Last Wednesday, Rush Limbaugh was removed from an investment team bidding to purchase the St. Louis Rams. “It has become clear that his involvement in our group has become a complication and a distraction to our intentions; endangering our bid to keep the team in St. Louis,” said David Checketts, chairman of SCP Worldwide to the Associated Press.This decision is undoubtedly the best business decision for Checketts to make in the mediated uproar following the announcement of Limbaugh’s involvement. But what disturbs me is the media’s abuse of their power to instigate change in society through the use of false quotes and statements taken out of context.I am not a Limbaugh fan. I prefer calm, intelligent conversation to inflammatory rhetoric. But even he plays an important part in our political climate.On one hand, it isn’t surprising his outspoken and controversial agenda has placed him in this situation. On the other hand, it’s shameful for the media to attempt to block a person from an investment because they do not agree with a political view.Rush Limbaugh may not be the perfect fit for current NFL owners with liberal tendencies. But Checketts’ primary concern in this situation was not Limbaugh’s politics, but rather putting together a team of motivated investors who had it in their interest to keep the Rams in St. Louis.Limbaugh would have been a limited partner without a voice in matters such as the team’s direction, operations or personnel, Checketts told the St. Louis Business Journal.Television personality Rick Sanchez recently apologized on CNN for the use of quotes without “independent confirmation.” On MSNBC, David Schuster also admitted to being “unable to verify … independently” the quote which he attributed to Limbaugh — “slavery has its merits.” The quote, allegedly taken from an interview with a football player, was repeated on television without any worries about its veracity.Limbaugh asserts Checketts had assured him his inclusion as a potential minority stakeholder in the St. Louis Rams “had been cleared at the ‘highest levels of the NFL,'” reported SI.com. Thus, it seems, until the television media became preoccupied with the dissemination of unverified quotes, there was little concern over Limbaugh’s involvement. But as often happens when the media sensationalizes issues, personalities such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson weigh in to create a racially charged situation in which they can pursue their own agenda. “Not to be outdone, Jesse Jackson … found me unfit to be associated with the NFL. I was too divisive, and worse, I was accused of once supporting slavery and having praised Martin Luther King Jr.’s murderer, James Earl Ray,” Limbaugh wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Oct. 16th. “I never said I supported slavery, and I never praised James Earl Ray. How sick would that be?”The use of unsubstantiated quotes for the purpose of creating controversy is unforgivable, regardless of who these comments are about. Increasingly, it seems more important to create viewership than to actually fulfill the duty of searching for and providing the truth. Isn’t it the media’s responsibility to provide news that is unbiased and well researched?Returning to Limbaugh’s situation, it is doubtful his minority stake in the St. Louis Rams would have caused controversy, had it not been created by the media and opportunistic social operators. People often take his statements out of context and mistake satire for valid points of view.But because Rush Limbaugh is also in the business of creating controversy, this should provide him with plenty of material. Apparently, every cloud does have a silver lining.Nathan Shull is a 35-year-old finance junior from Seattle. Follow him on Twitter @TDR_nshull.—-Contact Nathan Shull at [email protected]