There are plenty of fascinating angles to Rush Limbaugh’s attack on Michael J. Fox this week, but the media’s coverage of the story. I had hoped reporters would hold up Limbaugh’s repugnant accusations as an example of right-wing discourse gone horribly awry. It clearly hasn’t happened.
Literally within 24 hours of the on-air remarks, for example, the WaPo published an article characterizing Limbaugh’s “questions” about Fox and his integrity as potentially accurate and entirely fair. Similarly, the same day, CNN’s The Situation Room featured a report on Limbaugh with text at the bottom of the screen that reinforced Limbaugh’s message: “Fox ads in good or bad taste?” CNN national correspondent John King said, “I think we should take Rush at his word. He has issued this apology,” despite the fact that Limbaugh had actually told his listeners, “I stand by what I said. I take back none of what I said.”
But I’d nominate NBC’s Matt Lauer for the worst of all possible coverage, because it was Lauer who suggested that Limbaugh was “just say[ing] what a lot of people were privately thinking.” From Lauer’s chat yesterday with far-right talk-show host Laura Ingraham:
LAUER: Let me just ask you: You know, Rush Limbaugh started a lot of controversy when he said perhaps Michael J. Fox was exaggerating or faking these effects of Parkinson’s disease in that ad promoting stem cell research. Didn’t Rush Limbaugh just say what a lot of people were privately thinking?
INGRAHAM: Well, Michael J. Fox himself, I think, had written that when he testified before Congress, he decided to go off his medication. But this is not about Limbaugh, it’s not about Fox. It’s about an amendment that claims to ban cloning, Matt, and instead it constitutionalizes the right to clone for the destruction of those embryos that are in the lab. That’s the fact. It’s not about Limbaugh, and the media loves to make it about Limbaugh and Fox. That’s not what it’s about.
LAUER: But also, Susan, last word. If Michael Fox goes out there politically and puts himself in the fray, he has to expect to be, you know, taken to account, correct?
ESTRICH: Correct. And he is being taken to account.
As Bradford Plumer put it, “Fox should be ‘taken to account’? For suffering from Parkinson’s?”
If the right wanted to respond to Fox’s ad by talking about stem-cell policy, that would be taking on Fox. No one’s suggesting that the ad is above reproach — if someone wants to say that Fox is wrong, fine. If a critic wants to raise questions about the policy, fine. It’s a controversial subject; let’s debate it.
But this was a personal smear against someone with Parkinson’s. Limbaugh accused Fox of fraud, and insisted the effects of a debilitating disease may have been exaggerated for effect. Lauer not only tried to help justify the offensive comments, he reinforced them, and then effectively argued that Fox deserved all of this. Why? Because he dared to ask voters to support candidates who share his hope for live-saving medical treatments.
Plumer added:
What is wrong with these people? Lauer knows “a lot of” people who are “privately thinking” the same thing as Rush? Really? Anyone besides his friends? Last night, his former co-anchor Katie Couric jumped in and badgered Fox in person on the question of whether he was being dishonest about taking his medication (because she had heard it on good authority from Limbaugh that that was the case). Fox responded: “At this point now, if I didn’t take medication I wouldn’t be able to speak.” Sorry, Michael, we’re going to have to take you to account for that, too.
The problem, once again, is a bizarre media standard. Josh Marshall marveled “at the moral chokehold the big right wing media players have over the mainstream media.”
This character goes on the radio and cracks jokes about a man suffering from Parkinsons disease. Says he’s faking his symptoms. Playing for the camera. It’s right up there with your better jokes about, say, breast cancer or other knee-slappers like pediatric oncology.
In any other context this would be treated as a fatal breach of decency and taste. But he gets respectful coverage in papers like the Post (at least till someone there got wise and yanked the story). And in general the whole imbroglio is treated as Fox and his supposed symptoms and the Limbaugh backlash. And also, hey, Limbaugh said he was sorry for making fun of Fox’s condition and now only says he’s shamelessly exploiting his medical condition.
All the big names are afraid of him. He’ll probably be back on Meet the Press before the end of the year.
The mind reels.