The Media Research Center’s Scott Whitlock, writing on NewsBusters, accuses MSNBC of unfairly linking Tea Party activists with Birthers:
On Thursday, MSNBC continued its quest to link conservatives with the birther movement- people who don’t believe Barack Obama is constitutionally eligible to serve as President. Previewing an unrelated segment on this weekend’s tea party convention, Norah O’Donnell played a clip of Obama criticizing those who raise the issue. She then compared, “President Obama sends a message to those who question his citizenship, this as the tea party movement gets ready for its first big convention.”
At no point did O’Donnell explain or justify the connection, other than her apparent assumption that tea partiers equal birthers. The MSNBC host interviewed author Rick Scarborough, one of the speakers at the convention in Nashville. During the piece, this MSNBC graphic appeared in large font at the bottom of the screen: “Obama: Okay to Question My Policy, Not My Citizenship.”
Again, this was not the topic of the segment and there was no attempt made to explain what it had to do with a tea party convention.
Gee, maybe MSNBC was linking Tea Party activists to Birthers because Rick Scarborough is speaking at the National Tea Party Convention and he just so happens to be a full-on Birther.
Just a thought.
