101 People Who Are Really Screwing America
Encyclopedia
101 People Who Are Really Screwing America (and Bernard Goldberg is only #73) is a non-fiction
book by Jack Huberman. It was published in 2006 by Nation Books. The book is a liberal response to Bernard Goldberg
's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
, and includes criticism of Republican politicians
including George W. Bush
, Dick Cheney
, Donald Rumsfeld
, and Rick Santorum
. The book received positive reception in Publishers Weekly
and The Nation
. Reference & Research Book News called the book "the liberal polemical riposte" of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.
The book includes quotes attributed to American
radio host
and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh
, without providing a date or details about the quotes. When Limbaugh was in dealings to purchase a portion of the American football
team, the St. Louis Rams
in 2009, the quotes were reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
. Limbaugh disputed the quotes. The author of the book and its publisher both declined to comment to Associated Press
. Legal analysts told Fox News Channel
that Limbaugh could have a case for a libel lawsuit.
, New York
. Prior to authoring 101 People Who Are Really Screwing America, Huberman wrote the book The Bush-Hater's Handbook: a Guide to the Most Appalling Presidency of the Past 100 Years. He is also the author of Bushit: An A-Z Guide to the Bush Attack on Truth, Justice, Equality, and the American Way. Huberman was born in Montreal
, Canada
, where he spent his early life.
response to Bernard Goldberg
's 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
. The top-listed individuals are typically Republican politicians
, such as George W. Bush
, Dick Cheney
, Donald Rumsfeld
, and Rick Santorum
, and conservative judges such as Clarence Thomas
and Antonin Scalia
. Cheney is ranked in first place, and Bush in second. Others criticized in the book include Ann Coulter
, Laura Schlessinger
, drivers of SUVs, editors of The Wall Street Journal
, Fox News Channel
, J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown
, and Candace Bushnell
. Bernard Goldberg is ranked number 73 in the book.
described the book as a "droll and acerbic refresher course on the issues confronting the 21st-century United States". The review concluded: "Though Huberman takes his readers' sympathies for granted, the unabashedly leftwing bias and sheer breadth of this frontal assault on Republican politics and culture are factually convincing. ... overall Huberman serves up a frothy indictment to warm liberal innards." Reference & Research Book News characterized the book as a "the liberal polemical riposte" of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
by Bernard Goldberg
. The book was highlighted in the blog "Editor's Cut" published by The Nation
. Writing for The Nation
, Katrina Vanden Heuvel commented: "In this witty book, Huberman lays out in well-researched detail the interlocking relationships within the vast rightwing agenda to undermine our democratic institutions for profit and prophesy."
radio host
and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh
: "Let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery
in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back. I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark." Huberman's book does not provide a date for the quote or any other details about it. Another quote from page 232 of the book attributed to Limbaugh is "You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray
. We miss you, James. Godspeed." Ray assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr.
In 2009, Limbaugh was in dealings to purchase a portion of the American football
team, the St. Louis Rams
. In the context of reporting on Limbaugh's attempts to purchase the St. Louis Rams, the quote attributed to Limbaugh in the book was printed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
in October 2009. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch did not attempt to verify the quote, beyond its attribution to Limbaugh in the book. The quote also appeared attributed to Limbaugh in other news publications, including the Detroit Free Press
, and The Washington Post
. The quote was repeated on CNN
and MSNBC
. In a program on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow
attributed the quote involving James Earl Ray from the Huberman book to Limbaugh.
Limbaugh initially stated he was unable to recall saying the statement in the quotes in question. After Limbaugh's staff researched the quotes and were unable to find reference to them other than the book, Limbaugh emailed the Associated Press
a statement: "The totally made-up and fabricated quotes attributed to me in recent media reports are outrageous and slanderous." Limbaugh stated on his radio program: "There's a quote out there that I first saw it in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week that I somehow, some time ago, defended slavery and started cracking jokes about it. And, you know, you say a lot of things in the course of 15 hours a week, over the course of 21 years. We've gone back, we have looked at everything we have. There is not even an inkling that any words in this quote are accurate. It's outrageous, but it's totally predictable. It's being repeated by people who have never listened to this program, they certainly didn't hear it said themselves because it was never said." The reporting of the quote and its attribution to Limbaugh hurt his attempts to purchase the St. Louis Rams, and National Football League
Commissioner Roger Goodell
stated he did not think the quotes attributed to Limbaugh "accurately reflect the league and its players".
