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'''''American Thinker''''' is a daily [[online magazine]] dealing with [[Politics of the United States|American politics]] from a [[conservatism in the United States|politically conservative]] viewpoint.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.americanthinker.com/static/about_us.html |title = American Thinker: About Us |publisher = American Thinker |access-date = 2010-06-22 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100623194930/http://www.americanthinker.com/static/about_us.html |archive-date= 23 June 2010 <!--DASHBot--> |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Politics of Mayor Bloomberg's Snow Removal Response |date=December 30, 2010 |first=Danny |last=Groner |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-groner/the-politics-of-mayor-blo_b_802720.html |work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref> It was founded in 2003 by attorney Ed Lasky, health-care consultant Richard Baehr, and sociologist Thomas Lifson, and initially became prominent in the lead-up to the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 U.S. Presidential election]] for its attacks on then-candidate [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Libit |first1=Daniel |title=For the Tea Party Movement, Sturdy Roots in the Chicago Area |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19cncodom.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 20, 2017 |date=February 18, 2010}}</ref> The magazine has been described as a [[conservative]] blog.<ref>{{cite news |title=Still Crusading, but Now on the Inside |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/world/30power.html|work=The New York Times|first=Sheryl Gay|last=Stolberg|date=March 29, 2011 |access-date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/education/13trees.html |title=University Fences In a Berkeley Protest, and a New One Arises |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=2007-09-13 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-06-24 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Southern Poverty Law Center]] has called the site "a not so thoughtful far-right online publication."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2014/04/23/american-thinker-needs-start-thinking|title=American Thinker Needs to Start Thinking|website=splcenter.org|date=April 24, 2014|accessdate=March 19, 2021}}</ref>
'''''American Thinker''''' is a daily [[online magazine]] dealing with [[Politics of the United States|American politics]] from a [[conservatism in the United States|politically conservative]] viewpoint.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.americanthinker.com/static/about_us.html |title = American Thinker: About Us |publisher = American Thinker |access-date = 2010-06-22 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100623194930/http://www.americanthinker.com/static/about_us.html |archive-date= 23 June 2010 <!--DASHBot--> |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The Politics of Mayor Bloomberg's Snow Removal Response |date=December 30, 2010 |first=Danny |last=Groner |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/danny-groner/the-politics-of-mayor-blo_b_802720.html |work=[[The Huffington Post]]}}</ref> It was founded in 2003 by attorney Ed Lasky, health-care consultant Richard Baehr, and sociologist Thomas Lifson, and initially became prominent in the lead-up to the [[2008 United States presidential election|2008 U.S. Presidential election]] for its attacks on then-candidate [[Barack Obama]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Libit |first1=Daniel |title=For the Tea Party Movement, Sturdy Roots in the Chicago Area |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/19/us/19cncodom.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=November 20, 2017 |date=February 18, 2010}}</ref> The magazine has been described as a [[conservative]] blog.<ref>{{cite news |title=Still Crusading, but Now on the Inside |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/30/world/30power.html|work=The New York Times|first=Sheryl Gay|last=Stolberg|date=March 29, 2011 |access-date=24 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/education/13trees.html |title=University Fences In a Berkeley Protest, and a New One Arises |last=McKinley |first=Jesse |date=2007-09-13 |work=The New York Times |access-date=2019-06-24 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Southern Poverty Law Center]], which has a history of corruption<ref>{{Cite news |last=Robinson |first=Nathan J. |date=2019-03-26 |title=The Southern Poverty Law Center Is Everything That’s Wrong With Liberalism |language=en |work=Current Affairs |url=https://www.currentaffairs.org/2019/03/the-southern-poverty-law-center-is-everything-thats-wrong-with-liberalism |access-date=2022-03-17 |issn=2471-2647}}</ref> and is a far left organization, has predictably called the site "a not so thoughtful far-right online publication."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2014/04/23/american-thinker-needs-start-thinking|title=American Thinker Needs to Start Thinking|website=splcenter.org|date=April 24, 2014|accessdate=March 19, 2021}}</ref>


