Media Matters for America

On Hardball, Matthews forwarded discredited rumor over MN ballots
Chris Matthews echoed the discredited rumor that 32 ballots from Minneapolis were mishandled in the Minnesota Senate race. Matthews asked: "What about these absentee ballots that were found in somebody's back seat and they're now counting them as official -- what is that about? That sounds pretty squirrely or sneaky or what -- I don't know what it sounds like." In fact, a lawyer for Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has reportedly said that "[i]t does not appear that there was any ballot-tampering, and that was our concern." Read More

Media Matters: The media's Minnesota debacle

Despite Rep. Wilson's assertion that she "stay[s] on white side of gray," Matthews did not ask about DOJ report
Discussing Sen. Ted Stevens' conviction for lying on his Senate financial disclosure forms, Chris Matthews asked Rep. Heather Wilson, "Does it bother you personally that one of your colleagues looks like a crook?" However, after Wilson responded, in part, that "in my office and in my service, you know, I tell everyone that works with me, we stay on the white side of gray," Matthews did not ask Wilson about a Justice Department report that called for further investigation of actions Wilson and others allegedly took surrounding the firing of a former New Mexico U.S. Attorney. The report stated that the alleged conduct of Wilson and others in the case "may have been criminal." Read More

After repeatedly calling McCain's behavior "erratic," Matthews suggested Obama's doing so was a reference to McCain's age
On his NBC-syndicated show, Chris Matthews suggested that when Sen. Barack Obama used the word "erratic" to describe Sen. John McCain or his campaign, he was making a reference to McCain's age. But in recent weeks, Matthews himself has repeatedly described McCain's actions, and those of his campaign, as "erratic." Read More

Matthews does not believe McCain would personally join in his campaign's attacks -- but he did

Matthews on Obama's debate performance: "[D]id it surprise you that he was so un-ethnic tonight?"