On October 14, 2009, Limbaugh was dropped from the group attempting to buy the St. Louis Rams, due to the controversy of his participation in the deal. According to chairman of the St. Louis Blues hockey team Dave Checketts, who was behind the group attempting to purchase the St. Louis Rams, Limbaugh's participation in the endeavor had become a "complication and a distraction". James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal
reported that the quotes may have originated in September 2005 from a blogger who initially discovered them on a Wikipedia
page. Toby Harnden of The Daily Telegraph
reported that the quotes originated on Wikipedia and Wikiquote
, prior to making it into Huberman's book.
On October 15, 2009, the Associated Press contacted Huberman as well as the book's publisher, and asked for the source of the quotes. Huberman told the Associated Press he had no comment about the source of the quotes, and the book's publisher also declined to comment. The Huffington Post
had previously published the quote in a blog post by Huberman where he excerpted a portion of his book on the website. The Huffington Post
later deleted the offending quotes from Huberman's post, and posted an "Editor's Note", which stated that Huberman was not able to substantiate the quotes he had attributed to Limbaugh: "An earlier version of this post contained quotes attributed to Rush Limbaugh, which Limbaugh has since denied making. As is our policy when a fact in a blog post is called into question, we gave its author 24 hours to substantiate the quote. Since he has not been able to do so, the quotes have been deleted from the post."
The president of the conservative media watchdog organization Media Research Center
, Brent Bozell, called for CNN
and MSNBC to prove Limbaugh said the offending statement, or retract and apologize for repeating it. On October 16, 2009, both CNN and MSNBC issued statements regarding their restating the quotes attributed to Limbaugh. "We should not have reported it – not have reported it – without independent confirmation, and for that I apologize," said CNN's Rick Sanchez
. "MSNBC attributed that quote to a football player who was opposed to Limbaugh's NFL bid. However, we have been unable to verify that quote independently. So, just to clarify," said David Shuster
in a clarification on MSNBC. Fox News Channel
reported on October 17, 2009 that multiple legal analysts stated Limbaugh could file a libel lawsuit in order to prove he did not say the words attributed to him.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book by Jack Huberman. It was published in 2006 by Nation Books. The book is a liberal response to Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Richard Goldberg , also known as Bernie Goldberg, is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American writer, journalist, and political commentator...
's book 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is a non-fiction book by Bernard Goldberg that was published in 2005. The book's central idea is to name and blame a long list of specific individuals for making the United States a "far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place."Goldberg's book denounces many...
, and includes criticism of Republican politicians
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
including George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, and Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
. The book received positive reception in Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
and The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. Reference & Research Book News called the book "the liberal polemical riposte" of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America.
The book includes quotes attributed to American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio host
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, without providing a date or details about the quotes. When Limbaugh was in dealings to purchase a portion of the American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
in 2009, the quotes were reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
. Limbaugh disputed the quotes. The author of the book and its publisher both declined to comment to Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
. Legal analysts told Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
that Limbaugh could have a case for a libel lawsuit.
Author
In June 2006, Jack Huberman resided in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Prior to authoring 101 People Who Are Really Screwing America, Huberman wrote the book The Bush-Hater's Handbook: a Guide to the Most Appalling Presidency of the Past 100 Years. He is also the author of Bushit: An A-Z Guide to the Bush Attack on Truth, Justice, Equality, and the American Way. Huberman was born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, where he spent his early life.
Contents
The book is a liberalLiberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
response to Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Richard Goldberg , also known as Bernie Goldberg, is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American writer, journalist, and political commentator...
's 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is a non-fiction book by Bernard Goldberg that was published in 2005. The book's central idea is to name and blame a long list of specific individuals for making the United States a "far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place."Goldberg's book denounces many...
. The top-listed individuals are typically Republican politicians
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
, such as George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
, Dick Cheney
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce "Dick" Cheney served as the 46th Vice President of the United States , under George W. Bush....
, Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Rumsfeld
Donald Henry Rumsfeld is an American politician and businessman. Rumsfeld served as the 13th Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford, and as the 21st Secretary of Defense from 2001 to 2006 under President George W. Bush. He is both the youngest and the oldest person to...
