Faux Noise caught editing Al Franken's wikipedia entry

[draft_mario_cuomo]

By Matt Stoller
Posted on August 15, 2007, Printed on August 15, 2007
http://www.alternet .org/bloggers/ /59794/

This post, written by Matt Stoller, originally appeared on Open Left

There's a new tool out there that lets you search the destination IP addresses for people editing wikipedia entries. Arthur Bergman found that folks at Fox News's IP address were editing Al Franken's entry. Apparently, Fox News propagandists deleted Franken's statement that Fox News's legal case against Franken was ""literally laughed out of court" and that "wholly (holy) without merit" is a good characterization of Fox News itself." The Fox News users also added a 'liberal' adjective when characterizing the NPR show 'Fresh Air'.

There are two takeaways here. One, though I'm sure that bloggers and the internet generically will somehow be blamed for vitriol and this very episode, let's remember that unethical stuff done on the internet can be done by journalists or propagandists at media organs like Fox News as easily as it can be done by bloggers. We got a lot of shit for 'hacking' Lieberman's web site the day of the primary, simply because we write for a web-only audience. That's beyond stupid. And two, Fox is an advocacy organization that works against Democrats and seeks undermines legitimate news outlets.

Both of these points should be, but somehow aren't, obvious to most media executives and a whole lot of establishment people. I write on the internet. Boo! Call me cyberhawk, or something.

[theredpen]

1. K&R

This is pretty serious.

[MaineDem]

2. Another K & R

Vile Faux News.

[FormerDittoHead]

3. Here's a point to make...

Fox is not a blogger. They're a corporation. That means that the time and expense they take to do things such as comb through Wikipedia and other web sites is presumably written off as a business expense, and as such, reduces the tax they pay.

That's right - your tax burden goes up while they rewrite history for con$ervative politics...

On that score, I honestly don't think one can claim that "we all do it"...

Remember: political contributions and other, similar, direct political action is NOT tax deductible - and they are presumably taking corporate resources to potentially affect a political race.

To me, it is very interesting...