AP Continues Trend of Failing to Identify Democrats Embroiled in Scandal

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By Rusty Weiss (Bio | Archive)
September 11, 2009 - 09:29 ET
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On a day in which the AP found newsworthiness in scandals involving both Democrats and Republicans, only one party was expressly identified within the articles.  Can you guess which one?

It is the grand AP tradition known as 'Name That Party' - a tradition which includes the following:

That's just a brief summary of the more recent transgressions committed by the AP.

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In their story covering the taped sex comments of Assemblyman Mike Duvall, the AP has no problem identifying the lawmaker as a Republican.  In fact, they label him as such within the headline:

Calif. GOP lawmaker quits over taped sex comments

Yet, when it comes to a story involving the 48-count indictment of two former Pennsylvania judges Michael Conahan and Mark Ciavarella Jr., accused of taking millions of dollars in kickbacks, the word Democrat is nowhere to be found.  This news, it would seem, was not even worthy of a capital 'D'.

While affairs such as Duvall's are abhorrent and should be condemned, what the judges from Pennsylvania did can be considered far worse - sending kids that never deserved such harsh punishment to detention centers, scarring them for life.

The Duvall article is so thorough in its party identification, that it not only mentions this in the title, it goes on to sprinkle in such phrases as:

  • GOP lawmaker
  • Republican state lawmaker
  • Conservative groups (twice)
  • and 'One of five Republicans'

Oddly enough, the AP also saw fit to identify every other name mentioned within the article with their respective party, including:

  • Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles
  • Assembly Minority Leader Sam Blakeslee, R-San Luis Obispo
  • and Senator Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto

When it comes to news involving a kids-for-cash scandal on the other hand, the editors at the AP are unable to locate the 'D' key.

This, of course, comes as no surprise to readers of NewsBusters, as the coverage of the kids-for-cash judges, and the AP's choice to remove their party label has been chronicled by Tom Blumer in the past. 

Photo Credit:  AP Photo via CBSNews.com


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Nice collection, Rusty ....

September 11, 2009 - 09:53 ET by Tom Blumer

.... or should I say, "Nice work on putting together the collection."

The collection itself is a stinking monument to bias.

Good to see it got featured at the top so quickly. 

Monument

September 11, 2009 - 10:28 ET by Rusty Weiss

Thanks, Tom.

I'll see you one better, and say that the AP itself is a stinking monument to bias.

Is there anything more blatantly biased than having two articles on politcal scandal running the same day, and only one of them makes mention of politcal party affiliation?

Leave it to the Dissociated Press...

Rusty

And yet another "Name The

September 11, 2009 - 12:55 ET by Scuba Dude

And yet another "Name The Party"!!!!!

Hartford Mayor Eddie Perez pleads not guilty to extortion charges.

Can you guess what party he belongs to?

Let's see what AP says....Hmmm no party mentioned.

How about the Hartford Courant? Nothing?

There were 3 others charged along with Perez, for Rep. Abraham Giles (party not named) and Hartford City Councilwoman Veronica Airey-Wilson (party not named which is amazing because she is a Republican!!!!).  The other person charged was a Hartford businessman Carlos Lopez whose donations skewed towards the party that will not be named.

 

The Obama Administration: THE most fiscally irresponsible Administration EVER

Reps and Dems

September 11, 2009 - 14:59 ET by BCole

Duvall was accepting sexual favors and, presumably, was influenced to vote in ways that would favor Sempra Energy.

Democrat or Republican, he should have gone immediately, and fortunately, he did.

This kind of crap is not the special province of either party.  Both are culpable for integrity abuses.

However, it is the Republicans who have staked out the "family values" territory and made it their own.  When their true natures are discovered, they deserve to be identified as the rank hypocrites that they are.

A moment of silent reflection, please, for the 9/11 victims.

 

ABC-"GOP Steve Nunn"

September 11, 2009 - 18:34 ET by Norto

arrested! They got his party right!