Posted on 09/04/2004 5:36:40 AM PDT by Dog
Booing the AP When the AP story about a Republican crowd booing President Bush's well-wishes for Bill Clinton first broke at 2:12 p.m., the story carried the byline of Tom Hays. After coming under fire, the AP pulled the story down. The original link now brings you to a dead page.
After a brief interlude, the AP reposted the story, minus the claims that the crowd had booed Clinton's heart scare. The revised story is here. It carries the time stamp of 2:31 p.m. and, curiously, no byline. It also carried no mention of the story's previous version, nor any mark that the new version is indeed a revision. (For those looking for it, there was one tell-tale sign in the AP's URL: The URL for the first version ended in "bush_clinton_1", while the URL for the second version ends "bush_clinton_2".)
So the AP: (1) Puts out a story with falsified reporting; (2) Pulls the story; (3) Removes the faulty reporting; (4) Makes no note of its mistake; and then (5) Pulls the byline of the reporter who made the error. If you were going to impute bad faith to the folks at AP--and at this point that's not unreasonable to do--you might suspect that they have pulled Tom Hays's byline to protect him.
Behold the power of Lexis-Nexis. The AP was able to cover their tracks on the web, but Lexis-Nexis keeps all versions of stories which carry different time-stamps. The Hays original is preserved there in its entirety:
September 3, 2004 Friday 2:12 PM Eastern Time SECTION: INTERNATIONAL NEWS
LENGTH: 649 words
HEADLINE: Bill Clinton hospitalized with chest pains, will face bypass surgery
BYLINE: TOM HAYS; Associated Press Writer
DATELINE: NEW YORK
Former President Bill Clinton checked into a Manhattan hospital Friday with chest pains and will soon undergo bypass surgery, his office announced.
An angiogram given to Clinton revealed "significant blockage," said a Democratic official, who had discussed the condition with the former president's staff and spoke on condition of anonymity. It did not appear that Clinton suffered a heart attack, the official said.
Clinton, 58, was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia after undergoing initial testing near his suburban home, his office said. Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and their daughter, Chelsea, were to be with the president in the city, the statement said.
Clinton canceled a two-day joint trip with his wife across upstate New York.
Sen. Clinton made a brief appearance Friday at the New York State Fair in Syracuse, after which she noted that her husband was hospitalized and would need heart surgery, and apologized for leaving right away. "He's in excellent hands," she said.
Dozens of reporters and camera crews were assembled outside the city hospital, which is north of Clinton's Harlem office. Hospital officials had no immediate comment.
There was no word on when the surgery would take place. A source speaking on condition of anonymity said the surgery was not likely to take place Friday, but instead at a later date.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, Clinton's mother-in-law, Dorothy Rodham, said Clinton had called her to tell her about the situation.
"He sounded wonderful as usual and very upbeat, as he always is," she said. "I just told him how much I love him."
She said she didn't know if he was in the hospital when he called.
Clinton had a cancerous growth removed from his back shortly after leaving office in early 2001. It turned out to be basal cell carcinoma, the most treatable form of skin cancer. In 1996, he had had a precancerous lesion removed from his nose and a year before that had a benign cyst taken off his chest.
Other than that, Clinton has had the normal health problems that often accompany aging - periods of slightly elevated cholesterol and hearing loss - and an appetite for junk food. In 1997, he was fitted with hearing aids. He has also suffered from allergies.
Clinton went to Northern Westchester Hospital on Thursday after suffering "mild chest pain" and shortness of breath, his office said in a statement. He spent the night at his Chappaqua home, but checked into the Manhattan hospital after further tests Friday revealed the medical problem.
"He's going to be fine," Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry said at a rally in Newark, Ohio.
"But every single one of us wants to extend to him our best wishes, our prayers and our thoughts and I want you all to let a cheer out and clap that he can hear all the way to New York," Kerry said to cheers. Clinton had been expected to campaign extensively for Kerry.
President George W. Bush, campaigning in Wisconsin, wished Clinton "best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery."
"He's is in our thoughts and prayers," Bush said. Bush's audience of thousands in West Allis, Wisconsin, booed. Bush did nothing to stop them.
In June, a Clinton spokesman characterized the ex-president as "doing very well" health-wise. The 42nd president has struggled with a weight problem, but had recently seemed much leaner at public appearances.
During his two terms as president, Clinton was known for his love of fast food. But in January of this year, Clinton said he had gone on "The South Beach Diet" and started a workout regimen.
