NEWS: AP Caught Falsifying Republican Crowd Reaction

POLITICS: AP Caught Falsifying Republican Crowd Reaction

An Associated Press story about President Bush's wishes for former President Clinton's speedy recovery had to be changed today.

Some of Bush's inaction was later explained by reviews of recordings and eyewitness reports that clearly showed that the crowd did not boo. In fact, the crowd applauded in support of the President's concern. The AP reporter made the negative crowd reaction up.

This is just incredibly stupid behavior. The lie was readily checked and bound to be caught. The results of this kind of stupidity is not merely being fired, but also eroding the industry in which you work and promoting the candidate you just attempted to smear.

Hat Tip: Allah

Yup. Changed to read " The crowd reacted with applause and with some "ooohs," apparently surprised by the news that Clinton was ill."

Glad they changed that travesty of journalism, and I hope they fired the reporter who wrote the original story. "OOOOOOOOOOH" is much more believable than "BOOOOOO." Republicans sure wouldn't do something as knee-jerk and awful as booing the name of a president they hated even when he was ill or handing out bandaids with purple hearts on them to make fun of a decorated Vietnam Vet.

I'm sure the correction of this grave "ooooooh vs boooooo" error will greatly affect people's views of Republicans and of George Bush in general in a positive way.

Come on, only Democrats ever act badly.

Shalome,

It's more of a case of libel. If somebody writes that you spit on a prominent figure's grave when you didn't, you seek redress. This isn't a perception problem, this about what you let people say and write about you and your friends.

Funny that your dedication to honesty and integrity surfaces only after the Exquisite Corpse fiction festival that was the GOP Convention.

And incidentally Pat, the crowds reaction was disputed, not proven. What appears on the feed in not a representation of what happened in the hall. All we know is that some people in the crowd cheered, and that's crediting a web meme.

To be proven in court Libel needs proof of intent. If this was not on purpose you can't sue for libel.

Plus you have to show actual damages to a specific person, a "crowd of people" can't sue someone because no one specific person was mentioned by name as yelling "boooo"

What liberal media?

West Allis is pretty skanky, I could see them booing. Perhaps some people in the section by the reporter did, and that's all he heard. Of course Bush wouldn't respond to a few hecklers way in the back. Or maybe the reporter was lying, I dunno.

Anyways, I'm sure it was manufactured concern, I doubt he cares at all about Clinton's health.

And I wouldn't care about Bushh not stopping a booing crowd. Anytime he breaks away from the script, bad things happen. He's learning.

[Edited on Sep 03, 2004 by dingoes8]

[Edited on Sep 03, 2004 by SirPsychoSexy]

If it were a Democratic president saying that about a Republican ex-President, you can bet the story that the mention of the ex-President's name was booed lustily would be all over the right-wing blogs in 10 seconds, and would never die. Like the lie that Paul Wellstone's funeral was a partisan rally and Republicans there were booed, neither of which is proven by actually watching the damn thing.

There goes that guys job.

I was told Bill was in the hosptial. Kinda bummed me out

But what sucked

My father was rushed to the ER today around 2 cause had abdominal pain. I hope my popps is ok.

Get well soon Dad and Bill

wow, i never really thought it was true. is this evidence of a slightly liberal media?

No, it's evidence of an unnamed AP wire reporter who thought "oooooooooh" sounded like "boooooooo."

SPS,

Class-Action lawsuit claiming defamation of character for the town?

The reporter should have checked with others around him if he thought the crowd boo'ed Clinton. Whatever you think of flyover country Republicans, they generally show compassion to the sick, especially in public, and always when the President they LOVE tells them to.

Please try to wrap your brain around the concept that there are a lot of people, very likely not where you hang out, who greatly respect George W. Bush.

If the reporter who wrote the story was incapable of wrapping his brain around that simple fact, he should never have been covering the President, and his editor should also be fired for assigning that intolerant an individual to covering Bush's campaign. As well as for not picking up on the unlikeliness of a campaign rally repudiating their candidate, and not checking the facts.

It's scandalous, isn't it? Worst part is this account is going to be picked up and distributed around the country and the globe, but the correction will be buried on page A16 or something.

Uhhhhh... no.

Uhhhhh... no.

Sadly, this is actually true. What they respect him for is still a mystery.

Its not the reporters job to acknowledge your cultural and political bias regarding what you think is likely to have happened. It is the reporters job to report what he or she observes. What got picked up by a directional mike on the podium is subjective; you've not evidence to refute the claim save that. Finally given that your heartland empaths spent the last week cheering lustily for a chickenhawk ticket wearing band aids to mock a decorated veteran lapping up lie after distortion with gusto I think its safe to say that your depictions and assertions are a tiny bit disingenuous.

Well, thats about where they bury the Bush corrections.

I heard the same NPR report as Bean, and can pretty much confirm his recounting of the segment. I didn't hear any booing, but that'd hardly prove that there wasn't any anywhere in the hall.

Where the story goes awry was reporting that Bush didn't do anything to stop it. I doubt he would or could have noticed it, given the overall volume of Republicans cheering for Bill Clinton's failing heart.

No shit!! It's all controlled now!!

Wait, were they saying boo, or buu-urns?

This is the kind of thing you get worked up about? Seriously? If this is all the evidence you have a "liberal media" bias you better keep do some more research. I love how you cite an anonymous Freeper as a credible "eyewitness."

Two words: Paul Wellstone.

I'm not quite sure what the intent of this is, but those of us who actually watched the memorial will note that the "booing" in question was virtually inaudible on the audio. It is only the reaction shot of the crowd, zoomed in on the tiny proportion of the crowd that gave it context. Many cheered, a very few booed, and Patrick's heros made hash of it for weeks. It was bullshit then as this is bullshit now. Its manufactured indignation.

From the AP:

"The crowd's booing of Lott was difficult to hear on television but obvious to reporters there. The event was featured prominently on the national news, and conservative pundits seized on the spectacle."

Hence my skepticism.

Exactly. I'm talking about glass houses and stones, etc.