In the aftermath of [[Donald Trump|Donald Trump's]] loss in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 U.S. Presidential election]], the ''American Thinker'' promoted a variety of false conspiracy theories and claims of election fraud as part of the Republican Party's [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|attempt to overturn the election result]].<ref>{{cite news | publisher = [[WKBN-TV]] | date = January 15, 2021 | url = https://www.wkbn.com/news/national-world/conservative-website-apologizes-to-dominion-voting-system-after-defamation-letter-from-attorneys/ | title = Conservative website apologizes to Dominion voting system after defamation letter from attorneys}}</ref> Faced with a lawsuit from [[Dominion Voting Systems]], Lifson acknowledged that the site had relied upon "discredited sources who have peddled debunked theories".<ref name="wapo-discredited">{{cite news | work = The Washington Post | first = Amy | last = Wang | title = Newsmax apologizes to Dominion employee for falsely alleging he manipulated votes against Trump | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/01/newsmax-apologizes-dominion-employee-falsely-alleging-he-manipulated-vote-against-trump/ | date = May 1, 2021}}</ref> The ''American Thinker'' likewise admitted that its election claims were "completely false and have no basis in fact" and that "it was wrong for us to publish these false statements."<ref name="nyt-apology">{{cite news | work = [[The New York Times]] | title = Rudy Giuliani Sued by Dominion Voting Systems Over False Election Claims | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-dominion-trump.html | date = January 25, 2021 | first = Nick | last = Corasaniti}}</ref>
In the aftermath of [[Donald Trump|Donald Trump's]] loss in the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 U.S. Presidential election]], the ''American Thinker'' promoted a variety of false conspiracy theories and claims of election fraud as part of the Republican Party's [[Attempts to overturn the 2020 United States presidential election|attempt to overturn the election result]].<ref>{{cite news | publisher = [[WKBN-TV]] | date = January 15, 2021 | url = https://www.wkbn.com/news/national-world/conservative-website-apologizes-to-dominion-voting-system-after-defamation-letter-from-attorneys/ | title = Conservative website apologizes to Dominion voting system after defamation letter from attorneys}}</ref> Faced with a lawsuit from [[Dominion Voting Systems]], Lifson acknowledged that the site had relied upon "discredited sources who have peddled debunked theories".<ref name="wapo-discredited">{{cite news | work = The Washington Post | first = Amy | last = Wang | title = Newsmax apologizes to Dominion employee for falsely alleging he manipulated votes against Trump | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/01/newsmax-apologizes-dominion-employee-falsely-alleging-he-manipulated-vote-against-trump/ | date = May 1, 2021}}</ref> The ''American Thinker'' likewise admitted that its election claims were "completely false and have no basis in fact" and that "it was wrong for us to publish these false statements."<ref name="nyt-apology">{{cite news | work = [[The New York Times]] | title = Rudy Giuliani Sued by Dominion Voting Systems Over False Election Claims | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-dominion-trump.html | date = January 25, 2021 | first = Nick | last = Corasaniti}}</ref>
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{{Expand section|date=January 2021}}
{{Expand section|date=January 2021}}


One of the ''American Thinker''{{'}}s most prolific contributors, Raymond Ibrahim, has written over 100 articles extremely critical of Islam.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanthinker.com/author/raymond_ibrahim/ |title=Articles: Raymond Ibrahim Archives – American Thinker |work=American Thinker}}</ref> Another, David Solway, in the months following the 2020 presidential election, contributed seven articles perpetuating the [[2020 United States presidential election#Claims of fraud|myth of a stolen election]] based on evidence such as "Biden's rallies routinely featured twenty or so vehicles in a car park. That alone tells us that Biden was never in the game."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanthinker.com/author/david_solway/ |title=Articles: David Solway Archives – American Thinker |work=American Thinker}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/11/donald_trump_is_the_only_legitimate_presidentelect.html|title=Donald Trump is the only legitimate 'President-Elect'|work=American Thinker|first=David|last=Solway|date=November 15, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2021}}</ref>
One of the ''American Thinker''{{'}}s most prolific contributors, Raymond Ibrahim, has written over 100 articles critical of Islam.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanthinker.com/author/raymond_ibrahim/ |title=Articles: Raymond Ibrahim Archives – American Thinker |work=American Thinker}}</ref> Another, David Solway, in the months following the 2020 presidential election, contributed seven articles perpetuating the [[2020 United States presidential election#Claims of fraud|myth of a stolen election]] based on evidence such as "Biden's rallies routinely featured twenty or so vehicles in a car park. That alone tells us that Biden was never in the game."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanthinker.com/author/david_solway/ |title=Articles: David Solway Archives – American Thinker |work=American Thinker}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/11/donald_trump_is_the_only_legitimate_presidentelect.html|title=Donald Trump is the only legitimate 'President-Elect'|work=American Thinker|first=David|last=Solway|date=November 15, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2021}}</ref>