Clinton has led an active lifestyle since leaving office. Most recently, he was on the road plugging his memoirs, "My Life."
Associated Press writers Ron Fournier and Frank Eltman in New York, David Hammer in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Marc Humbert in Albany, New York, contributed to this report.
The next nugget on the Lexis-Nexis trail is a shortened, corrected, un-bylined version of the story that is time-stamped 2:41 p.m.:
September 3, 2004 Friday 2:41 PM Eastern Time SECTION: NATIONAL POLITICAL NEWS
LENGTH: 118 words
HEADLINE: Bush Offers Best Wishes for Clinton
DATELINE: WEST ALLIS, Wis.
President Bush on Friday offered former President Bill Clinton, who faces heart bypass surgery, "best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery."
"He's is in our thoughts and prayers," Bush said at a campaign rally.
Bush offered his wishes while campaigning one day after accepting the presidential nomination at the Republican National Convention in New York. Clinton was hospitalized in New York after complaining of mild chest pain and shortness of breath.
Bush recently praised Clinton when the former president went to the White House for the unveiling of his official portrait. He lauded Clinton for his knowledge, compassion and "the forward-looking spirit that Americans like in a president."
So what's going on here? Was Hays in Wisconsin reporting, or in New York? What role did Ron Fournier, Frank Eltman, David Hammer, and Marc Humbert have in this story? There are five reporters on the hook for this misreporting, surely one of them will want to clear their name.
P.S.: This is a fine time for Romenesko to be on vacation. Let's hope he digs into this story on Tuesday. Paging Howie Kurtz . . . posted by Jonathan V. Last at 10:49 PM
You're welcome. You are much more generous in your choice of adjectives for this AP reporter, than I would be.
Here you go. It was our beloved and admired Dog who posted it.
bump
thank you!! :-)
I would not be a bit surprised.
You wrote:
"Two of these creatures are being tested "at an airfield in a remote section of Brooklyn"
Sorry, I'm deliberately unfamiliar with New York City,
and was under the impression that the entire thing
was...well, crowded.
*IS* there such a thing as a "remote" section of Brooklyn?
Someone needs to report the AP to the IRS and the FEC. They are acting as an unregistered 527.
Perhaps some of those so misreported, went to their graves, bemoaning this to those who would listen, as what was done. Today even, someone out there would have knowledge of their career ruined by this kind of reporting.
It is vicious and nasty. I remember a statement of the sixties ie: "It is necessary to tell lies, to put across the truth". Maybe it got through to Hayes, this self serving perversity.
Oh well, new and better times have arrived. Kudos to you.
If the typing style is at all distinctive, I think he also posts over at Indymedia.
The Associated Press originally reported that the mention of Clinton's name brought boos from the crowd, but the AP retracted the report citing uncertainties about how to characterize the crowd's reaction.
Uncertainties! Huh? Now we are supposed to believe that the AP reporter cannot discern the difference between cheers & boos!
From search FR for "AP" and "boos":
And, from search FR for "AP" and "booing":
The AP Changes "Boos" to "Ooohs" (Finally getting the truth out)
Posted by MaineRepublic
On News/Activism 09/04/2004 5:01:21 AM PDT · 102 replies · 1,992+ views
Editor and Publisher ^
The AP Changes "Boos" to "Ooohs" in Report on Bush and Clinton
Posted by BigSkyFreeper
On News/Activism 09/03/2004 9:40:17 PM PDT · 63 replies · 1,699+ views
Editor & Publisher ^ | 3 September 2004 | E&P Staff
Drudge Updating AP Lie
(Audience boos as Bush offers best wishes for Clinton's recovery)
Posted by Rokke
On News/Activism 09/03/2004 1:47:30 PM PDT · 44 replies · 2,387+ views
Drudge Report ^ | 3 Spet 2004 | Drudge
AP CAUGHT LYING: No boos at Bush rally in Wisconsin
(I was there)
Posted by Trust but Verify
On News/Activism 09/03/2004 1:04:48 PM PDT · 187 replies · 10,048+ views
9/3/2004 | Trust but Verify
Booing the AP(AP reporter ID'ed using Lexis-Nexis)
Posted by Dog
On News/Activism 09/04/2004 5:36:40 AM PDT · 145 replies · 3,949+ views
Galley Slaves blog ^ | Sept 3 2004 | Jonathan V. Last
Drudge has audio for AP lies: Booing incident
Posted by ETERNAL WARMING
On News/Activism 09/04/2004 12:43:47 AM PDT · 11 replies · 674+ views
Drudge Report ^ | Sep 4, 2004 | Matt Drudge
AP LIES ABOUT GOP BOOING CLINTON AND REFERS TO BABY KILLING TERRORISTS IN RUSSIA AS "REBELS"
Posted by crushelits
On Bloggers & Personal 09/03/2004 8:02:24 PM PDT · 3 replies · 118+ views
Crushkerry ^ | September 3, 2004 | Crushkerry
AP Flat out lied about booing Clintons health (Audio of cheers!)
