Rush Reports. AP Revises.

[SaltyDog]

Rush Limbaugh today read an AP Story on the air about Cindy Sheehan's arrest. He marveled at the opening paragraph. He joked that he was worried about Jennifer Kerr's job security.

Sheehan Arrested During Anti-War Protest

Monday September 26, 2005

AP Photo DCEV101

By JENNIFER C. KERR

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Cindy Sheehan, the California woman <u>who has used her son's death in Iraq</u> to spur the anti-war movement, was arrested Monday while protesting outside the White House.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

At 3:38pm, the lead paragraph by the same writer read this way:

Sheehan Arrested During Anti-War Protest
Sep 26 3:38 PM US/Eastern


By JENNIFER C. KERR
Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON

Cindy Sheehan, the California woman <u>who became a leader of the anti- war movement following her son's death</u> in Iraq, was arrested Monday along with dozens of others protesting outside the White House.[/b]<P ID="signature">______________
"A man is about as big as the things that make him angry" - Winston Churchill

<a href="http://saltydog.5gigs.com">
The Salty Dog</a>
</P>

 

[dampier]

> Rush Limbaugh today read an AP Story on the air about Cindy
> Sheehan's arrest. He marveled at the opening paragraph. He
> joked that he was worried about Jennifer Kerr's job
> security.

I actually don't see the author necessarily trying to inject any view into it. As a factual matter, it was her son's death that led her to launch her protest. Limbaugh can read into it, but I'll bet Kerr didn't intend anything by it.

 

[mwebster]

Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

>
> I actually don't see the author necessarily trying to inject
> any view into it. As a factual matter, it was her son's
> death that led her to launch her protest. Limbaugh can read
> into it, but I'll bet Kerr didn't intend anything by it.
>

Then it was sloppy writing and poor editing. And saying "her son's death led her..." is very different from saying "she used her son's death."

It is far too common for journalists to regurgitate the spin (even the wording) put out by those in authority and to recycle the spin (and wording) other journalists have already used. Cliches are the basic currency of news writing.

Rush Reports? C'mon. He's a talk jock reading wire copy.

 

[IonRadio]

Re: Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

> >
> > I actually don't see the author necessarily trying to
> inject
> > any view into it. As a factual matter, it was her son's
> > death that led her to launch her protest. Limbaugh can
> read
> > into it, but I'll bet Kerr didn't intend anything by it.
> >
>
> Then it was sloppy writing and poor editing. And saying
> "her son's death led her..." is very different from saying
> "she used her son's death."
>
> It is far too common for journalists to regurgitate the spin
> (even the wording) put out by those in authority and to
> recycle the spin (and wording) other journalists have
> already used. Cliches are the basic currency of news
> writing.
>
> Rush Reports? C'mon. He's a talk jock reading wire copy.
>

The fact is, the AP report was changed after it was brought up on Rush's program. Did the original story show bias? I think not -- it was factual. She used her son's death to become and anti-war celebrity. An AP editor likely watered it down to keep in line with the view: "Cindy Sheehan = good; Bush = bad." Otherwise, what Rush Limbaugh read on the air was an honest paragraph by an AP writer. She may have gotten a repromand -- she should not let the facts get in the way of an agenda!

 

[tbetz]

Re: Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

> Rush Reports? C'mon. He's a talk jock reading wire copy.

... when he's not reading Grover Norquist's latest memo...
<P ID="signature">______________
also known as tombetz.</P>

 

[JohnnyMorganWXJX]

Re: Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

> > Rush Reports? C'mon. He's a talk jock reading wire copy.
>
>
> ... when he's not reading Grover Norquist's latest memo...
>

One big conspiracy, huh? Everyone getting orders from somewhere else, right?

Gee, thanks, Hillary.

 

[markwooldridge]

Re: Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

>
> One big conspiracy, huh? Everyone getting orders from
> somewhere else, right?
>
> Gee, thanks, Hillary.
>

Please excuse me while I put on my tin-foil hat.

Rush Limbaugh reads a story out, mentions that the AP writer should fear for her job, and the newsfeed gets altered afterwards?

It's possible. It's also possible that it's a mere co-incidence.

 

[JohnnyMorganWXJX]

Re: Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

> >
> > One big conspiracy, huh? Everyone getting orders from
> > somewhere else, right?
> >
> > Gee, thanks, Hillary.
> >
>
> Please excuse me while I put on my tin-foil hat.
>
> Rush Limbaugh reads a story out, mentions that the AP writer
> should fear for her job, and the newsfeed gets altered
> afterwards?
>
> It's possible. It's also possible that it's a mere
> co-incidence.
>

Exactly.

The question remains, though, why the sentence was re-written. But that doesn't concern Limbaugh, and it is NOT a topic for discussion here. Maybe at CJR, but not here.

 

[dampier]

Re: Rush Rips and Reads, AP rewrites

> The fact is, the AP report was changed after it was brought
> up on Rush's program. Did the original story show bias? I
> think not -- it was factual. She used her son's death to
> become and anti-war celebrity. An AP editor likely watered
> it down to keep in line with the view: "Cindy Sheehan =
> good; Bush = bad."

I don't believe this is true either. I can see how someone can read the original article as using politically charged wording, but I see that only through interpretation. I read it as face value and took nothing away from it. The left conspiracy people see it as biased writing against Cindy and the right conspiracy people see it as political correctness rewriting because Rush said something about it. I'll bet it was neither.