Media Malfeasance

Boehlert: Worst false equivalency of the week

Courtesy of this USA Today headline:

Poll: Obama down, Cheney up

The regrettable lede:

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows President Obama's favorability ratings still sky-high but slipping slightly, while former vice president Dick Cheney, seen here during at recent appearance at the National Press Club, appears to be improving his image.

Not only does the newspaper continue to group Obama and Cheney in as equals, the way the press did during the recent flare-up over national security, but USA Today draws a direct comparison between their polling numbers, with the obvious conclusion that Cheney's getting the better of Obama; that the former VP's "up" while Obama is "down."

Notes the daily:

As our Gannett Washington Bureau colleague Chuck Raasch recently pointed out, the former veep has been on a full-court public relations press lately defending the foreign policy and national security efforts of his boss, former president George W. Bush.

Score one for Cheney!

But what exactly did the the NBC/WSJ poll reveal about both [emphasis added]?

Of those responding, 60% had a very or somewhat positive view of the president, compared with 66% in January, when Obama took office. Cheney's numbers moved up from 21% in December to 26% today.

Wow, Cheney's up five points in six months and remains nearly one-third as popular as Obama. He's on a roll!