I had a very disturbing talk with my dad about Barack Obama.

I was on the phone with my parents telling them about the video I was working on, FOX ATTACKS! Obama part 2: Spreading the Virus, and brought up how FOX (Sean Hannity, in particular) has been desperately trying to create a connection between Louis Farrakhan and Barack Obama because a magazine founded by Obama’s pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and run by Wright’s daughters recently gave Louis Farrakhan an award. I told my parents how Hannity went from saying the magazine gave Farrakhan the award to claiming Wright gave him the award (which he didn’t) to saying that Obama “associated” with Farrakhan (which he hasn’t). Hannity would mostly use these “stories” so he could rattle off some of Farrakhan’s most offensive comments and mention Obama in the same breath, effectively linking the two in the minds of FOX viewers. He just wants to say, “Obama — Farrakhan — racist — anti-Semite” over and over again until they are linked, just as FOX did with “Iraq — Al Qaeda — 9/11 — terrorism” in the run-up to the Iraq war.

Of course, Hannity almost never mentions that Obama has repeatedly denounced Farrakhan’s racist, anti-semitic, and inflammatory remarks, has called for more cooperation between the black and Jewish communities, has spoken before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and has been defended by the American Jewish Committee, the Anti-Defamation League, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and other prominent Jewish organizations. But Hannity doesn’t want his viewers to know this. He just wants them to have a vague impression that Obama is an anti-semite and a black separatist.

When I mentioned this example to my parents, my dad said, “Wait, didn’t Louis Farrakhan give Obama an award and Obama accepted it?” When I told him that this was completely off, he said, “Oh, I guess I must have heard it wrong.”

First, let me tell you a bit about my dad. He’s a very smart man, and when it comes to chemistry, he’s a certified genius. He’s not a current events junkie like I am, but he’s reasonably well informed. I got him a subscription to the Economist several years ago and I know he’s kept it up and still reads it, and he watches the nightly news. He is definitely not a conservative or a FOX viewer.

So how could he have been so wrong? That’s one of the problems we’re trying to address in FA Obama 2.

The Farrakhan/Obama story is a dead story. Obama and his campaign have repeatedly addressed it and denounced Farrakhan’s statements, there is no relationship and has had numerous Jewish organizations confirm that Obama is not an anti-semite. So why on earth did Tim Russert, during the Feb. 26 Democratic debate on MSNBC, decide to channel Sean Hannity and insist on repeatedly questioning Obama about his ties to Farrakhan, even after Obama had reiterated his condemnation of Farrakhan’s remarks during the debate? Why breathe life into a dead story that only existed so far-right smear operations could whip up their racist base? And what is the effect?

The effect is confusion where there should be none. The effect is lingering questions where there are already definitive answers and links where none exist. And in the case of Obama, this confusion is designed to keep voters away from him.

And it’s also important to remember how people get the news. Unfortunately, not everyone has the time or inclination to read everything about candidates. I’m sure many people get their news more from glancing at headlines than reading whole articles, or from overhearing a conversation from someone who may not have their facts straight. My dad had probably just heard bits of, “Farrakhan…Obama…received award…” and loosely filled in the blanks on his own. He wasn’t declaring that Obama had definitely received award from Farrakhan. That was just his impression. And this false “impression” could easily spread. Like a virus.

That’s why we can’t allow the traditional media to further this confusion. That’s why we can’t let rumors and lies be legitimated and spread. That’s why we need to put an end to this now and demand responsible reporting as this country makes one of the most important decisions in a generation.

Truth and vigilance are the vaccine. Give it to your friends before they become carriers of a dangerous virus without even knowing it. Sign the petition asking media outlets to report responsibly.

Do something.