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AOL Owned Daily Finance Retracts Passage That Libeled Free Republic Over Child Pornography
Thursday, September 23, 2010 | Kristinn

Posted on 09/23/2010 9:36:38 AM PDT by kristinn

The AOL-owned site Daily Finance this morning retracted a passage in an article that falsely stated Free Republic hosted child pornography.

The article was about reporter John Cook leaving Yahoo News to return to Gawker. Included in Cook's reasons for leaving, according to Daily Finance reporter Jeff Bercovici, was that Yahoo would not allow him to write about Free Republic "hosting child pornography." The Salon.com article that was linked to support that claim actually stated that Free Republic did not host child pornography.

The offending Daily Finance passage now reads:

"... On similar grounds, he was prohibited from writing about the conservative website Free Republic being used to promote child pornography*..."

A correction added to the end of the article states:

CORRECTION: Originally, this story said Free Republic was hosting child pornography. According to the Salon article that I linked to, Free Republic was not hosting it but being used to direct readers to an outside site that hosted it."

Link to article exposing AOL's libel of FR posted last night.

Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post, who picked up the Daily Finance story last night, posted a clarification this morning. A request for a correction has been made to Nicholas Carlson at the Business Insider who also repeated the false statement by the AOL's Daily Finance.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Crime/Corruption; Free Republic; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2010electionbias; achillwind; agitprop; aol; businessinsider; cyberbullying; dailyfinance; dailykos; dncbrownshirts; drivebymedia; fakebutaccurate; fr; freerepublic; gawker; gaystapotactics; goebbelswouldbeproud; hitsquad; howardkurtz; internetmeme; jacuse; jamesrisen; jeffbercovici; johncook; journolist; journolistgate; kaos; lavendermafia; libel; libelous; lyingliar; madhatter; mediagate; nicholascarlson; plantedevidence; pornification; salon; saulalinsky; slander; smearcampaign; stalinisttactics; sue; suesuesue; suethebastards; suethem; thebiglie; trolls; vikingkitties; washingtonpost; witchhunt; yahoo; yahoonews; yellowjournalism; zogbyism
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To: don-o

I spend a fair amount of time on FR (almost to exclusion of other sites), but I as Tjeras_Slim suggested, it is not a bad idea to post a vanity if you see it going up.

One of the reasons I enjoy FR is that even though discourse can become quite heated and acrimonious, I don’t see it descend into full profanity.

At least not like that “other site”, which reflects the potty-mouthed, idea-devoid childish liberals that they are. I certainly don’t want that repuation by association.


101 posted on 09/23/2010 11:16:22 AM PDT by rlmorel (Puritianism is the fear someone is having fun. Liberalism is the fear someone is making money...)
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To: kristinn; Jim Robinson
URLs corrected and expanded:

"Cook tells Bercovici that he was censored by Yahoo,
having to kill both language in stories and stories themselves
because Yahoo didn't find them suitable for their readers.
The first stripe of killed story was a reference to masturbating"


"Who would've thought that the guy who'd rescue John Cook
from the "maw of Yahoo" would be Nick Denton himself?
This is obviously a huge loss for Yahoo, and a massive gain for Gawker
...his isn't the first return Gawker's had: Richard Lawson
came back to the site after leaving for a stint with TV Guide."


"John Cook is a national reporter/blogger for Yahoo! News."


"Last week we waxed misty on the departure of Alex Balk from Gawker,
and speculated on how Nick Denton might fill that gaping void,
in his blog and in all of our hearts. .... Editor John Clarke, Jr. (formerly of Variety)
worked with Mitt Romney on the Salt Lake City Olympics"


[?different J. Cook? ???] "JOHN COOK Job: Finance director
Cook has keyed fundraising efforts for several big-name Republicans,
including 2008 presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney,"

102 posted on 09/23/2010 11:19:28 AM PDT by Diogenesis ('Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.' - Optimus Prime)
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To: Diogenesis

What was his Journolist name?


103 posted on 09/23/2010 11:21:43 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Ask yourself,where does Saudi Arabia fit on a scale of "passive" to "moderate" to "extremist" Islam?)
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To: Vendome
Needz more GREEN porn.


104 posted on 09/23/2010 11:24:24 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (Ask yourself,where does Saudi Arabia fit on a scale of "passive" to "moderate" to "extremist" Islam?)
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To: rlmorel
I never see the words explicitly spelled out, especially not the “F” word and “C” word.