== Coverage ==
== Coverage ==
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|first=Thomas|last=Lifson
|first=Thomas|last=Lifson
|website=American Thinker}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=January 2021}} This claim went viral over social media in March 2020.<ref name=ClimateFeedback>{{Cite web |url=https://climatefeedback.org/claimreview/sea-levels-rose-faster-in-the-past-century-than-in-previous-time-periods/ |title=Sea levels rose faster in the past century than in previous time periods |date=March 12, 2020 |website=Climate Feedback |language=en-US |access-date=March 13, 2020}}</ref> The author of the paper describes this interpretation as factually incorrect, constituting climate misinformation.<ref name=ClimateFeedback />
|website=American Thinker}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=January 2021}} This claim went viral over social media in March 2020.<ref name=ClimateFeedback>{{Cite web |url=https://climatefeedback.org/claimreview/sea-levels-rose-faster-in-the-past-century-than-in-previous-time-periods/ |title=Sea levels rose faster in the past century than in previous time periods |date=March 12, 2020 |website=Climate Feedback |language=en-US |access-date=March 13, 2020}}</ref> The author of the paper describes this interpretation as factually incorrect, constituting climate misinformation.<ref name=ClimateFeedback />

Under threat of litigation, in January 2021 ''American Thinker'' published a retraction of unsupported stories it published asserting that [[Dominion Voting Systems]] engaged in a conspiracy to rig the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential election]] against President Donald Trump, acknowledging, "These statements are completely false and have no basis in fact."<ref name=":12">{{Cite news|last=Corasaniti|first=Nick|date=January 25, 2021|title=Rudy Giuliani Sued by Dominion Voting Systems Over False Election Claims|language=en-US|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-dominion-trump.html|url-status=live|access-date=January 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125122130/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/25/us/politics/rudy-giuliani-dominion-trump.html|archive-date=January 25, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2021/01/statement.html|title=Statement|date=January 15, 2021|first=Thomas|last=Lifson|access-date=2021-01-15|work=American Thinker}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Evon |first1=Dan |title=Did a Conservative News Site Admit Its Voter-Fraud Claims Were False? |url=https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/american-thinker-vote-fraud/ |website=Snopes |publisher=Snopes Media Group Inc. |access-date=January 20, 2021 |date=January 15, 2021}}</ref>


==References==
==References==

Revision as of 03:13, 17 March 2022

American Thinker
Type of businessPrivate
Type of site
News, commentary
Available inEnglish
FoundedMarch 2005; 19 years ago (2005-03)
HeadquartersEl Cerrito, California, United States
Founder(s)Ed Lasky, Richard Baehr, Thomas Lifson
Key peopleThomas Lifson, editor-in-chief
Ed Lasky, news editor
URLamericanthinker.com
LaunchedNovember 2003
Current statusActive

American Thinker is a daily online magazine dealing with American politics from a politically conservative viewpoint.[1][2] It was founded in 2003 by attorney Ed Lasky, health-care consultant Richard Baehr, and sociologist Thomas Lifson, and initially became prominent in the lead-up to the 2008 U.S. Presidential election for its attacks on then-candidate Barack Obama.[3] The magazine has been described as a conservative blog.[4][5] The Southern Poverty Law Center, which has a history of corruption[6] and is a far left organization, has predictably called the site "a not so thoughtful far-right online publication."[7]

