the forty-third and current President of the United States. William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States Economics is the social science that studies the production distribution, and consumption of goods and services. See also Nature The natural environment, commonly referred to simply as the environment, is a terminology that is comprised of all living and A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking Franken also criticizes several pundits, especially those he believes to be the most dishonest, including O'Reilly and Hannity.

In Lies, Franken divides American media into two groups: the mainstream media, which attempts to be objective, and the right-wing media, which does not. In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities Franken writes that "The mainstream media does not have a liberal bias, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, TIME, Newsweek, and the rest at least try to be fair. The American Broadcasting Company ( ABC) is an American Television network. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Cable News Network, usually referred to by its Initialism CNN, is a major English language Television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner The Washington Post is the largest and most circulated Newspaper in Washington D Time (trademarked in capitals as TIME) is a weekly American Newsmagazine, similar to Newsweek and Newsweek is an American weekly Newsmagazine published in New York City. " Franken notes that the mainstream media do have biases toward sensationalism, the easy story, and soft news. Infotainment (a Portmanteau of information and entertainment refers to a general type of media broadcast program which provides a combination of current Franken says the right wing media, including Fox News, The Washington Times, and the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal, "are not interested in conveying the truth. The Washington Times is a daily Broadsheet Newspaper published in Washington D " He argues that they exist to further the cause of American conservatism by advancing stories and themes that work to the benefit of conservatives and to the detriment of liberals. [2]

Franken seeks to debunk the claim that the mainstream American media are liberally biased. Media bias in the United States is the description of systematically non-uniform selection or coverage of news stories in the United States media. Franken believes that the claim of media "liberal bias" is a myth used by conservative politicians. Propagating this myth, Franken asserts, serves three functions. First, it creates reluctance among mainstream media outlets to cover issues that conservatives don't want them to, for fear that they will be accused of having a liberal bias. Second, it allows conservatives to deny or dismiss reports in the mainstream media, regardless of whether they are true, because they have discredited the source already. Third, attacking the liberal media can be effective at increasing conservative voter turnout.

Franken on book tour
Franken on book tour

The book criticizes several conservative authors and pundits by pointing out factual inaccuracies and deceptive statements they have made. Franken criticizes Ann Coulter on a number of points related to what Franken alleges as abuses or violations of journalistic ethics in her book Slander. Ann Hart Coulter (born December 8 1961 is an American Political commentator, Syndicated columnist, and best-selling Author. In addition to accusing her of lying, Franken accuses Coulter of deliberately misusing citations in order to further a misleading political agenda. Coulter, when challenged on the accuracy of statements within the book, frequently said that Slander had 780 footnotes. Franken points out that merely having 780 citations makes readers less likely to actually check them. He also notes that Coulter's citations are not footnotes in a literal sense, but rather endnotes, which are located at the end of the book rather than the foot of the page. Readers, Franken contends, are far less likely to refer to endnotes. Franken also cites instances where Coulter misuses her citations to attribute offensive or outlandish statements to people who did not make them.

Franken also criticizes former CBS reporter Bernard Goldberg for what he claims is selective decontextualized quoting and other dishonest material in his book Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Bernard Richard Goldberg‎ (b 31 May 1945 in New York City, New York) is an American Writer, Journalist, and Bias A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News is a controversial book by Bernard Goldberg, a 28-year veteran CBS news reporter and Franken recounts an incident on Phil Donahue's talk show on MSNBC when he confronted Goldberg about a misleading quote attributed to NBC anchor and commentator John Chancellor. Phillip John "Phil" Donahue (born December 21, 1935 in Cleveland Ohio) is an American media personality and Writer, best known as MSNBC is a 24-hour cable television news channel based in the United States and available in Canada. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's John William Chancellor ( July 14, 1927 &ndash July 12, 1996) was a well-known American Journalist, who spent most of his

The book also criticizes Bill O'Reilly, with whom Al Franken has a public feud. Franken accuses O'Reilly of being a serial and pathological liar, recounting multiple controversies relating to O'Reilly, including O'Reilly's inaccurate statements regarding Peabody awards, his heated interview with Jeremy Glick, and his boycott of Pepsi for hiring rap artist Ludacris. Pepsi-Cola is a carbonated beverage that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo. Franken pokes fun at O'Reilly for moralizing about the sexually explicit and violent themes of Ludacris's songs despite having himself written a book, Those Who Trespass, which contains violent and sexual imagery and profanity. Those Who Trespass A Novel of Television and Murder (ISBN 0-7679-1381-7 is a 1998 Novel by US television personality Bill O'Reilly Franken also recounts his heated confrontation with O'Reilly at BookExpo America 2003, seen on C-SPAN. C-SPAN (officially the Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network) is an American Cable television network dedicated to airing non-stop coverage