Dunno. I've seen both Barney "Banking Queen" Frank, and Hitlery Clinton.

105 posted on 09/23/2010 11:30:58 AM PDT by bIlluminati (Don't just hope for change, work for change in 2010.)
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To: kristinn
CORRECTION: Originally, this story said Free Republic was hosting child pornography. According to the Salon article that I linked to, Free Republic was not hosting it but being used to direct readers to an outside site that hosted it."

While technically correct, this is an artfully sleazy retraction.

WHO was using it? WHAT was their true motive for posting links? HOW MANY people were using it to post links? HOW MANY people even saw the links? Etc.

Typical scumball reaction to being caught.

106 posted on 09/23/2010 11:31:41 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is <strike>fading</strike>gone.)
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To: subterfuge

That’s Jim Thompson, to you!


107 posted on 09/23/2010 11:34:50 AM PDT by rabidralph
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To: trisham; Tijeras_Slim; don-o
It’s about time for another one. Some of the photos are also, imho, crossing or close to crossing the line.

I agree with this. As a conservative woman, some of the photos are close enough to the line to make some threads uncomfortable to read at times.

108 posted on 09/23/2010 11:37:15 AM PDT by lonevoice (Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music)
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To: kristinn
From Kurtz:

says the links to what was billed as naked pictures of preteens were posted by a user under the site's free registration policy

I didn't think they were posted. Weren't they in the user's profile? Not the most frequented part of the site.

109 posted on 09/23/2010 11:37:51 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is <strike>fading</strike>gone.)
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To: rockinqsranch
what they owe each of us associated with this site as they are accusing/associating us individually with child pornography as well

Yes, people know I visit FR and now they have valid reasons to believe I and others do so to secretly find links to child porn or at least that I continue to associate with people who do so.

What if I were a teacher or worked with kids and someone found out about this?

Class action suit?

110 posted on 09/23/2010 11:43:43 AM PDT by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is <strike>fading</strike>gone.)
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Comment #111 Removed by Moderator

To: lonevoice; don-o; Tijeras_Slim

Yes. There’s currently a thread about Sesame Street, where some of us expressed concern about the decision to have a provocatively dressed singer as part of the show, which is intended for very young children. A number of people posted photos and made comments which, imho, were intended to taunt and insult us. This type of poster tends to jeer at any kind of attempt to discuss morality, and while we are fortunate that there aren’t a large number of them, it can be discouraging.


112 posted on 09/23/2010 11:51:47 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: don-o

I see that so often lately that I don’t even bother to comment or hit the abuse button.


113 posted on 09/23/2010 11:53:22 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: subterfuge

I agree. That’s not much of a retraction. We knew this was coming. Anyone that exposes them will be in their cross hairs.


114 posted on 09/23/2010 11:54:50 AM PDT by mojitojoe ("Ridicule is man's most potent weapon" Saul Alinsky... I will take Odungo's mentors advice)
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To: kristinn

When did John Cook stop beating his wife?


115 posted on 09/23/2010 11:55:27 AM PDT by Oratam
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To: don-o

Well, I guess the one I see most often is Fk’n...not the other ones.

Explicitly? Well...not explicitly...they could be Tuck, funk and fuch...:)

But I know what you mean.


116 posted on 09/23/2010 11:57:11 AM PDT by rlmorel (Puritianism is the fear someone is having fun. Liberalism is the fear someone is making money...)
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To: Oratam
When did John Cook stop beating his wife?

Does he even HAVE a wife, you know?

117 posted on 09/23/2010 12:00:36 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (The Obama magic is <strike>fading</strike>gone.)
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To: bIlluminati

I stand corrected...:)


118 posted on 09/23/2010 12:00:52 PM PDT by rlmorel (Puritianism is the fear someone is having fun. Liberalism is the fear someone is making money...)
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To: null and void
punitive damages.

"Punies" should be trebled, for true punishing effect.

119 posted on 09/23/2010 12:02:53 PM PDT by ExSoldier (Zombie Hunters: We make dead things deader.)
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To: Right Wing Assault
Does he even HAVE a wife, you know?

Now that Cook's picture's been posted that 'slur' won't have its intended effect.

120 posted on 09/23/2010 12:12:28 PM PDT by Oratam
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