Media Fails To Fact-Check McCain Claim On Canceled Troop Visit

[babylonsister]

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/big_news_orgs_fail_to_label_mc.php

Media Fails To Fact-Check McCain Claim On Canceled Troop Visit


Big News Orgs Fail To Label McCain Attack Ad What It Is: False
By Greg Sargent - July 28, 2008, 9:44AM


I've just done a lap through the coverage by the big news orgs of the ad John McCain put out this weekend attacking Barack Obama for canceling his visit to a U.S. Army base in Germany.

CNN has a piece here, The New York Times has one here, The Washington Post has write-ups here and here, and the Associated Press has one here.

The stories did dutifully note the Obama camp's push-back against the ad. But not a single one of these reports told you that the ad is false.

McCain's ad makes a stark assertion about the reason the trip was canceled: "Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras."

But there is no evidence whatsoever supporting this assertion. It's false. That isn't the reason the trip was canceled. Shouldn't that be explicitly noted in stories about this?

The Pentagon itself is on record saying that it informed the Obama camp that he couldn't bring campaign staff to the event. Obama subsequently canceled the trip.

Even though the McCain camp's ad is false, the stories on the ad focused on supposed inconsistencies in the Obama campaign's push-back. The Obama camp's first statement said that he had canceled the trip after deciding that it was political, with no mention of the Pentagon. The second statement said the Pentagon had told him that it would be perceived as such.

But there is no reason why these are necessarily inconsistent. The Obama camp could have easily decided after it had heard from the Pentagon that the trip could be perceived as political, and simply not included the info about the Pentagon's directives in the first statement. This was a screw-up, but it certainly doesn't prove inconsistency.

Either way, you'd think the fact that the McCain ad contains a blatant falsehood would merit a mention in the coverage. If any reports do flag the falsehood, we'll let you know.

[ErinBerin84]

1. ugh. I'm not listening to the tv right now

But one of the TPM commenters says that they played the ad again on MSNBC (they've been playing it every hour, Contessa Brewer was the anchor this hour), and they were supposed to follow with Robert Gibbs to refute, but they played the ad and then Robert got conveniently "bumped" for a press conference on a church shooting. Did anyone see if he ever got to refute?

[liberal N proud]

2. Facts? The M$M doesn't use facts.

Facts just get in the way unless they fit the orders of the day.

Facts may or may not sell the story and that is what is important in the 24/7 news cycle.



:sarcasm:

[Supersedeas]

8. and Joe Skankborogh noted lasted week, "damn the facts."

[Gabi Hayes]

3. can you say Swiftboat? this is just about exactly what happened in 2004.

I went ape over the weekend, worrying that this would be the start of the same sort of smear campaign, catapulted by the media's unquestioning acceptance of scurrilous charges like this.

others here said it would be a story that died quickly

any thoughts on what's going to happen with this?

this thread confirms what I thought would happen WRT M$M's response. is it enough to keep this avenue of attack from withering on the vine?

I hope it goes away, but it won't surprise me if, prompted by their friends on the right, will keep it alive long enough to implant the idea that Obama cynically uses the troops for his own political gain

[babylonsister]

4. That's all it is is a smear campaign, and it sure is getting the coverage.

I'm glad to finally hear on m$nbc the truth coming out. Richard Wolffe is turning into a good surrogate, even if he is a journalist.

[ErinBerin84]

5. heh, so true about Richard Wolffe.

That's another one that Joe Scarborough is extra dick-ish to on Race to the White House. I've seen him and Joe get into very tension ridden clashes that are just like the Rachel ones...Richard corrects Joe on something and Joe flips the fuck out and gets snotty.

[babylonsister]

6. "Snotty" - yep, that he is. And condescending. nt

[Gabi Hayes]

7. they better be careful of passing out near sharp desk corners