On Wednesday morning, the ACORN scandal finally blossomed into an actual print story from an actual New York Times reporter. Previously the Times had almost totally ignored the blossoming scandal, even as the Census Bureau cut ties with the controversial left-wing housing activist group and the Senate voted overwhelmingly to withdraw the group's funding.
Scott Shane's "Conservatives Draw Blood From Acorn, Favored Foe " hit the high points but overplayed the ideological angle, as the headline hints. There are six conservative labels in the story, not including the headline, and Shane portrayed the scandal in pure political terms, with "the right" as "gleeful" in claiming its "latest scalp," as opposed to expressing outrage over a tax-funded leftist organization with connections to the Census Bureau and IRS (!) encouraging tax evasion and child prostitution.
Shane couldn't even bring himself to call the housing activists at ACORN leftist; instead he said "the right" are trying to weaken Obama "by attacking allies and appointees they view as leftist." Yet he had no problem applying the "conservative" label to Fox News host Glenn Beck and others.
For months during last year's presidential race, conservatives sought to tar the Obama campaign with accusations of voter fraud and other transgressions by the national community organizing group Acorn, which had done some work for the campaign.
But it took amateur actors, posing as a prostitute and a pimp and recorded on hidden cameras in visits to Acorn offices, to send government officials scrambling in recent days to sever ties with the organization.
Conservative advocates and broadcasters were gleeful about the success of the tactics in exposing Acorn workers, who appeared to blithely encourage prostitution and tax evasion. It was, in effect, the latest scalp claimed by those on the right who have made no secret of their hope to weaken the Obama administration by attacking allies and appointees they view as leftist.
The Acorn controversy came a week after the resignation of Van Jones, a White House environmental official attacked by conservatives, led by Glenn Beck of Fox News Channel, for once signing a petition suggesting that Bush administration officials might have deliberately permitted the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Even before Mr. Jones stepped down, Mr. Beck had sent a message to supporters on Twitter urging them to "find everything you can" on three other Obama appointees.
Conservatives believe that they have hit upon a winning formula for such attacks: mobilizing people to dig up dirt, trumpeting it on talk radio and television, prompting Congress to weigh in and demanding action from the Obama administration.
I'm of two minds about Shane harping on the ideological clash. Conservatives will surely be pleased to take the credit for causing ACORN serious trouble and be pleased at the novelty of the guerilla theatre from James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles, posted on BigGovernment.com. But would the Times make the ideological point so sharply if this had been a liberal sting at the National Rifle Association or another organization with a conservative bent?
Playing catch-up, Shane relayed the allegations curious people with access to the Internet already know:
The undercover videos showed a scantily dressed young woman, Hannah Giles, posing as a prostitute, while a young man, James O'Keefe, played her pimp. They visited Acorn offices in Baltimore, Washington, Brooklyn and San Bernardino, Calif., candidly describing their illicit business and asking the advice of Acorn workers. Among other questions, they asked how to buy a house to use as a brothel employing under-age girls from El Salvador.
ACORN workers, after being told "the pair were engaging in prostitution, explained how to disguise their activities in dealing with bankers and the government."
Shane did allow a Heritage Foundation spokesman to criticize the media's slowness:
Mike Gonzalez, vice president for communications at the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the episodes simply reflected a Web-based democratization of investigative reporting, made necessary in part by the failures of the mainstream news media. "It should have been ‘60 Minutes' doing this stuff -- not two people whose combined ages are 45," Mr. Gonzalez said.
During the presidential campaign, Shane wrote a notorious gloss on Obama's allegedly "sporadic" relationship to domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, cofounder of Weather Underground.
—Clay Waters is the director of Times Watch, an MRC project tracking the New York Times.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
→ Better headline
September 16, 2009 - 13:28 ET by Cool ArrowGAMBLING AT RICKS
Pinch: "I'm shocked"
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Hey Scott
September 16, 2009 - 13:34 ET by legacyrepublicanYou think we just learned digging up dirty in a vacuum?
