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NewsMax.com is a conservative news website that was founded in September 1998 by journalist Christopher Ruddy, who is its current CEO, editor-in-chief, and runs the website in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Background

Christopher Ruddy is perhaps best known for his work on the Arkansas Project, which was described by R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., the founder and editor of the American Spectator as "an attempt by the Spectator, best known for its acerbic and lively commentary, to get into more investigative reporting" . Ruddy received funding for a conspiracy book surrounding the Presidency of Bill Clinton and Vincent Foster's suicide from Joseph Farah (the founder of World Net Daily, and co-founder of the Western Journalism Center) and the Western Journalism Center. This group supplied Ruddy with "additional expense money, funding for Freedom of Information Act requests, legal support and publicity during his" book "research" of a Clinton conspiracy surrounding the suicide of Foster. Ruddy's ties to the Spectator and the project created unease with the rank of conservatives. According to the Washington Post, "describe Ruddy as 'a very heavy breather' whose book contained 'very few direct quotes, but a great many insinuations'" Nonetheless, Ruddy and Richard Mellon Scaife (who funded the Arkansas Project) remained connected through their promotion of conservative ideas. Before starting NewsMax, Ruddy was a reporter for the Scaife-owned Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Eventually, Scaife became an investor and the third-largest stockholder of NewsMax.

Consequently, NewsMax contains a right-wing viewpoint, promoting itself as "a leading conservative news source providing an Internet alternative to the liberal mainstream media" and featuring a section devoted to media bias . Unlike other right-wing webpages, it does run mostly its own content and that of a collection of guest editorial writers in much the same way that conservative websites Alamance Independent, WorldNetDaily (due in part to donators ties) and the Drudge Report do.

NewsMax originated sales of the "Deck of Evil" playing cards and followed up with the "Deck of Weasels" lampooning prominent opponents of the 2003 invasion of Iraq as well as the "Deck of Hillary" and the "Deck of Reagan." Also the website provides links to conservative comics like "Faithmouse," The Leftersons, and Mallard Fillmore.

Criticism of NewsMax has been over incorrect information about politics which specifically targeted liberal leaders and politicians. NewsMax has been accused of being a hub of conspiracy theories about Democrats, and Bill Clinton in particular.

Misinformation

Hillary Clinton

On May 26th 2001 Newsmax started an urban myth about Hillary Clinton reapeatedly refusing to meet with the Gold Star Mothers, a group whose members are mothers who have lost children while serving in the military.

Another example occured on June 5, 2005 when in a subscription only email. NewsMax correspondent John LeBoutillier, interviewed Ed Klein, and "LeBoutillier writes" Klien's book will reveal Daniel Moynihan's (who died in 2003) alleged resistance to Clinton's candidacy:

"Still, a few months later Hillary got what she wanted: the prized photo op at the Moynihan's upstate farm. Oddly, Pat Moynihan never uttered Hillary's name -- not even once -- during this event. He could not bring himself to mention Hillary by name -- but the press reported his 'endorsement' just the same."

and yet a July 7, 1999 CNN interview with Pat Moynihan (who was deceased by the time of the 2005 Newsmax article and so could not provide a rebuttal of their claims himself):

"Moynihan: Before you do -- before I do, and, my God, I almost forgot -- yesterday, Hillary Clinton established an exploratory committee as regards candidacy for the Senate, United States Senate, from New York, a seat which I will vacate in a year and a half. I'm here to say that I hope she will go all the way. I mean to go all the way with her. I think she's going to win. I think it's going to be wonderful for New York, and we'll be proud of our senator and the nation will notice."

John McCain

On November 29, 2005 Newsmax was the source of a rumor that John McCain himself validated the use of torture. This accusation was then picked up and repeated by Rush Limbaugh. Newsmax specifically claimed:

"Sen. John McCain is leading the charge against so-called “torture” techniques allegedly used by U.S. interrogators, insisting that practices like sleep deprivation and withholding medical attention are not only brutal – they simply don’t work to persuade terrorist suspects to give accurate information."
"Nearly forty years ago, however – when McCain was held captive in a North Vietnamese prison camp – some of the same techniques were used on him. And – as McCain has publicly admitted at least twice – the torture worked!"

The article contradicts itself by demonstrating that torture does not provide intelligence:

"For the next four days, I was beaten every two to three hours by different guards . . . Finally, I reached the lowest point of my 5 1/2 years in North Vietnam. I was at the point of suicide, because I saw that I was reaching the end of my rope."
"McCain was taken to an interrogation room and ordered to sign a document confessing to war crimes. "I signed it," he recalled. "It was in their language, and spoke about black crimes, and other generalities."

Plame-CIA Leak

On October 29, 2005 Newsmax published an article which claimed that "Patrick Fitzgerald Retreats From Plame 'Covert' Claim." The article commented that Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald:

"declined to bring any charges to that effect, casting even more doubt on the claim that her (Valerie Wilson) CIA job was a closely guarded secret."

Yet, in the October 28, 2005 Federal indictment of Scooter Libby, page 3, section f stated:

"At all relevant times from January 1, 2002 through July 2003, Valerie Wilson was employed by the CIA, and her employment status was classified. Prior to July 14, 2003, Valerie Wilson’s affiliation with the CIA was not common knowledge outside the intelligence community."

Moreover, the indictment page 2, section b stated:

"LIBBY was obligated by applicable laws and regulations, including Title 18, United States Code, Section 793, and Executive Order 12958 (as modified by Executive Order 13292)"

And Title 18, Section 793 is the Espionage Act.

References

  1. ""'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts"". Washington Post. December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  2. ""Western Journalism Center - Joseph Farah"". Public Eye.Org. December 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  3. ""Joseph Farah and the World Net Daily"". Con Watch. December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  4. ""'Arkansas Project' Led to Turmoil and Rifts"". Washington Post. December 13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  5. ""Ron Brown Reports for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review by Christopher Ruddy"". NewsMax. December 15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  6. ""NEWSMAX MEDIA, INC. SB-2/A#1 REG. NO. 333-83408"". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  7. ""Media Bias"". Newsmax. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  8. ""First detail on new anti-Hillary book is a lie"". Media Matters. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  9. ""First detail on new anti-Hillary book is a lie"". Media Matters. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  10. ""Politics: Gold Mother Stars"". Snopes.com. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  11. ""John McCain: Torture Worked on Me"". Newsmax. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  12. ""Limbaugh repeated NewsMax.com's false claim that McCain 'admitted that torture worked on him'"". Media Matters]. December 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  13. ""Patrick Fitzgerald Retreats From Plame 'Covert' Claim"". Newsmax. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  14. ""October 28, 2005 Indictment: US v Libby"" (PDF). United States Attorney General's Office. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
  15. ""October 28, 2005 Indictment: US v Libby"" (PDF). United States Attorney General's Office. November 29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links

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