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The 25 Most Powerful Websites [FR cheated of Rathergate credit]
Mental Floss ^ | Adrian Chen

Posted on 09/24/2013 1:14:08 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows

-snip-

24. Power Line

From practically the day they sprang into existence, blogs have been denigrated as trivial, inaccurate, and derivative. Untrained writers could never match the accuracy and depth of newspapers and network news. Power Line, a scrappy right-wing blog, turned that perception on its ear when it took down one of old media’s most venerable figures: Dan Rather.

In September 2004, Rather and CBS News aired an explosive story about George W. Bush’s service in the Texas Air National Guard. The report used military documents to show that Bush had received preferential treatment and performed poorly while failing to meet his service obligations. Just two months before Bush came up for reelection, the report was a bombshell.

Or it would have been, except the documents weren’t authentic. Power Line cofounder Scott W. Johnson thought something seemed fishy, and, thanks to tips from Power Line readers, it took him only a few hours to expose the critical documents as forgeries. The Internet’s self-taught experts had proved to be more reliable fact-checkers than the traditional elite in CBS’s news department. As the scandal erupted, Rather resigned from CBS, and even stalwarts like Time hailed Power Line’s meticulous work. Score one for new media.

-snip-

(Excerpt) Read more at mentalfloss.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 2000electionbias; cultureofcorruption; freerepublic; frinthenews; howtostealanelection; napl; powerline; ratherbiased; rathergate; revisionisthistory; top10
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To: Mears

Was also on THE thread that day.


41 posted on 09/24/2013 2:54:37 PM PDT by Toespi
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To: Slings and Arrows

bfl


42 posted on 09/24/2013 2:57:07 PM PDT by Noob1999 (Loose Lips, Sink Ships)
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To: Doogle

I see kitty !


43 posted on 09/24/2013 3:15:12 PM PDT by Squantos ( Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everyone you meet ...)
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To: Slings and Arrows
Actually it was kctanker (ex airforce) that first questioned the look of the documents. .Buckhead follow right after because he was a lawyer the had just had a case about font in word doc and point out the famous superscript issue..powerblog follow up the next day from the FR thread
44 posted on 09/24/2013 3:27:08 PM PDT by tophat9000 (Are we headed to a Cracker Slacker War?)
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To: Fledermaus
How true. I'd like to add to your apt description by saying many of what goes for Mental Floss' Most Powerful Websites needs to be re-titled as "Da Internets Most Screwy, Convoluted List of Sites No One Knew Existed".
45 posted on 09/24/2013 3:29:43 PM PDT by lbryce (Obama:The Worst Is Yet To come)
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To: tophat9000

Noted, with appreciation.


46 posted on 09/24/2013 3:49:23 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows (You can't have Ingsoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: Squantos

eyup


47 posted on 09/24/2013 4:06:23 PM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Texas Fossil

mapes


48 posted on 09/24/2013 4:08:20 PM PDT by Doogle (USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Slings and Arrows

Where were all these highly knowledgeable pajama journalists when the birth certificate was in doubt?


49 posted on 09/24/2013 5:09:00 PM PDT by Liberty Wins ( The average lefty is synapse challenged)
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To: Slings and Arrows
Even this Wikipedia story on Powerline gives FreeRepublic credit for discovering the forgery. They only credit Powerline with publicizing it.

-PJ

50 posted on 09/24/2013 5:18:21 PM PDT by Political Junkie Too (If you are the Posterity of We the People, then you are a Natural Born Citizen.)
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To: Slings and Arrows

tankerkc got it before buckhead, another freeper


51 posted on 09/24/2013 5:26:25 PM PDT by Mount Athos (A Giant luxury mega-mansion for Gore, a Government Green EcoShack made of poo for you)
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To: Jim Robinson; All
The full story (which Buckhead himself called a "really, really good writeup") is available here:

Rather's Ruin and the Rise of the Pajamahadeen.

52 posted on 09/24/2013 5:35:18 PM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
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To: Doogle

No, I remember Mapes, but she is not the one I was thinking about.

It may have been that she was not positively identified back then. She was from San Antonio and was suspected as having been the actual source of the forged documents.

There was a meeting in Abilene and Rather’s daughter, Mapes, Bill Burkett and other Dem Operatives were there. This went up the food chain of Dems around Abilene.


53 posted on 09/24/2013 6:02:46 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
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To: Interesting Times

Thanks! Brings back lots of memories.


54 posted on 09/24/2013 8:14:37 PM PDT by Slings and Arrows (You can't have Ingsoc without an Emmanuel Goldstein.)
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To: Doogle

took 20 seconds to find the kitty....:O)


55 posted on 09/24/2013 9:47:02 PM PDT by goat granny
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To: Texas Fossil

They met in Abilene because Burkett resided down the Interstate in Baird, if IIRC.


56 posted on 09/24/2013 10:40:50 PM PDT by Rockpile
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To: Toespi

I am pretty sure you were on it. I remember thanking you for keeping me up to date. I stayed up past my bedtime...


57 posted on 09/24/2013 10:54:14 PM PDT by Jet Jaguar
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To: Slings and Arrows

I was on the thread that night and remember it well....never heard that anyone else figured it out before FR

Remember Buckhead


58 posted on 09/24/2013 10:59:12 PM PDT by woofie
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To: Slings and Arrows

BFL


59 posted on 09/24/2013 11:01:55 PM PDT by The SISU kid (I think they taste like Barbie dolls smell.)
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To: Slings and Arrows; Buckhead

No, no no. Still got it wrong.

Raise your lighters, ladies and gents, to... Buckbeak! (LOL)

That was one of the misattributions, tho not nearly as inaccurate as this credit to Powerline.


60 posted on 09/25/2013 12:07:12 AM PDT by Titan Magroyne (What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.)
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