The Smoking Gun (Good overview of the AP's false story about Clinton being booed)

The American Thinker ^ | September 4, 2004 | Thomas Lifson

[quidnunc]

The Associated Press, a powerful worldwide news source owned by its member daily newspapers, has perpetrated a vile and slanderous lie about President Bush and his supporters, and been caught read-handed. The smoking gun exists safe and sound in the cache memory of countless blog sites. The AP's reporter wrote a dispatch claiming that when President Bush told a rally of his supporters in West Allis, Wisconsin that President Clinton had been hospitalized,

“the audience "of thousands booed. Bush did nothing to stop them."

Within seconds, the AP dispatch went around the world, and the lie was repeated. In point of fact, eyewitnesses and listeners to radio and television reports could hear that there was no audible booing, but there was supportive applause when the President called on everyone to pray for ex-President Clinton’s recovery. 

Unfortunately for the AP, we live in the age of the blogosphere. Almost as quickly as the lie was spread, bloggers started work documenting the report and its factual refutation. Recordings of the crowd's reaction, contradicting the AP, are avilable to anyone on the web, courtesy of America's blogforce.

Caught, the AP behaved disgracefully. They pulled the byline appearing on the report, one Tom Hays, who appears to work in New York, and issued a corrected report, changing “boos” to “oohs,” perhaps to protect itself and claim an innocent mistake. Of course, that would not explain the “Bush did nothing to stop them” slander.

Even more tellingly, AP moved to cover its tracks, pulling the original report from the Lexis/Nexis database, effectively throwing it into Orwell’s Memory Hole. Jonathan Last summarized its behavior as follows:

-snip-

[Bahbah]

ping a ling

[Righter-than-Rush]

Same ol' liberal same 'ol. Lie because its hard to disprove a lie.

[gattaca]

I don't know how they can maintain any credibility now. I have long suspected them of being part of the MSM.

[TheGeezer]

and been caught read-handed

What a pun!

[Squantos]

Yo John Glenn ya disinformational dementia infected rat POS..........here's yer AP nazi's at work !

Stay safe Quidnunc !

[Stentor]

1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Thomas Lifson drives a stake into the undead heart of the AP.

[WestTexasWend]

You mean the irresponsible, unaccountable and dangerous "new media" has spanked "old media" again?

[quidnunc]

A couple of years ago I saw a .700 Nitro express cartridge.

There are two reasons nothing could induce me to fire a gun which shoots such a round:

1. The rounds cost at least $100 per shot, and

2. after looking at it I have not the slightest doubt that it would kick a man clean out from under his hair.

[VeniVidiVici]

I'll see your dishonest journalist and raise you two trial lawyers.

[GaretGarrett]

This can NOT be allowed to die before Thom. Lifson's 7 demands are met by AP.

Freep Fox News TONIGHT asking them to discuss this TOMORROW! And put the list of demands on the emails. Some of the wishy-washiness Fox has shown lately make doubt they'll do it otherwise. (Have they yet identified the Russian child-murderers as Muslim/Islamic terrorists, or are they still just "Chechen rebels"?)

[Spok]

They lie so quickly and habitually that slip ups like this are bound to happen. I'm sure they'll lie more carefully in the future.

[Savage Beast]

Yet one more reason why so-called "journalists" receive less respect than used car salesmen and about the same as ambulance-chasing lawyers.

Yet one more reason why the Democrat Propaganda Machine (formerly known as the American Mainstream Newsmedia) has no credibility.

[Squantos]

My .460 Wthby actually exceeds the muzzle energy of the lightest 700 nitro load on this web page. But I like it ! Gonna have to find me one !

http://www.accuratereloading.com/700ne.html

Stay safe !

[stockpirate]

later

[jimbo123]

The person who wrote the false story:

Tom Hays Associated Press
212-587-8035
thays@ap.org

Tom Hays' boss:

Tom Curley, President, CEO
450 W. 33rd Street
New York, NY 10001
Phone: 212-621-7550
Fax: 212-621-6108
Email: tcurley@ap.org

[savedbygrace]

Even more tellingly, AP moved to cover its tracks, pulling the original report from the Lexis/Nexis database, effectively throwing it into Orwell’s Memory Hole.

AP pulled it from the Lexis/Nexis database? That's some serious covering up.

[quidnunc]

You can get a H&H or a Wesley Richards for about $150, 000.

[ladyinred]

The problem is the retraction if it ever does really come, will be buried, few will see it, and it will become the "truth" that the audience booed and President Bush did nothing to stop them. The media is nothing more than propaganda.

[SteveH]

Electronic mail to thays@ap.com bounced at 1:23PM PST today (Sat., Sept. 4) for me. However, tcurley@ap.org has not bounced (so far).