Posted on 09/08/2004 12:54:59 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
After falsely reporting that a crowd President Bush was speaking to booed after he wished President Clinton a speedy recovery from heart surgery, the Associated Press has refused to identify the reporter who filed the story or say what punishment he or she might face.
The original report stated: "A crowd at a Bush rally in West Allis, Wis., booed when President Bush offered ex-President Clinton best wishes for a speedy recovery from coronary bypass surgery scheduled for next week."
Milwaukee talk radio stations WTMJ and WISN were first to debunk the report.
At WTMJ, talk-show host Jeff Wagner's producer, Dan Walsh said, "We carried the President's speech live, which included the applause for his best wishes for Clinton's recovery. There was no booing and we had a large number of calls deploring what AP reported."
At Bush-Cheney campaign headquarters in Milwaukee, communications director John Brain said, "We received lots of outraged calls about AP, which put this untruth on their national wire. West Allis is a Milwaukee suburb and two Milwaukee talk-radio stations, WISN and WTMJ, played what was undoubtedly applause and not booing."
On the day after its original report had been circulated nationwide, AP sent out the following correction:
"This is a correction to an incorrect story posted by AP on Friday stating the crowd booed the president when he sent his good wishes. The crowd, in fact, did NOT boo."
Telephone inquiries to the AP in both Washington and New York – as to who was the reporter who put this falsehood on their national wire – resulted in references to higher authority.
On Sunday afternoon at 5:46 p.m. Eastern, Jack Stokes, director of media relations of the Associated Press, sent an e-mail that stated:
"The Associated Press does not comment on personnel issues."
To which Milwaukee Bush-Cheney's Brain responded:
"Can you imagine most corporations responding like this?"
So, the identity of just which AP reporter put this falsehood on their national wire will remain concealed by the world's largest news-gathering service.
None of the media that depend on AP for news will be allowed to know who did this, or whether he or she has been fired for this nationally circulated falsehood.
A transcript of Bush's remarks released by the White House noted applause after Bush offered Clinton "best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery."
ABC Radio Network news also confirmed that the Clinton reference was applauded, not jeered. In its original version of the story, the AP had reported: "Bush's audience of thousands in West Allis, Wis., booed. Bush did nothing to stop them."
I heard this on the radio, and he was applauded.
It brings up an interesting point in that AP and Reuters stories are anonymous, which in these times of war when truth is assailed on so many sides, seems rather unacceptable. Journalists should take responsibility for their news stories and sign their names, if not, then their stories should be ignored as anonymous rumors.
The Democrat Newsmedia is a propaganda machine. Truth for its own sake is not even a consideration.
he and his cohorts are evil IMO, and why the media is making so much of this operation ( my mom, my bil...my fil) when so many have it done DAILY is beyond me....
the world needs more Pat Tillman's and fewer Billy Clinton's....
and what they say about the good dying young....*sigh*
We've known exactly who this reporter was for days. There have been numerous FR threads about it, posts all over the blogosphere, etc. We've got his name, his email address, his work phone number ........ what hole has WND been hiding in for the last five days?
I thought this was already Lexis-Nexis'ed and found originally circulated under Tom Hays' byline?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1207214/posts
I agree, it reminds me of when that young Kennedy chap died in a plane crash and it was on all the news outlets 24/7 for weeks... who cares about these people.
What an amazingly bad copout. This question goes to the heart of their integrity, and they refuse to respond with clarity and honesty.
What they need to do is come totally clean: "Here is the person who made up and printed the lie. We have fired him."
Anyone recall that wonderful quote by Ann Coulter on liberals and Lexis Nexis?
Another reason to discount ANYTHING that AP and the other MSM idiots have to say.
ping
Tom Hays is apparently not the author of the article. This is posted at the article linked in #10:
Although Tom Hays was by-lined for the story, as KingKongCobra has pointed out, it is Deb Riechmann and Scott Lindlaw who are traveling with the President, and who would've been in the position to write such a story. Furthermore, I think it was Mr. Lindlaw who was singled out as the culprit.
If you have any questions feel free to contact Lee Hughes at the AP desk in Milwaukee. Direct line is 414.778.0655. He is not cooperative.
"Does not comment on personnell issues."
Gee. Considering their stock in trade is the reporting of factual events, it's kind of strange they are saying, in effect, "We don't talk about reality."
It wouldn't hurt to keep mentioning the byline. The byline is a fact, regardless of who's responsible for the "error". Eventually Tom Hayes will have to come forward.
The majority of the posts identify the original author as Hays. But the evidence points in another direction. A few posters have tried to illuminate the issue with the facts -- you can find those facts on the same FR threads that by and large single out Hays.
Just another example why we cannot trust the Old Media.
They (Old Media) try so hard to cast doubt and dircredit on the internet news sources, but look at them!!!
Lies and distortions is what we get from the Old Media.
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