Publicity

Main article: Fox v. Franken

Fox News sought damages from Franken, claiming in its lawsuit that the book's subtitle violated its trademark of the slogan "Fair and Balanced". Fox News Network LLC v Penguin Group (USA Inc and Alan S Franken was a civil lawsuit filed in the United The lawsuit was dismissed, and the attempt backfired on Fox News in that it provided Franken with free publicity just as the book was launched. "The book was originally scheduled to be released Sept. 22 but will be made available Aug. 21," according to its publisher. "We sped up the release because of tremendous demand for the book, generated by recent events. "

In the lawsuit, Fox described Franken as "intoxicated or deranged" as well as "shrill and unstable. " In response, Franken joked that he had trademarked the word "funny", and that Fox had infringed his intellectual property rights by characterizing him as "unfunny. " The publicity resulting from the lawsuit propelled Franken's yet-to-be-released book to the #1 sales position on Amazon.com's best-seller list. Amazoncom Inc ( is an American electronic commerce ( E-commerce) company in Seattle Washington.

On August 22, 2003, U. Events 392 - Arbogast has Eugenius elected Western Roman Emperor. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. S. District Judge Denny Chin denied Fox's request for an injunction to block the publication of Franken's book, characterizing the network's claim as "wholly without merit, both factually and legally. Denny Chin is a Judge on the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. " During the judge's questioning, spectators in the court's gallery frequently laughed at Fox's case. [3] Franken later joked, "Usually when you say someone was literally laughed out of court, you mean they were figuratively laughed out of court, but Fox was literally laughed out of court. "[4] Three days later, Fox filed papers to drop its lawsuit.

Franken describes the legal battle in a paperback-only chapter of Lies entitled "I Win". Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding.

Book critiques

Difficulty posed by use of satire and nonfiction

In a largely favorable review of Franken's book in the Washington newspaper The Hill, reviewer Mary Lynn F. The Hill is a Newspaper published in Washington DC It is written for and about the U Jones wrote: "Franken's tendency to mix fact with fiction [also] left me wondering sometimes what was true and what wasn't. "[5] As an example, she cited a passage in Franken's book in which he wrote that former Bush foreign policy advisor Richard Armitage "bolted" from a Senate hearing and "[knocked] over veteran reporter Helen Thomas, breaking her hip and jaw". Richard Armitage may refer to Richard Armitage (actor, English actor Richard Armitage (politician, American politician Helen Thomas (born August 4, 1920) is an American News service reporter a Hearst Newspapers Columnist, and member of the [6] The paperback version has a footnote saying, "The Helen Thomas thing is a joke. Paperback, softback, or softcover describe and refer to a Book by the nature of its binding. "[7]

Factual inaccuracy

Franken wrote that former U. S. Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), while serving in the U. Joseph Maxwell Cleland (born August 24, 1942) is an American politician from Georgia. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. The State of Georgia ( is a state in the United States and was one of the original Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule S. Army, "left three of his limbs in Vietnam. A VC grenade blew them off. "[8] In fact, it was not a Viet Cong grenade; instead the grenade had fallen from a fellow American soldier's flak jacket during a non-combat mission and accidentally detonated. [9]

The inaccuracy was corrected in the book's paperback edition.

Editions

See also

References

  1. ^ Krugman, Paul. Media bias in the United States The hostile media effect, sometimes called the hostile media phenomenon, refers to the finding that people with strong biases toward an issue (partisans perceive media "Missing Molly Ivins", New York Times, 2007-02-02. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Retrieved on 2008-03-02. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 986 - Louis V becomes King of the Franks. 1127 - Assassination of Charles the Good  
  2. ^ Al Franken, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, pp. 1-3.
  3. ^ Saulny, Susan (2003-08-23). Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire In Courtroom, Laughter at Fox and a Victory for Al Franken. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-03-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus,
  4. ^ Corman, Mary (2003-08-23). Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 79 - Mount Vesuvius begins stirring on the feast day of Vulcan the Roman god of fire Franken Speaks Frankly. interview. Stanford Progressive. Retrieved on 2007-03-15. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 44 BC - Julius Caesar, Dictator of the Roman Republic, is stabbed to death by Marcus Junius Brutus,
  5. ^ Jones, Mary Lynn F. (2003-09-09). Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1000 - Battle of Svolder, Viking Age. 1379 - Treaty of Neuberg, splitting the Austrian Franken's humor overpowered by cynical Look at the Right. The Hill. Retrieved on 2007-03-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 45 BC - In his last victory Julius Caesar defeats the Pompeian forces of Titus Labienus and Pompey the Younger
  6. ^ Franken, page 218
  7. ^ Franken, page 227 of the paperback
  8. ^ Franken, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them, p. 163.
  9. ^ Thompson, Neal. "30 Years of Self-Loathing, and Then, Finally, the Truth." The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 5 Dec. 1999: 1. Find Articles. 11 Oct. 2006.
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