AP Fails to Report Biden's 'Legitimate News Media' Comment at Gun-Control Roundtable

As Geoffrey Dickens at NewsBusters noted earlier today (HT Washington Examiner), at what a White House blog post described as "a roundtable discussion to talk about the Administration’s plan to reduce gun violence" in Philadelphia yesterday, Vice President Joe Biden said, apparently to the members of the press assembled there, that "To be very blunt with you, we’re counting on all of you, the legitimate news media to cover these discussions because the truth is that times have changed."

Biden's clearly key takeaway quote is not present at that White House blog post written up by Tobin Marcus. In what might be an example of a news agency taking a cue from this treatment and deciding to be "legitimate" in the administration's eyes, Joann Loviglio at the Associated Press, aka the Administration's Press, also failed to report Biden's obviously newsworthy comment. A few paragraphs from Loviglio's lapdog effort follow the jump:

Vice President Joe Biden says there's a real sense of urgency from lawmakers and police about enacting gun control measures.

Biden was joined Monday at Girard (juh-RAHRD') College by law enforcement officials, U.S. Deputy Attorney General James Cole and Democratic members of Pennsylvania's congressional delegation.

Biden says ideas like universal background checks for gun purchases have widespread support.

The Obama administration is pushing for new gun control measures in the wake of the school shooting in Newtown, Conn., on Dec. 14.

Proposals include a new ban on military-style weapons, a ban on high-capacity magazines carrying more than 10 rounds of ammunition, and background checks for all gun sales.

Loviglio also left out Biden's combative "malarkey" comment, which, according to Reid J. Epstein at the Politico, came as follows:

He (Biden) touted his history of supporting an assault weapons ban and said it is important to make clear that forbidding certain types of weapons does not mean the government is seeking to take away anyone’s “shotguns.”

“That’s a bunch of malarkey,” he said.

Doesn't the fact that Biden will graciously let us keep our "shotguns" mean that the administration has designs on taking anything that isn't a "shotgun"?

The AP's failure to convey something obviously newsworthy (a search at the AP's national site on "Biden legitimate," not in quotes, returns nothing) means that subscribers who rely on AP copy for print and broadcoast reports will also omit Biden's inflammatory remark towards alternative and uncooperative members of the media and their organizations.

Mission accomplished. All in a day's work at the Administration's Press.

If a Republican or conservative Vice President had said something similar, the establishment press would be manning the First Amendment ramparts and accusing the administration of trying to dictate what is and isn't "legitimate" news. That appears to be what Biden is interested in doing on the gun-control issue. Where's the outrage?

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.