We learned from the best at digging up dirt, a bunch of whores in the Democratic Party who joined the MSM just insure their liberal and biased point of view was printed and dirt those who stand in opposition to their POV was slung at those right thinking people who dare attempt to set things right.
Why just a conservative foe?
September 16, 2009 - 13:34 ET by ArcherBWhy is a group that offers advice on how to get tax breaks from a child sex-slave pimp just a conservative foe? Are conservatives the only ones that oppose children being traded into prostitution? Isn't the child sex-slave industry pretty much frowned upon universally?
Evidently not. It appears that liberals don't seem to have a problem with it.
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary."
--Ernesto "Che" Guevara
Its too late for the SCM now
September 16, 2009 - 13:36 ET by R D HelmThey have nothing but egg on their faces, and any coverage they do on this story will be so slanted as to be worthless, anyway.
The SCM knows ACORN = Obama and Obama = ACORN, and they are going to make damn sure none of this goes anywhere near the White House.
-Dave
I agree with Rush. It's time for Obama to resign.
news mix
September 16, 2009 - 13:43 ET by cajun2without the racism would limit their reporting. Hints to the times.
Authorities raided suspected terrorist cells in Queens.
NKorea set to test nuclear weapons system.
Venezuala buying weapons from Russia, does Chavez plan to re-route them to Cuba?
China angry over "protectionist" policies by this Administration.
Instead, we have every MSM outlet debating race behind the growing opposition to Obama policies. Well, Eric Holder did ask for debate on race in this country. Too bad it is all one sided.
Mr Shane is miffed because he was so looking forward
September 16, 2009 - 13:45 ET by Willis_Leon_Johnsonto his time with the 13 year old El Salvadoran child prostitutes that he could slap around and have it all covered up by ACORN.
And that is better than getting caught nailing the neighbor girls.
Now, there may be other reasons for his attitude on this subject, but tell us Scott, EXACTLY WHY does child prostitution seem like such a good idea to you?
WHY are YOU willing to go to such lengths to hide this story from the public?
http://gjresult.com
→ Who's surprised?
September 16, 2009 - 13:49 ET by Cool ArrowThe White House directed the NYT to print the article.
How do I know? The White House today called the evidence on the videos "completely unacceptable"
The two releases are much too coincidental to be anything other than "concestuous" (yes, you have just witnessed the birth of a word).
Here's what happened. "Oh, lord Obama , can we please say something? We promise to bash conservatives in the headline. Pretty please?"
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Again the NYT show why
September 16, 2009 - 13:53 ET by Airforce_5_OIt is losing subscribers. Why it is losing money and advertising. It just can't simply report the news instead of liberal spinning it.
Liberalism: The haunting feeling that someone, somewhere, can help themselves.
off topic- Seattle
September 16, 2009 - 13:53 ET by JAJToff topic-
Seattle Public Schools may do away with a nearly decade-old requirement
that all students earn a C average to graduate, and an even-older
policy that athletes maintain a C average to play on school teams. If
the School Board approves recommendations endorsed by Superintendent
Maria Goodloe-Johnson, as well as most district high-school principals
and counselors, a D average will be good enough to earn a high-school
diploma. Student athletes would need to pass five of six classes with D
grades or better. District officials understand there are concerns
about relaxing standards at a time when everyone from President Obama
on down is pushing for higher expectations for U.S. students. And when
surveyed by the district last year, a majority of Seattle parents and
students preferred to keep the C-average requirement. But district
officials, who plan to talk about the proposal at a School Board
meeting tonight, insist they're not watering down expectations, and the
change would mirror what most other districts require.
JAJT
Why graduate kids with a higher grade than
September 16, 2009 - 14:07 ET by Willis_Leon_JohnsonTheir teachers earned while in school?
60% of all teachers came from the BOTTOM 40% of their class.
I'm assuming the top 60% could make it in private industry.
http://gjresult.com
JAJT... ...and the
September 16, 2009 - 14:09 ET by bigtimerJAJT...
