This story may seem too quirky and trivial, but as an example of (possible) leftist fabrications it may fit nicely into the Jason Blair pattern.
Not only do the quotes and persons appear to be fictitious, but in the past 24 hours someone is trying to clean up the web, actually editing past articles to remove this stuff!! George Orwell's "memory hole" re-visited, except that (fortunately) there are cache pages and the fabricator should not be able to cover his tracks so easily. This sounds like a case for freeper research.
But the interesting part of this new stuff, is the deletions. Who caught on and WHO questioned and/or exposed this new stuff?
To: TnMomofTwo The rest of the story is Doug Thompson was exposed and confronted right here on FR by a freeper who started doing research and called Doug on it. As I note at #213 [http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1147610/posts?page=213#213](where I've linked to the discovery and ultimate outing----make no mistake, Doug Thompson did not step forward on his own), the Wilkinson smear/lie was set to coordinate with Joe Wilson's Niger saga.
Thompson was easier to expose because he was already regarded by the mainstreams as a crackpot. They'll use his stuff when it is to their benefit, but he is easier to get the truth out over the noise of his propaganda. Wilson is nuts and a liar, too, but has better credentials, hence his story has stuck around despite having holes a mile wide in it.
217 posted on 06/04/2004 2:41:32 PM PDT by cyncooper
Doug Thompson and his site were banned from FR for Bogus stories. He is a flake.
Last time CHB spew was "internationalized" by Marc Ash's Truthout ste which sent the CHB article to Japan Today, where it was picked up by other press outlets with more "weight" than the obscure CHB. Then our lib "driveby media" took the story and reprinted it WITHOUT sourcing it and WITHOUT the name of Doug's imaginary friend/source. Once that was done there was no effective means for readers who stick to big-name media of spotting the bogus story since it was now wrapped in MSM camouflage. Thus, a story once fit only for the suparmarket checkout lane tabloids grew legs because it had been printed in the *cough* credible *cough* MSM.
See tag line
Thanks for the ping. I am amazed to see that having failed to foist a fake source off on us here at FR, he has tried to do it again. This guy is a real piece of work.
As usual, the "comments" sections have more information, links, and snarky remarks:
Heres an astounding mainstream media deception uncovered by Eric at Classical Values, who noticed a host of quotes attributed to George Harleigh, an SIU political science professor who supposedly worked for the Nixon and Reagan administrations and is now very anti-Busha political science professor who appears to be completely nonexistent: Wheres George? And wheres Doug? | link: 121 comments |
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Spiny Norman 7/20/2006 10:55PM PDT |
#24 Infidel varmint Stephen Glass, Jason Blair, Burkett/Rather/Mapes, Leopold, sock puppetry by Greenwald and Hitzick, and now this guy.As one might expect, the most illuminating (and hilarious) discussion on that subject is at Jeff Goldstein's. |
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Doss 7/20/2006 11:48PM PDT |
#39 Powderfinger I found the guy - Greg Packer. He's not just another face in the crowd at concerts, book signings, and sporting events. Somehow, over the course of 10 years, one man has managed to become the media's go-to guy, quoted more than 100 times in various publications, including several prominent newspapers. Greg Packer is the "man on the street." |
Lucy Rameriz - Tang Memos, vanished no trace
Terrance J. Wilkinson - Niger Uranium bogus claim (interestingly this story contained forgeries too), vanished no trace
George Harleigh - GOPer John Dean type - no trace
hmmm...am I missing any?
Thanks for ping.
Thanks for the ping, and a 'just back from vacation' bump.
Pinz