Big News Orgs Fail To Label McCain Attack Ad What It Is: False

[ProSense]

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?

<…>

Late Update: MSNBC gets it right.

Late Late Update: The McCain unleashes another misleading attack on this front.

McBlunder, who opposed the GI Bill, sinks lower and lower, gets called out by Hagel


edited to fix links

[NRaleighLiberal]

1. This is certainly political Bizarro world lately. NT

[ProSense]

3. It's a new standard for news:

gossip. No critical reporting based on facts, no research or investigative reporting, they simply report he said-s/he said. Readers aren't given any facts to make an informed decision. For all readers know, McCain is right. The media used this same intentional ambiguity in 2004 when they reported on the Swift Liars. Instead of calling them on their lies or simply stop reporting the lies, the news read like gossip, pitting Kerry's word against the Liars' lies.

It's sickening.

[NRaleighLiberal]

4. Sickening is too weak a word. It saps hope from anyone who is paying attention.

I just shake my head at what I am seeing things come to - the behavior of the MSM, but, especially, the utter apathy of the Big Brother/Informertial addicted public in general. I am not sure what sort of cataclysm it is going to take to wake people up and get them back to voting toward their best interests.

[ProSense]

8. You're right. The media will never change as long as people

who know better continue giving them a pass. It's unbelievable how many people seem willing to give the MSM the benefit of the doubt. They'll go so far as to make an excuse for media bias and poor journalism.

[Inuca]

2. And McCain continues to attack

http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/07/mccain_troops_a.html

The McCain campaign is not letting up, however.

Today, it issued a statement from Michael Durant, a former Army helicopter pilot who was shot down in Somalia in 1993, held captive for 11 days, and recuperated at the medical center Obama was scheduled to visit.

"Over the last week, Barack Obama made time in his busy schedule to hold a rally with 200,000 Germans in Berlin, hold a press conference with French President Nicholas Sarkozy in Paris, and hold a solo press conference in front of 10 Downing Street in London. The Obama campaign had also scheduled a visit with wounded US troops at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, but this stop was canceled after it became clear that campaign staff, and the traveling press corps, would not be allowed to accompany Senator Obama," Durant said. "I've spent time at Ramstein recovering from wounds received in the service of my country, and I'm sure that Senator Obama could have made no better use of his time than to meet with our men and women in uniform there. That Barack Obama believes otherwise casts serious doubt on his judgment and calls into question his priorities."

[Shine]

5. Didn't Andrea Mitchell on MSNBC just get it right?

I just read that on TPM. :shrug:

[ProSense]

6. We're very fortunate:

one in five news reports is accurate.



oops, "is"

[ProSense]

7. This nails it:

McCain tries to throw election, Media won't let him

[ProSense]

9. Olbermann and Maddow cover the odd polls and media pass given McCain

Gallup poll

[DeepModem Mom]

10. K&R