, and Rick Santorum
Rick Santorum
Richard John "Rick" Santorum is a lawyer and a former United States Senator from the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Santorum was the chairman of the Senate Republican Conference -making him the third-ranking Senate Republican from 2001 until his leave in 2007. Santorum is considered both a social...
, and conservative judges such as Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
and Antonin Scalia
Antonin Scalia
Antonin Gregory Scalia is an American jurist who serves as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. As the longest-serving justice on the Court, Scalia is the Senior Associate Justice...
. Cheney is ranked in first place, and Bush in second. Others criticized in the book include Ann Coulter
Ann Coulter
Ann Hart Coulter is an American lawyer, conservative social and political commentator, author, and syndicated columnist. She frequently appears on television, radio, and as a speaker at public events and private events...
, Laura Schlessinger
Laura Schlessinger
Laura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
, drivers of SUVs, editors of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
, Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, J.K. Rowling, Dan Brown
Dan Brown
Dan Brown is an American author of thriller fiction, best known for the 2003 bestselling novel, The Da Vinci Code. Brown's novels, which are treasure hunts set in a 24-hour time period, feature the recurring themes of cryptography, keys, symbols, codes, and conspiracy theories...
, and Candace Bushnell
Candace Bushnell
Candace Bushnell is an American author and columnist based in New York City. She is best known for writing a column that was anthologized in a book, Sex and the City, which in turn became the basis for a popular television series and its subsequent film adaptations.-Personal life:Bushnell was born...
. Bernard Goldberg is ranked number 73 in the book.
Reception
A review in Publishers WeeklyPublishers Weekly
Publishers Weekly, aka PW, is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers and literary agents...
described the book as a "droll and acerbic refresher course on the issues confronting the 21st-century United States". The review concluded: "Though Huberman takes his readers' sympathies for granted, the unabashedly leftwing bias and sheer breadth of this frontal assault on Republican politics and culture are factually convincing. ... overall Huberman serves up a frothy indictment to warm liberal innards." Reference & Research Book News characterized the book as a "the liberal polemical riposte" of 100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America
100 People Who Are Screwing Up America is a non-fiction book by Bernard Goldberg that was published in 2005. The book's central idea is to name and blame a long list of specific individuals for making the United States a "far more selfish, vulgar, and cynical place."Goldberg's book denounces many...
by Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Goldberg
Bernard Richard Goldberg , also known as Bernie Goldberg, is an eleven-time Emmy Award-winning American writer, journalist, and political commentator...
. The book was highlighted in the blog "Editor's Cut" published by The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
. Writing for The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Katrina Vanden Heuvel commented: "In this witty book, Huberman lays out in well-researched detail the interlocking relationships within the vast rightwing agenda to undermine our democratic institutions for profit and prophesy."
2009 Rush Limbaugh quote controversy
A quote on page 232 of the book is attributed to AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio host
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
and conservative political commentator Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
: "Let’s face it, we didn’t have slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in this country for over 100 years because it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite: Slavery built the South. I’m not saying we should bring it back. I’m just saying it had its merits. For one thing, the streets were safer after dark." Huberman's book does not provide a date for the quote or any other details about it. Another quote from page 232 of the book attributed to Limbaugh is "You know who deserves a posthumous Medal of Honor? James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray
James Earl Ray was an American criminal convicted of the assassination of civil rights and anti-war activist Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr....
. We miss you, James. Godspeed." Ray assassinated Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
In 2009, Limbaugh was in dealings to purchase a portion of the American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team, the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
. In the context of reporting on Limbaugh's attempts to purchase the St. Louis Rams, the quote attributed to Limbaugh in the book was printed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch is the major city-wide newspaper in St. Louis, Missouri. Although written to serve Greater St. Louis, the Post-Dispatch is one of the largest newspapers in the Midwestern United States, and is available and read as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, as far south as...
in October 2009. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch did not attempt to verify the quote, beyond its attribution to Limbaugh in the book. The quote also appeared attributed to Limbaugh in other news publications, including the Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
, and The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
. The quote was repeated on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. In a program on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow
Rachel Maddow
Rachel Anne Maddow is an American television host and political commentator. Maddow hosts a nightly television show, The Rachel Maddow Show, on MSNBC. Her syndicated talk radio program, The Rachel Maddow Show, aired on Air America Radio...
attributed the quote involving James Earl Ray from the Huberman book to Limbaugh.
