The AP makes story on Reid even worse

May 31, 2006

Yesterday, we learned that the AP ran a big story on Senate Minority Leader [tag]Harry Reid[/tag] accepting some [tag]tickets[/tag] to [tag]boxing[/tag] matches from the Nevada Athletic Commission, which the AP’s [tag]John Solomon[/tag] suggested was an ethical lapse on Reid’s part. It wasn’t.

Today we learn that the [tag]AP[/tag] has managed to make the same article even worse. A “revised” version of the same article removed language that explained that Reid voted against the interests of the Nevada Athletic Commission. In other words, the AP obscured the one key piece of information that proved that Reid did nothing inappropriate here.

As Aravosis put it:

It is very difficult to believe that this was anything other than intentional on the part of the Associated Press. They appear to have changed a story – taken the most significant piece of information out of a story – in order to better smear a sitting US Senator. And before the AP says it was a simple mistaken edit, a number of the top blogs wrote about that very sentence yesterday, showing how that sentence proved the AP story was a hatchet job. Would AP now have us believe that they never heard of the criticism, and the sentence simply disappeared by accident?

Let’s all say it together: What liberal [tag]media[/tag]?

What Liberal Media!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lordy, I remember when being a cynic meant being wrong most of the time….

  • I agree with yesterday’s justification for Reid’s actions and agree also the AP is clearly guilty of (1) going after Reid and (2) then taking that one better by amending its story. But the fact remains that Reid should have known better. Why offer the GOP and their lapdogs in the press such a plum? Couldn’t Reid afford the boxing tickets?

  • Oh sure, the AP could point out how much Randy Cunningham’s actions led to subpar equipment being sent to Iraq,.

    But that’s water under the bridge compared to $1300 in boxing tickets

  • John McCain attended one of the matches with Reid. While the gift is a matter of public record, I wonder if McCain point the AP toward the story. Remember how he stabbed Obama in the back earlier this year.

  • point=pointed.

    Frankly, I make too many typos to even bother with corrections on most days.

  • I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again. It’s not sucking up to power, or the media would have sucked up to Clinton when Dems had both houses of Congress. It’s not money, or they wouldn’t have cancelled MSNBC’s highest rated show or stopped distributing the highest grossing documentary in history. If it’s ratings, Sinclair would not have taken the hit on the stock market to run a Swift Boat Vet commercial. It’s not that Clinton stories were sexier — we have male prostitutes placed by the White House in the press gaggle, and our national security contracts going to whoever gets our top CIA brass the best hookers.

    Occam’s Razor gives us only one possible explanation:

    Why did the media continue to breathlessly pursue Clinton scandals, and sweep GOP scandals under the rug?

    The media are GOP hacks.

    Why do they cancel, not distribute or air POVs that obviously have a starved audience, with cash in hand?

    The media are GOP hacks.

    Why do they provide lucrative air time to promote Swift Boat propoganda, gratis, so their stock can plummet?

    The media are GOP hacks.

    Why does the media refuse to accept money to air commercials from liberal groups?

    The media are GOP hacks.

    Why do they run government and industry created “news spots” as news?

    The media are GOP hacks.

    Why does the AP remove the evidence in an article, once it has been shown to exhonerate the Dem leader they are trying to smear, after largely ignoring the corruption of the entire Republican machine?

    The media are GOP hacks.

    As Sherlock Holmes said, once you eliminate all the possible explanations, the one you are left with, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

    Stop making excuses. The media is the enemy. They are there to destroy us and promote GOP policy. They are K Street lobbyists who gain favors through payoffs far more valuable than Hawaii vacations and golf outings: fawning media pimping of GOP talking points. And they know they’ll be punished like any industry that attempts to send their largess to both sides of the aisle.

    You want to see a media that is relentless in holding our leaders accountable? Put the Democrats back in power.

  • I guess it’s possible that it was just a mistake, but still, people should let AP know about it until they change it.

  • I’m guessing the revision didn’t come under the byline of AP’s resident whore and shill for all things Bush, Nedra Pickler.

  • Fallenwoman, The following is from TPMmuckraker.

    But it turns out that it would have been illegal for Reid to reimburse the commission for the seats. That’s because these weren’t actually tickets – they were credentials with no face value given to V.I.P.’s. And according to the boxing promoter who awarded those credentials to Reid, it is illegal for the commission to accept payment for them. Despite that, McCain insisted on paying, and so the commission simply gave his check (written for a seemingly arbitrary amount) to a charity since it couldn’t accept it.

    Now how do you feel about St. John now?

    And I, for one, am tired of your ill informed hit and run comments.

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