Finally, Wal-Mart is doing the right thing by distancing itself from Glenn Beck and his hateful rhetoric. Yesterday, Wal-Mart and 7 other advertisers confirmed they were pulling their support from Glenn Beck's show.

That brings the number of advertisers who've decided to stop financing Beck's rhetoric of fear-mongering paranoia in the last two weeks to a grand total of 20. The straw that broke the camel's back? When Beck declared that President Obama is "a racist" who harbors a "deep-seated hatred for white people" on July 28.

Watch Media Matters' collection of "Glenn Beck Moments" for a quick recap of Glenn Beck's inflammatory, televised hate.

ColorofChange.org has been at the forefront of those leading the call to boycott Beck and Fox News. From their press release:

Twenty companies have pulled their ads from Beck's show in just the last two weeks. The moves come after the Fox News host called President Obama a "racist" who "has a deep-seated hatred for white people" during an appearance on Fox & Friends. Previous companies who pulled their ads include ConAgra, GEICO, Lawyers.com, Men's Wearhouse, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, RadioShack, Roche, SC Johnson, Sanofi-Aventis, Sargento, and State Farm Insurance.

"We are heartened to see so many corporate citizens step up in support of our campaign against Glenn Beck," said James Rucker, executive director of ColorOfChange.org. "Their action sends a clear a message to Glenn Beck: Broadcasters shouldn't abuse the privilege they enjoy by spewing dangerous and racially charged hate language over the air. No matter their political affiliation, hate language doesn't belong in our national dialogue."

More than 14,000 people (and counting) have written Wal-Mart demanding an end to their support of Glenn Beck. However....it appears like the move by Wal-Mart could accurately be categorized as "baby steps." While Wal-Mart may have pulled its ad dollars from the Glenn Beck Program, the retail giant still advertises on his parent station. We need to keep the pressure on Wal-Mart to commit to keeping the airwaves free from offensive hate-mongering.

What you can do to help right now, via WakeUpWalmart.com:

« Write Wal-Mart and demand they pull all ads from Fox until Glenn Beck apologizes for his absurd remarks about President Obama.
« Make sure your friends and family know where Walmart's ad dollars are really going.

It's one thing to have a substantive debate. It's another to spread baseless innuendo masquerading as "fact."

A corporate group from Washington, DC is doing just that: airing a TV ad about the Employee Free Choice Act that's both completely false and insulting to the intelligence of Arkansans.

You can do something about it. Ask the Arkansas TV stations running the ad to pull it off the air.

Click here to write your letter and ask the TV stations to pull the ad.

What's wrong with the ad?

To argue against the Employee Free Choice Act, the corporate group's ad shows two mobsters accosting a worker and covering his mouth with duct tape.

It's so wrong, it's almost laughable.

The group behind the ad even concedes there's only one solid "fact" in the entire ad - and their backup on that supposed fact is razor thin.

This ad doesn't belong in our public discourse, and it certainly doesn't belong on TV in Arkansas.

TV station managers running the ad need to hear from you now. Send them an email and ask that they immediately stop running this insulting ad.

Click here to write your letter.

With your help, we can help set the record straight on TV in Arkansas. Thanks for all you do.

In response to new ads from out-of-state corporate lobbyists spreading lies about the Employee Free Choice Act, Nebraska Change that Works issued this statement from North Platte cafeteria worker Trish Meuhlenkamp:

"The ads by this outside group are a slap in the face to Nebraska workers. This is yet another example of the dishonest politics coming from weak outsiders. My job is more than just a paycheck. It's about people and it's about respect. These groups represent exactly the kind of greed that we need to rein in to protect our economy. They need to stop speaking for Nebraskans and start telling the truth."

The Employee Freedom Action Committee is spreading lies about the Employee Free Choice Act, claiming that unionization means that workers do not have a say in their wages and benefits and that higher unionization hurts companies. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

The fact is that union workers have higher wages and benefits than non-union workers. That is why more than half of all U.S. workers would join a union if they could. And research shows that unionization does not lead companies to fail. Higher unionization would actually put more money into workers' pockets, which would provide a much needed boost to businesses and our economy overall.

Below is a fact check on the many falsehoods in the ads.

Two new TV dramas about registered nurses - Nurse Jackie on Showtime and Hawthorne on TNT - premiere during the month of June. They join a host of TV programs that are set in hospitals, such as Grey's Anatomy, House and Scrubs.

The portrayal of the medical profession on TV: I've heard this topic discussed on more than one occasion by people going through residency themselves, or that work in a hospital. They've all said that Scrubs--unlike many other medical TV shows--does capture the training process, the profession, and the essence of a hospital setting with surprising accuracy. On the surface, Scrubs may seem like 30 straight minutes of slapstick comedy, absurd fantasy sequences, and slightly inappropriate jokes. However, the show is also about what happens at hospitals between life-and-death crises--the thought processes and insecurities of being a young doctor in training, the way doctors and nurses handle ordinary cases and never knowing what kind of case will come through the doors.

Tell us what you think: Do any of the programs accurately depict the lives of healthcare workers, and is your situation reflected in any of these programs? Share your opinion in the comments section (below).