In the aftermath of Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, the American Thinker promoted a variety of false conspiracy theories and claims of election fraud as part of the Republican Party's attempt to overturn the election result.[8] Faced with a lawsuit from Dominion Voting Systems, Lifson acknowledged that the site had relied upon "discredited sources who have peddled debunked theories".[9] The American Thinker likewise admitted that its election claims were "completely false and have no basis in fact" and that "it was wrong for us to publish these false statements."[10]

Contributors

One of the American Thinker's most prolific contributors, Raymond Ibrahim, has written over 100 articles critical of Islam.[11] Another, David Solway, in the months following the 2020 presidential election, contributed seven articles perpetuating the myth of a stolen election based on evidence such as "Biden's rallies routinely featured twenty or so vehicles in a car park. That alone tells us that Biden was never in the game."[12][13]

Coverage

In 2009, in the wake of the election of Barack Obama, the American Thinker joined a wave of conservative media publications discussing the possibility of a second Civil War. They forecast the possibility of "several regional republics" emerging following the "overbearing, oppressive leviathan" of Obama's presidency.[14]

A 2008 column in the American Thinker drew attention to a California plan to require programmable thermostats that could be controlled by officials in the event of power-supply difficulties. According to The New York Times, the column was "by turns populist..., free-market..., and civil libertarian".[15]

Right Wing Watch has written about American Thinker, including that the site had in 2014 published a complimentary piece on white nationalist Jared Taylor and in 2015 asserted that rainbow-colored Doritos are a "gateway snack to introduce children to the joys of homosexuality".[16] In a 2020 blog post on the site, Thomas Lifson referenced a paper published in Geophysical Research Letters to claim that sea level rise has been slow and constant, and that this rise pre-dated industrialization.[17][non-primary source needed] This claim went viral over social media in March 2020.[18] The author of the paper describes this interpretation as factually incorrect, constituting climate misinformation.[18]

References

  1. ^ "American Thinker: About Us". American Thinker. Archived from the original on 23 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-22.
  2. ^ Groner, Danny (December 30, 2010). "The Politics of Mayor Bloomberg's Snow Removal Response". The Huffington Post.
  3. ^ Libit, Daniel (February 18, 2010). "For the Tea Party Movement, Sturdy Roots in the Chicago Area". The New York Times. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
  4. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (March 29, 2011). "Still Crusading, but Now on the Inside". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
  5. ^ McKinley, Jesse (2007-09-13). "University Fences In a Berkeley Protest, and a New One Arises". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-06-24.
  6. ^ Robinson, Nathan J. (2019-03-26). "The Southern Poverty Law Center Is Everything That's Wrong With Liberalism". Current Affairs. ISSN 2471-2647. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  7. ^ "American Thinker Needs to Start Thinking". splcenter.org. April 24, 2014. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Conservative website apologizes to Dominion voting system after defamation letter from attorneys". WKBN-TV. January 15, 2021.
  9. ^ Wang, Amy (May 1, 2021). "Newsmax apologizes to Dominion employee for falsely alleging he manipulated votes against Trump". The Washington Post.
  10. ^ Corasaniti, Nick (January 25, 2021). "Rudy Giuliani Sued by Dominion Voting Systems Over False Election Claims". The New York Times.
  11. ^ "Articles: Raymond Ibrahim Archives – American Thinker". American Thinker.
  12. ^ "Articles: David Solway Archives – American Thinker". American Thinker.
  13. ^ Solway, David (November 15, 2020). "Donald Trump is the only legitimate 'President-Elect'". American Thinker. Retrieved March 19, 2021.
  14. ^ Avlon, John P. (2014). Wingnuts : extremism in the age of Obama (2nd ed.). New York. pp. 224–227. ISBN 9780991247608.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^ Barringer, Felicity (2008-01-11). "California Seeks Thermostat Control". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2012. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  16. ^ "All Posts About American Thinker". Right Wing Watch.
  17. ^ Lifson, Thomas (March 7, 2020). "New study shows sea level rise has been slow and a constant, pre-dating industrialization". American Thinker.
  18. ^ a b "Sea levels rose faster in the past century than in previous time periods". Climate Feedback. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 13, 2020.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=American_Thinker&oldid=1077590361"