Posted by Phantom Lord
On News/Activism 09/03/2004 7:21:09 PM PDT · 46 replies · 1,822+ views
Fox News Audio ^
Clinton to Undergo Bypass Surgery (PEOPLE, THE AP BOOING LIE IS SPREADING!!)
Posted by MaineRepublic
On News/Activism 09/03/2004 5:31:21 PM PDT · 121 replies · 3,496+ views
sunherald.com ^
The reason the article made news at all is that alleged abuse was investigated and a report was made- contrary to the impression the writer wishes to convey that allegations of abuse were being "ignored. "
Gov't Report Backs Detainee Abuse Claims
By TOM HAYS
The Associated Press
Sunday, June 22, 2003; 4:13 PM
NEW YORK - Yasser Ebrahim says his introduction to the federal prison system came from guards slamming his head into a wall while calling him a "terrorist."
Shakir Baloch says guards at the same lockup warned him: "You will be here the rest of your life."
(* Hearsay, but if true, shame on those guards for lying. We let people off all the time.)
Those allegations and others - including random beatings - made by Muslim men held on immigration charges after the Sept. 11 attacks had been routinely dismissed by federal officials.
Earlier this month, however, the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General issued a report saying it found "significant problems" with the treatment of nearly 800 detainees nationwide, including abusive conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn where Ebrahim and Baloch were held.
(* The reporter fails to list anything from the report which says that Baloch and Ebrahim were abused or that their claims are true. The reporter only quotes two words of a report- why not quote more? How many people here believe any government report is two words long?)
The report cast a critical light on the little-known federal lockup on the waterfront, and breathed life into a pending civil rights lawsuit filed by Ebrahim, Baloch and five others against Attorney General John Ashcroft, prison personnel, FBI supervisors and other officials. The plaintiffs are seeking class action status.
"What we said about all the suffering was true," Ebrahim, 31, said in a phone interview from his native Egypt. "The government was doing its best to deny it."
(* Actually, the government did its best and produced the report mentioned above. And there may be no truth to Ebrahim's claims at all.)
Both Ebrahim and Baloch were held for eight months without being charged with a crime, then were deported.
(* Actually, they were deported because they were here illegally. Though the press seems to think otherwise, it is a crime to enter and reside in the US illegally, and they were given a hearing on this, were unable to prove they had legal basis for remaining in the US, [in other words, it was proven they committed immigration violations] and they were deported.)
"I'm owed an apology," said Baloch, 41, a Pakistani-born doctor with Canadian citizenship.
(* Not if you were here illegally.)
Their lawyers have amended the lawsuit, filed last year, to incorporate the inspector general's findings. The suit, which seeks unspecified damages, claims federal officials violated their rights by imprisoning them on the basis of their race and religion.
(* They were not detained on the basis of their race or religion. They were detained because they were illegals.)
More than 80 men designated "of high interest" in the FBI investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks were jailed at the facility in Brooklyn between Sept. 14, 2001, and Aug. 27, 2002. The nine-story facility usually houses men and women charged with federal crimes, not immigration violations.
(* Usually this might be true. But it is not relevent because it clearly IS being used to hold people with immigration violations.)
Inmates like Ebrahim and Baloch were classified "suspected terrorists" and put in high-security cell blocks normally reserved for dangerous inmates.
(* Illegals should be suspected as possible terrorists until they can be cleared. These aren't citizens, they are invaders.)
The men say they were denied access to phones and lawyers for weeks at a time, locked in tiny cells where lights burned all night, kept awake by guards pounding on their doors, put in handcuffs and shackles whenever outside their cells, and beaten at random.
(* I doubt they were denied access to counsel- other claims of such have turned out to be bogus. But I will say it may or may not be true. I won't take their word for it and would like to hear the other side's opinion of these two men's claims.)
