Keeping in line with the Associated Press' penchant for running interference for the Democratic Party, we have another fine example in today's story about the five year prison sentence handed down to Tennessee state senator Roscoe Dixon, a Democrat.
Dixon, convicted of taking $9,500 in bribes, was sentenced as a result of an FBI investigation of Tennessee politicians called Operation Tennessee Waltz.
Amazingly, the AP found no room in their story for party labels. Naturally, they also don't bother to emphasize the many OTHER Democrats that have been indicted in this scandal.
Among others, the top indictments were as follows:
State Senator John Ford (Democrat) of Memphis, TN,
State Senator Roscoe Dixon (Democrat) of Memphis,
State Senator Kathryn Bowers (Democrat) of Memphis,
State Senator Ward Crutchfield (Democrat) of Chattanooga,
State Representative Chris Newton (Republican) of Cleveland, Tennessee
Barry Myers of Memphis (Democratic Political operative)
Charles Love of Chattanooga (Democratic Political operative)
Now imagine if this story was about 6 Republicans and only one Democrat involved in such a deeply disturbing corruption scandal. Do you think Party labels would be left out of the AP story in that case? Who could doubt that, were it a passel full of Republicans under indictment instead of Democrats, the headline would read "Tennessee Republican Corruption Scandal" instead of "Tenn. Senator Gets 5 Years for Bribes"?
So, here we have a story of endemic corruption in the Tennessee state house featuring a gaggle of 99% Democrats... and the AP somehow forgets to mention Party affiliation.
Imagine that!?
Update...
Well, Newsbusters, it seems the AP made a "correction" on the linked story I provided in my original posting made at 8PM! They added the following to their story at 10PM:
Ex-Sen. Roscoe Dixon, a Democrat who was in the Legislature for 22 years, left the federal courthouse vowing to appeal. A judge cited his lack of remorse for the sentence of five years and three months.
Whaddya think, folks? Did we embarrass them into changing their story?
Here is a screen capture of the same story appearing on Forbes.com to prove that my original link altered their story.
Well, there you have it folks. The AP tried to pull a fast one, there!
