The Hollywood Liberal

Fox Nation falsely claims “Obama Spending $400K to Studying Drinking and Sex Habits of Gays in Argentina”

A May 4 headline on FoxNation.com — Fox News’ purportedly bias-free website — falsely claimed: “Obama Spending $400K to Studying Drinking and Sex Habits of Gays in Argentina.” Fox Nation linked to a May 4 CNSNews.com article with the headline, “Feds Will Spend $400,000 to Study Drinking and Sex Habits of Homosexuals in Argentina.” However, the CNSNews.com article states that the “study began on Sept. 30, 2008, and runs through Aug. 31, 2010. It already has cost taxpayers $198,776.” In other words, according to CNSNews.com, the project began under the Bush administration, not the Obama administration. Moreover, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH), the $198,776 already allocated to the project was provided during fiscal year 2008, which ended on September 30, 2008 — before Obama was president.

The May 4 CNSNews.com article states:

The study began on Sept. 30, 2008, and runs through Aug. 31, 2010. It already has cost taxpayers $198,776. By the time the project ends, it will have cost $403,902, according to NIH.

The grant, awarded to the New York State Psychiatric Institute, was provided by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the division of NIH that studies the effects of alcohol and alcoholism.

The study’s primary focus is to determine the relationship among drinking, bars frequented by homosexuals, and risky sexual behavior to see if certain bars in Argentina might be good targets for HIV-prevention campaigns.

“Targeting public venues in Buenos Aires where men meet, alcohol is consumed, and sexual behavior occurs, the goal of this two-year exploratory study is to understand the various factors that contribute to the creation of a high-risk sexual space,” the study’s abstract explains.

“To that end, the study seeks to describe the relative contribution of physical characteristics of the place, patron characteristics, type and level of alcohol consumption, and social dynamics that are at play and potentiate each other to result in sexual risk behavior.”

Columbia University’s New York State Psychiatric Institute lists the above language in its overview of a grant titled “HIV-Prevention Intervention Targets in High-risk Alcohol Venues in Argentina.” The Institute lists as its funding source “NIAAA R21,” a grant program available under the NIH. It states that the study’s grant page was last updated on December 26, 2008.

The grant’s title appears on government websites that indicate some funding for the program was given during the Bush administration.

The NIH website lists “All NIH Grants for FY 2008” for the New York State Psychiatric Institute and includes $198,776 — the amount listed in the CNSNews.com article — for the grant. From the document:

Similar information also appears on the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System website.

From the FoxNation.com:

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 5th, 2009 at 4:41 am and is filed under Main Blog (All Posts). You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.