Devolution: AP Waters Down Obama-Gates-Crowley Headline, Opening Paragraphs (AP Busted!

Newsbusters ^ | 7/25/09 | Tom Blumer

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Watching Associated Press reports evolve, or as is all too often the case, devolve, can be a revealing exercise.

Example: What happened between 8 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday that would have caused the Associated Press and writer Nancy Benac to water down the headline and opening paragraphs of their story about the Obama-Gates-Crowley situation from this....

OBAMA RUSHES TO QUELL RACIAL UPROAR HE HELPED FIRE

.... to this? (after the jump)

OBAMA MOVES TO DAMPEN UPROAR OVER COMMENT ON RACE

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

And busted big time at that.

Gotta love it!

[cubreporter]

Too late. The damage is done I think.

[Laissez-faire capitalist]

Yep, AP got it right the first time.

Obama helped to fire racial uproar... and he acted stupidly, too, in the process.

[EverOnward]

OBAMA RUSHES TO QUELL RACIAL UPROAR HE HELPED FIRE

Even the truth sneaks out from time to time....

[Mr Ramsbotham]

Not so much an uproar, as a quiet reassessment by millions of people.

[Interesting Times]

Even the truth sneaks out from time to time....

Yes, but only until American Pravda notices it.

[Kansas58]

Just had to turn off a PBS round table about Gates-Gate-—

It was just too much.

I don't often watch Politburo Broadcasting System, but I thought it might be interesting.

“This is classic Obama, the way he is bringing people together over this issue” —— good grief!

[the invisib1e hand]

I can stop holding my breath now!

AP Yahoo! does this routinely, as I suppose we all know by now.

[the invisib1e hand]

I hope whomever posted the original headline at AP covered his tracks and lives to post again.

[eaglestar]

I’ll tell you what happened. The AP and it’s editors received a phone call from the White House disputing the premise of the headline and demanded that they revise the headline like the War on Terror was renamed the Overseas Contingency Operation otherwise they would lose all access to the President. And with that the AP quickly capitulated.

[MrB]

0bama was either intentionally racheting the racial component, or “stupidly” and unintentionally revealing his racial animus.

Particularly in his implication that the nasty white cops were intentionally torturing the old black professor by handcuffing him behind his back, and then the only person who would listen and have mercy was the “African American” officer in attendance.

What a RACIST A$$HOLE.

[LA Woman3]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2300496/posts

[NormsRevenge]

Thanks for that. OOPs happens. ;-)

[NormsRevenge]

I guess I could have kept hitting the Refresh key to see when they changed the title exactly.. sneaky bastards.

Oh well, ya get what ya pay for and now AP is out to make sure they squeeze every buck they can out of every word.

They’re just ‘calibrating’ is all. :-)

[traderrob6]

“Not so much an uproar, as a quiet reassessment by millions of people.”

Nicely stated.

[Political Junkie Too]

"Skip" Gates vs. "Scooter" Libby

Compare and contrast the situations between the treatment of a liberal and the treatment of a conservative:

• Gates was being questioned by police regarding a possible breaking and entering of his home.
• Libby was being questioned by the FBI regarding a possible leak of top secret CIA agent identities.

• Gates was uncooperative when responding to the questions of police.
• Libby was cooperative when responding to the FBI.

• Gates became belligerant and escalated the confrontation with the police.
• Libby was cooperative and remained publicly silent during his investigation.

• Gates was repeatedly asked to settle down, and was arrested when he allegedly refused to comply.
• Libby was repeatedly questioned by the FBI, and was arrested when his answers were then-allegedly inconsistent.

• Gates was not a burglar breaking into a home.
• Libbby did not leak the identity of a CIA agent.

• Gates' arrest was not related to the original reason the police were called to his home.
• Libby's arrest was not related to the original reason the FBI were investigating him.

• President Obama immediately took the side of Gates over the police without knowing the facts.
• President Bush remained silent when asked about Libby and the FBI.

• Liberals are outraged and blame the police for arresting Gates after it was proven he was not a burglar.
• Liberals were ecstatic and cheered the FBI arresting Libby after it was proven that he was not the leaker.

Double standard? Do you see it differently?

-PJ

[missnry]

“This is classic Obama, the way he is bringing people together over this issue”

Well he is bringing the races "together." Of course both parties are wearing boxing gloves, but doesn't that count for something on his small resume?

[RipSawyer]

The majority of the American electorate acted “STUPIDLY” last November.

[Zack Attack]

When AP starts charging Google, etc to link to its’ stories, will that be a separate charge each time they modify a story or headline?

[Irish Eyes]

And the AP now want us to pay for the privilege of reading their trash?