AP Photogs and Journos Withholding Bylines; World Somehow Survives
No, it's a not a story from the Onion. It's AFP reporting on the actions of Associated Press photographers and journalists:US news agency staff stage 'byline strike' Journalists and photographers at the US news agency the Associated Press (AP) are withholding their bylines to protest management's stance in contract talks, their union said. "Staffers recognize the tough times, but they also…
AP's Probing Double Standard: Obama vs. Palin Ethics Questions
With apologies to the creator of the famous evangelical Christian bumper sticker, "Obama said it. The media believe it. And that settles it."Get a load of the first two grafs from AP's December 15 article, "Obama: Probe shows no contact in Illinois gov scandal.": President-elect Barack Obama said Monday a review by his own lawyer shows he had no direct contact with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich…
AP: 'Global Warming Is Accelerating. Time Is Close to Running Out
Despite the nation experiencing its tenth straight year of temperatures cooler than 1998's peak, and much of New England experiencing its worst ice storm in decades (video embedded right), the Associated Press on Sunday published one of the most hysterical articles concerning global warming I've ever seen.In writer Seth Borenstein's view, climate change is "a ticking time bomb that President-…
AP Reporter Takes Gratuitous Shot at Sarah Palin's Church in Wake of
There was a fire Friday at Wasilla Bible Church, where GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family are members. The fire did $1 million in damage. The photo at the right is among three that are in a slide show at Wasilla's local paper, the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, whose story is here.The Washington Post has a short AP story at Page A02 (more on that shortly). The New York Times…
AP: Preparing Country for Failing Obama Presidency, Excuses Abound
Liz Sidoti of the Associated Press seems to be setting the table for a certain amount of failure from Barack Obama by helping lower expectations among the people. Her latest AP report is as much as warning that, since he is facing "heady challenges," we shouldn't expect too much from him. In other words, before he has even really faced anything at all, Sidoti is making excuses for him almost in…
Press Conference Questions to Obama
What follows are the questions that President-elect Obama took today at his 11 a.m. news conference after formally announcing former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) as his choice for Health and Human Services Secretary.:JACKIE CALMES, Wall Street Journal: Given the, in your statement when you addressed the controversy over Gov. Blagojevich, you did not repeat what your spokesman said yesterday about…
AP: 'America's Battered Image Among Muslims' All Bush's Fault -- But W
The Associated Press is as much as blaming the victim for the attack again with theirs headlined "Obama says he wants to 'reboot' America's battered image among Muslims." In this report we get the AP saying that the reason the Muslim world is mad at us is because of George W. Bush. But not a word is mentioned about why Bush might have been in a position of interacting so heavily with the Muslim…
AP's Emotive Language For Gov. Rod Blagojevich
Evidence in abundance of AP's new "style" of news coverage.
Not long ago, the Associated Press informed its writers that they should be more emotive in their writing. Instead of an old newsy just-the-facts style of reporting, then AP was looking to goose it up and add more opinion and emotion to its reporting of the "news." Well, with the story of the arrest of corruption plagued Illinois…
AP Cites Workers 'Occupying' Factory as 'Rallying Point
In an article heroically chronicling the efforts of 200 union workers "occupying" their old window and door factory the Associated Press made sure to emphasize how the squatters have given the nation's grim economy a "rallying point." Here is how they introduced the story (emphasis added): The nation's grim economy now has a rallying point: Employees at a window-and-door factory that went out of…
IL Gov. Blagojevich Arrested: Name That Party Roundup
(Also, see Matthew Balan's NB post on CNN.com's Name That Party Blagojevich whiff, and related posts by Mark Finkelstein and Warner Todd Huston.)Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested today. The Associated Press's Mike Robinson actually identified "Blago's" party in the third paragraph of his 10:27 a.m. report (link is dynamic; cited report is also here for future reference; underlying…
AP Blames GOP For Freddie Mac Fiasco, Ignores Obama Donations
Democrats, including president-elect Barack Obama and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Christopher Dodd, received more money in campaign contributions from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other members of Congress.You couldn't tell that from an Associated Press article published Sunday which completely blamed Republicans for the lack of regulation and oversight of Freddie Mac.In fact, when…
AP Fact Check: Gen. Shinseki 'Forced Into Retirement' by Bush Administ
A December 7, 2008, wire article by the Associated Press' David Espo claims, "[Former Army chief of staff Gen. Eric] Shinseki was forced into retirement by the Bush administration after he said the original invasion plan for Iraq did not include enough troops." (President-elect Obama recently announced Gen. Shinseki would head the Veterans Affairs Department.)The truth? No such thing happened.…