...and the dumbing down of America continues on.
Nothing like agenda.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
"Conservatives believe that
September 16, 2009 - 13:56 ET by kg"Conservatives believe that they have hit upon a winning formula for such attacks "
The formula is called "truth".
The tactic is called "just let them hang themselves".
Using Obama's words against Obama works too.
I am still trying to figure out where the word "attacks" applies here.
"DumbAssity of Dope"
ACORN
September 16, 2009 - 14:01 ET by VengeanceIsMineACORN is a foe of the conservative because they help the poor and the needy. Conservatives, besides all being racists, hate the poor. OK I know it sounds a lot like I'm paraphrasing Rev. Wright here, but that must be the way these NYT dimwits must think.
"You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt." Daniel Hannan
Any story about Liveral corruption - blame it on Conservatives
September 16, 2009 - 14:03 ET by Gary HallClay. "Six conservative labels in the story, not including the headline." Excellent catch.
Year after year, scandals and corruption charges fly amongst politicans and politically linked groups. Often, investigations, indictments, convictions and/or resignations follow. I have no idea which political party leads the pack - although I suspect that the Democrats, these past many years are staying ahead - but how often do we see these stories about Democrats where it's simply the reporter doing the investigative work and the story, and doing it because they are outraged and fulfilling their basic description, or because their editor said, "Shane. My God, have you seen what is cooking out there with Acorn. Go dig up the dirt and let's tell the American people."
When the story is about someone or something on the Republican side of the isle, journalists seldom seem to need to use Democrats as the entire source of the charges; rather, they investigate and report the news - thru their own dark colored lens.
When the story is on the other foot, if it eventually gets covered at all, it's like this one here; it's usually presented thru the lens of the conservative (or Republican) side, leveling the charges.
(;~> gary
NYt, along with Shane and
September 16, 2009 - 14:14 ET by bigtimerNYT, along with Shane and his ilk are the problems....not the solution.
We are in the battle of our lifetimes in this country now...
I want to see that slime-ball, treasonous paper shrink away to nothing...soon.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
→ Mark this down
September 16, 2009 - 14:20 ET by Cool ArrowToday in Journalism history, James O'Keefe and Hannah Giles are referred to in the same headline with Pulitzer.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
The ACORN story is much,
September 16, 2009 - 14:27 ET by celatorThe ACORN story is much, much bigger than we've been told thus far. That's why the national press is trying to bury it, that's why Obama gets more vocal about Kanye West than he does about ACORN, that's why the producers of the video tapes have the law looking at them (perhaps) in Maryland, that's why Charlie Gibson's reaction was "Huh? ACORN?"
We know they have admitted to fixing 400,000 votes in the last election. We know Obama is a kissing cousin to ACORN. On and on and on.
Let's see. What's the real story here? Could politicians be getting kickbacks from ACORN? Could ACORN be Obama's Revolutionary Army? Could ACORN be procuring child sex slaves for important people? (re the passive response to the topic from ACORN agents seen in the tapes?) Are they importing drugs? Are they tied to jihadists? How are they spending the billions of dollars of "stimulus money" they will (are?) receive?
Why are national media trying so very very very hard to hide this story?
This is a blockbuster story that goes right to the heart of the Obama administration. It's not going away, because we won't let it go away until the truth is revealed.
No citizen's right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, or property is safe as long as Obama is President of the United States.
Took the Times long enough
September 16, 2009 - 14:51 ET by TNJimBut neither am I surprised at the obligatory backhands to the right. Same for Charlie Gibson. I think the video a day approach by O'Keefe, Giles, and Breitbart is fantastic. It kept the story from being just a one-day event. Now, it's harder to ignore.
Interesting. I think we
September 16, 2009 - 14:57 ET by RR GOPInteresting. I think we now have enough data where we can devise a formula in which we plug how many bad things have to happen involving Libtards, times how embarrassing they are, divided by the inverse square of the number of prominent Libtards who actually get upset by the same things that normal people do. Then we can know with pretty good certainty what it takes for the MSM to report on things that go against their leftist ideologies.
