Like a dog that's been beat too much

A new study by professors at Occidental College and the University of Northern Iowa examines the media's coverage of ACORN, finding that during last year's presidential campaign and again this year, the "mainstream" media has rushed to repeat a barrage of false claims by Republicans and conservatives about the organization without first checking to see if the claims are true. The study makes a number of important points and is worth reading all the way through. As the study notes, the media firestorm surrounding ACORN had an effect: "82% of the respondents in an October 2008 national survey reported they had heard about ACORN." Not that it stopped when the presidential campaign ended. This spring, news reports were filled with ludicrous claims that Democrats were steering billions of dollars in stimulus money to ACORN. That's just flat-out crazy (or -- take your pick -- a dishonorable lie), and yet it still didn't dampen the media's enthusiasm for the right's assault on ACORN.