"I was being hated by everyone around me wanting revenge for Sept. 11," Ebrahim said.
(* It is other people's right to hate you if they want to- this is no fun to experience but it isn't abuse. )
He acknowledged staying past his visa's expiration but said he did nothing else illegal.
(* BINGO.)
The abuse allegedly subsided once guards were ordered to videotape detainees outside their cells - a policy that prison officials said was designed simply to deter accusations of mistreatment. The officials cited an al-Qaida training manual that instructed terrorists to accuse their captors of abuse.
(* A reasonable precaution given that al Qaeda detainees do just that.)
Ebrahim says one guard whispered: "The camera is your best friend. If not for the camera, I would have smashed your face."
(* Hearsay, and even if accurate- and I wouldn't be surprised- it isn't "abuse.")
In interviews with the Inspector General's investigators, most guards denied any wrongdoing. But one said he witnessed guards slam inmates against walls, and "stated this was a common practice before the MDC began videotaping the detainees," the report said.
(* I've seen prisoners slammed into walls even on the very public venue of the COPS TV show, too. what exactly constitutes a "slam" is a matter of opinion, unless the prisoners were injured. When prisoners resist being cuffed, or when they spit on the cops, etc, pressing them into the wall is the quickest way to get them back under control. Trying to wrestle with a prisoner in the middle of the room will require more guards than using a wall as a backing. How come reporters NEVER write reports on prisoners' behavior against guards and cops, rarely write from the perspective of the victims, but always write from the perspective of the criminal or his defense attorney? But, it is possible that there could be some bad apples among the guards and this is what internal investigations are intended to find out.)
The guard said a supervisor told him "it was all part of being in jail and not to worry about it."
(* Reporter fails to provide any information on the numbers of prisoners injured, or if in fact the report found any prisoners were injured from being pushed against a wall.)
Justice Department officials refuse to discuss the civil suit.
Government attorneys have asked a judge to dismiss the case, arguing Ashcroft and other defendants are shielded by immunity laws designed to ensure they can perform their official duties "without the chill and distraction of damages suits."
Ebrahim says the distraction of the lawsuit is nothing compared to hearing a knock on his door on Sept. 30, 2001, and being hauled away for reasons he says are still unclear to him.
(* forgetful sucker, isn't he? Hello, immigration violation.)
"This is not supposed to happen in America," he said.
(* It IS supposed to happen in America. Problem is, illegals have been allowed to ignore the law too long and have come to see being here as a right. )
HAYS, THOMAS
6/11/2004 $250.00
RICHMOND, MI 48062
-[Contribution]
DOLLARS FOR DEMOCRATS
Note that this Hays does not list an occupation?
Just another Jason Blair . . .
FRiends: We all need to call this number to demand that AP issue a CORRECTION and APOLOGY for the FALSE report.
This is a very serious matter as it tarnishes the character of both President Bush and his supporters at the Rally.
The best contact at the AP (if no answer call back on Tuesday):
CALL: (212) 621-6060.
Also please email: info@ap.org
Also CALL NOW: 212-621-1500 to make a complaint.
(There is a LIVE person at this number.)
We must PUT AP ON NOTICE that this type of false reporting will not be tolerated especially during this critical political campaign.
Lies reported in the AP....just as in NYT.... have a stone in a pond ripple effect all over the US Press & TV Media!
Do not let them help Kerry by bashing Bush with their lies!
I don't think Hays is the author of the lie. It's one of the above "contributors".
I think it's one of the above. I will say I suspect Fournier as we know he travels with the prez.
Your statement what exactly constitutes a "slam" is a matter of opinion, unless the prisoners were injured. When prisoners resist being cuffed, or when they spit on the cops, etc, pressing them into the wall is the quickest way to get them back under control. Trying to wrestle with a prisoner in the middle of the room will require more guards than using a wall as a backing....But, it is possible that there could be some bad apples among the guards and this is what internal investigations are intended to find out
First, almost all "illegals" are here for economic opportunity - the right to work hard and profit from that work. Other than the fact of their being here, most are - and have to be - scrupulously law abiding. Other than being here, most are decent hard working human beings, and not the sort of violent criminals who would give prison guards a hard time.
Second as the IG found, bad apples and - hold onto your hat because you are not going to believe this - poor FBI procedures - led to problems.
Like I said, stick to facts and stop acting like a lying liberal journalist by stretching points that you do not need to stretch to prove a case. It makes you no better than them.
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