One of the 34% who thinks George W. Bush was a great President. One of the 86% who wants to bring back the stock and pillory.
Yawn...
September 16, 2009 - 15:19 ET by retroconStandard fare...
When liberals do it, it's called "investigative journalism"
When conservatives do it, it's called "digging up dirt"
What's telling is how we can interpret value systems in all of this... to the NYT, apparently, advocating and attempting to enable child slavery is not an evil act anymore, it's just some "dirt" that conservatives will try to use against Obama.
Like in Tappers latest B.S. rant... Vitter is evil because he is accused of being a prostitution client... but ACORN is just a poor victim, unfairly treated for advocating child slavery and prostitution.
This is getting even wierder than i could have imagined.
Not Racist?
September 16, 2009 - 15:42 ET by JDWhit upon a winning formula
What was the formula behind 'taking Wilson out' during the week before Obama's Sunday news media blitz?
JDW
DAILY WAVE
Hoping for change
Just in time...
September 16, 2009 - 19:11 ET by KJ_sez...for Obamination to throw them under the bus, too. Getting crowded down there yet?
http://www.politico.com/politico44/perm/0909/gibbs_vs_acorn_497f1d7b-b91c-481a-a438-6027d3ba82c5.html
→ More on ACORN
September 16, 2009 - 20:15 ET by Cool ArrowHannity's on.
New Video.
Popcorn ready?
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Cool
September 16, 2009 - 20:19 ET by FeynmanFanWould that new video be #5?
"Reason and persuasion are the only practical instruments against error. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged" - Thomas Jefferson
→ Yes Feynman
September 16, 2009 - 20:22 ET by Cool ArrowSan Diego.
Guy claims he can smuggle the girls across thru Tijuana. Propositions Hannah.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
Thanks, Cool
September 16, 2009 - 20:27 ET by FeynmanFanJust when you think things can't get any worse. I hope this blows Acorn wide open so people can see what they're really like.
I just caught this in passing, but on BOR he said that someone in NO has subpoenaed the records of one of the Acorn organizations. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
I think Acorn is going to turn out to be the albatross around Obama's neck.
"Reason and persuasion are the only practical instruments against error. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged" - Thomas Jefferson
FF... So do I. I
September 16, 2009 - 20:43 ET by bigtimerFF...
So do I.
I watched this ACORN segment on Hannity as well, it is going to be rich with all that is coming out....don't forget there is the Blago trial yet...going to be interesting the next year or so.
'Go Green...Recycle Congress'
bt
September 16, 2009 - 20:46 ET by FeynmanFanObama's going to need two or three more busses pretty soon.
"Reason and persuasion are the only practical instruments against error. To make way for these, free inquiry must be indulged" - Thomas Jefferson
How long?
September 16, 2009 - 22:48 ET by jon_torlinHow long before it becomes too much for Duh One? I see this as quickly causing all kinds of problems and coming apart at the seams. How many more tapes might there be?
-Jon
need to watch later
September 16, 2009 - 22:47 ET by jon_torlinI haven't seen it yet, I can't imagine how uncomfortable that made Hannah.
I read that she got the idea herself to do these stings when she was up in DC out jogging one morning.
I'm impressed, especially coming from at 20 year old girl. Definitely beats the stereotypes.
-Jon
Ignorant Times
September 16, 2009 - 20:28 ET by TN MomPreviously the Times had almost totally ignored the blossoming scandal, even as the Census Bureau cut ties with the controversial left-wing housing activist group and the Senate voted overwhelmingly to withdraw the group's funding.
This isn't the first time the NYT ignored a huge scandal involving ACORN. Just prior to the election (Sept. 2008), they killed a story one of their reporters was working on connecting ACORN to the Obama campaign about sharing donor list.
Th
September 17, 2009 - 08:53 ET by jessieHThe fact that Acorn is one of obama's allies should be a clue as to obama's goals. Crooked is as crooked does.