There's a whole slew of misleading information circulating through the legislative halls of Washington, the articles of normally objective journalists and the scintillating pixels of the social media sphere.

That this information is so one-sided makes it hard to disbelieve. That it is so pervasive makes it difficult to discredit. That it is so untrue makes it hard to understand how it's gotten past the desk of so many normally reliable editors.

Earlier this summer, it seemed assured the DOL's new fiduciary rule would include the long-neglected ERISA class of IRA investors (see "Momentum Builds to Place IRAs Under Fiduciary Umbrella," Fiduciary News, July 5, 2011). Then, with the publication of industry sponsored "research," the big finance PR machine went all out. Soon, politicians of both parties (hmm, has anyone found out how much insurance company PAC money these voices have received?) began throwing bombastic accusations at the DOL's Phyllis Borzi. Next, we started seeing op-eds and articles echoing the claims of the lobbyists, most recently in this week's Washington Times.