New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News strike deals for anti-Clinton research

[babylonsister]

New York Times, Washington Post, Fox News strike deals for anti-Clinton research

By DYLAN BYERS | 4/20/15 12:22 PM EDT

The New York Times, The Washington Post and Fox News have made exclusive agreements with a conservative author for early access to his opposition research on Hillary Clinton, a move that has confounded members of the Clinton campaign and some reporters, the On Media blog has confirmed.

"Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich" will debut on May 5. But the Times, the Post and Fox have already made arrangements with author Peter Schweizer to pursue some of the material included in his book, which seeks to draw connections between Clinton Foundation donations and speaking fees and Hillary Clinton's actions as secretary of state. Schweizer is the president of the Government Accountability Institute, a conservative research group, and previously served as an adviser to Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

Fox News' use of Schweizer's book has surprised no one. The bulk of the network's programming is conservative, and the book's publisher, HarperCollins, is owned by News Corporation. But the Times and Post's decision to partner with a partisan researcher has raised a few eyebrows. Some Times reporters view the agreement as unusual, sources there said. Still others defended the agreement, noting that it was no different from using a campaign's opposition research to inform one's reporting -- so long as that research is fact-checked and vetted. A spokesperson for the Times did not provide comment by press time.

snip//

"Schweizer is a partisan right-wing activist whose writings have been marked with falsehoods and retractions, with numerous reporters excoriating him for facts that 'do not check out,' sources that 'do not exist,' and a basic failure to practice 'Journalism 101,'" Brock said in a statement. "Buyers should beware and consider the source."

Brian Fallon, the press secretary for the Clinton campaign, similarly criticized the book.

"We always expected that while Hillary Clinton focused on helping everyday Americans get ahead, the Republicans would focus on attacks rather than ideas," he told the On Media blog. "It appears that this book is being used to aid this coordinated attack strategy, twisting previously known facts into absurd conspiracy theories. It will not be the first work of partisan-fueled fiction about the Clintons' record, and we know it will not be the last."

more...

http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2015/04/new-york-times-fox-news-strike-deals-for-conservative-205791.html

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http://mediamatters.org/research/2015/04/20/clinton-cash-author-peter-schweizers-long-histo/203209

Clinton Cash Author Peter Schweizer's Long History Of Errors, Retractions, And Questionable Sourcing

[JaneyVee]

1. Republicans twisting known facts into conspiracy theories?

I'M SHOCKED!

[OKNancy]

2. Karen Finney pointed out on MSNBC

That this fellow used information that is publically available because the Foundation puts out everything.
Then Axelrod said in so many words that the gossip about the Colombia trade deal was bunk and that Hillary couldn't just wave a wand at the state department and make things happen.. "it doesn't work like that"