Reporting on today’s 5-4 Supreme Court decision upholding a Kansas death penalty law, the Associated Press headlines:
"Alito breaks tie, Kan. death penalty stays"
The AP story begins:
New Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito broke a tie Monday in a ruling that affirmed a state death penalty law and also revealed the court's deep divisions over capital punishment.
What the AP hypes about Alito’s vote is wrong. Alito didn’t break a tie. His was one of five votes cast by the majority of justices who upheld the Kansas law. Alito’s vote no more “broke a tie” than did the vote of any of the other four justices who formed the majority. And the AP knows that.
But it went ahead and hyped the liberal interest groups' main, but nonsensical, talking point against Alito's confirmation.
Advice to AP reporter Gina Holland who wrote the story: Apply for a position at Ralph Neas’ People for the American Way. You’ll fit right in and won't have to keep telling people, "I just report the news."
Advice to the AP: Drop the pretense of being a serious news organization. Reorganize as a 527 Group. Sure, you’ll have to stop selling “news” to other MSM organizations so you'll lose lots of revenue, but Soros, Moveon.org and the Hollywood crowd will make up for that. You must know how strongly they support what you do. Think about it.