Limbaugh initially stated he was unable to recall saying the statement in the quotes in question. After Limbaugh's staff researched the quotes and were unable to find reference to them other than the book, Limbaugh emailed the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
a statement: "The totally made-up and fabricated quotes attributed to me in recent media reports are outrageous and slanderous." Limbaugh stated on his radio program: "There's a quote out there that I first saw it in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last week that I somehow, some time ago, defended slavery and started cracking jokes about it. And, you know, you say a lot of things in the course of 15 hours a week, over the course of 21 years. We've gone back, we have looked at everything we have. There is not even an inkling that any words in this quote are accurate. It's outrageous, but it's totally predictable. It's being repeated by people who have never listened to this program, they certainly didn't hear it said themselves because it was never said." The reporting of the quote and its attribution to Limbaugh hurt his attempts to purchase the St. Louis Rams, and National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
Commissioner Roger Goodell
Roger Goodell
Roger S. Goodell is the Commissioner of the National Football League , having been chosen to succeed the retiring Paul Tagliabue on August 8, 2006. He was chosen over four finalists for the position, winning a close vote on the fifth ballot before being unanimously approved by acclamation of the...
stated he did not think the quotes attributed to Limbaugh "accurately reflect the league and its players".
On October 14, 2009, Limbaugh was dropped from the group attempting to buy the St. Louis Rams, due to the controversy of his participation in the deal. According to chairman of the St. Louis Blues hockey team Dave Checketts, who was behind the group attempting to purchase the St. Louis Rams, Limbaugh's participation in the endeavor had become a "complication and a distraction". James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
reported that the quotes may have originated in September 2005 from a blogger who initially discovered them on a Wikipedia
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
page. Toby Harnden of The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
reported that the quotes originated on Wikipedia and Wikiquote
Wikiquote
Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. Based on an idea by Daniel Alston and implemented by Brion Vibber, the goal of the project is to produce collaboratively a vast reference of quotations from prominent people, books,...
, prior to making it into Huberman's book.
On October 15, 2009, the Associated Press contacted Huberman as well as the book's publisher, and asked for the source of the quotes. Huberman told the Associated Press he had no comment about the source of the quotes, and the book's publisher also declined to comment. The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
had previously published the quote in a blog post by Huberman where he excerpted a portion of his book on the website. The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
later deleted the offending quotes from Huberman's post, and posted an "Editor's Note", which stated that Huberman was not able to substantiate the quotes he had attributed to Limbaugh: "An earlier version of this post contained quotes attributed to Rush Limbaugh, which Limbaugh has since denied making. As is our policy when a fact in a blog post is called into question, we gave its author 24 hours to substantiate the quote. Since he has not been able to do so, the quotes have been deleted from the post."
The president of the conservative media watchdog organization Media Research Center
Media Research Center
The Media Research Center is a content analysis organization based in Alexandria, Virginia, founded in 1987 by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III...
, Brent Bozell, called for CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and MSNBC to prove Limbaugh said the offending statement, or retract and apologize for repeating it. On October 16, 2009, both CNN and MSNBC issued statements regarding their restating the quotes attributed to Limbaugh. "We should not have reported it – not have reported it – without independent confirmation, and for that I apologize," said CNN's Rick Sanchez
Rick Sanchez
Ricardo León "Rick" Sánchez de Reinaldo , known professionally as Rick Sanchez, is a Cuban-American journalist, author and former TV news anchor...
. "MSNBC attributed that quote to a football player who was opposed to Limbaugh's NFL bid. However, we have been unable to verify that quote independently. So, just to clarify," said David Shuster
David Shuster
David Martin Shuster is an American television journalist who has been an anchor for MSNBC and who has also worked for Fox News and CNN. He anchored MSNBC Live weekdays from 10-11am and 3-4pm ET and filled in for Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow on their respective shows...
in a clarification on MSNBC. Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
reported on October 17, 2009 that multiple legal analysts stated Limbaugh could file a libel lawsuit in order to prove he did not say the words attributed to him.