Posted on 03/14/2011 12:12:18 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
An update on our post from Sunday about the questions that have been raised regarding conservative political activist James O'Keefe's editing of his secretly recorded video of then-NPR chief fundraiser Ron Schiller slamming conservatives.
NPR's David Folkenflik has done more reporting on the differences between the 11 1/2 minute video that O'Keefe's Project Veritas produced and the two hours worth of video that O'Keefe says is the largely unedited account of a lunch that Schiller and another NPR fundraising executive had with two men posing as representatives of a Muslim group that wanted to donate $5 million to NPR
Al Tompkins, a senior faculty member for broadcasting and online at the Poynter Institute, says to David that he tells his children there are "two ways to lie. One is to tell me something that didn't happen. And the other is not to tell me something that did happen." After comparing O'Keefe's edited tape to the longer version, "I think that they employed both techniques in this," Tompkins says.
One "big warning flag" Tompkins saw in the shorter tape was the way it made it appear that Schiller had laughed and commented "really, that's what they said?" after being told that the fake Muslim group advocates for sharia law. In fact, the longer tape shows that Schiller made that comment during an "innocuous exchange" that had nothing to do with the supposed group's position on sharia law, David reports.
Tompkins also says that O'Keefe's edited tape ignores the fact that Schiller said "six times ... over and over and over again" that donors cannot buy the kind of coverage they want on NPR.
Scott Baker, editor in chief of the conservative news site The Blaze, tells David that after watching the two-hour video he came away with the impression that the NPR executives "seem to be fairly balanced people."
NPR spokeswoman Dana Davis Rehm told David late yesterday that O'Keefe "inappropriately edited the videos with an intent to discredit" NPR. Still, she added, Schiller made some "egregious statements."
As we said yesterday, those included Schiller calling the Tea Party a "weird evangelical" movement that has helped push the "current Republican Party" to become "fanatically involved in people's personal lives."
As Time magazine's James Poniewozik writes at his Tuned In blog, "the close-up look [at the longer tape] doesn't let the executive, Ron Schiller, off the hook. But it shows O'Keefe edited the short version of his video to fit his anti-NPR agenda. Explaining why both things can be true at once requires, well, a lot of context."
Before the videos were released last Tuesday, Schiller had already announced he was leaving NPR. After their release, he apologized for his statements and said he was resigning immediately. The next day, NPR's board ousted CEO/President Vivian Schiller (no relation to Ron) because it felt she could no longer effectively lead the organization due to the distractions of this controversy and last year's dismissal of news analyst Juan Williams.
Top NPR executives lost their jobs because of this. And NPR is trying to make hay out of the idea that the tapes were edited? Well, why’d you let the executives go then?
This dope wouldn’t have known about O’Keefe’s “inappropriate” edits if O’Keefe hadn’t ALSO posted the unedited film - which anyone can also see. So what is he complaining about?
RE: Well, why’d you let the executives go then?
It’s like a dying villain wanting to take a parting shot at the man who killed him.
NPR is in effect trying to tell the world that this journalist is not that honest and objective and that anything he reports from hereon should be treated as suspect ( AKA, INACCURATE and FALSE until absolutely proven otherwise ).
They no longer have to worry about getting caught with their hand in the proverbial cookie jar, thanks to a leftist media that wants to believe.
But its ok for 60 Minutes to edit the snot out of their interviews. Sheesh, give me a break. The MSM PO’d for being victimized by one of their own tricks. I weep for you NPR, really I do, can you feel my grief? No? That is because I edited it out.
Just more tut-tut’s from the National Tut-tut folks...
O’Keefe has already said he’s got more on NPR. He’s been holding back because he wants to judge their reaction to what has been made public.
It sounds to me like NPR management needs to remember the First Law of Holes.
** And NPR is trying to make hay out of the idea that the tapes were edited? Well, why’d you let the executives go then? **
Especially since the full tapes were posted at the same time as the edited tape.
Beck was talking about this on his radio show this morning.
Apparently, he is the one who ‘exposed’ the “out of context” video and was saying that all of the Liberals were giving him accolades for it!
“Egregious”
When saying something bad about a leftist, use a word that only 15% of the electorate understands, eh?
Beck, today, also mentioned that the sting did not meet his standards, and thus he won’t comment on it.
But the bottom line, still, is that these execs said what they said, and it still shows what’s in their minds.
Was PBS willing to work with a group associated with the Muslim Brotherhood or not.
Did PBS bash Jews, Christians, conservatives and member of the Tea Party?
The answers to those questions are ALL I need to know...
Even if you believe this, which I don’t, it says something about NPR to think they fired executives before getting all the information.
So, when 60 minutes was editing people into career oblivion, that was OK.
Does the brass at NPR REALLY want to play the “Inappropriately Edited Sound Bite” game??
Be careful what you wish for...
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