AP: We "dropped the ball" on Downing memo

[Clark2008]

As newspaper editors look back and examine why the controversial Downing Street memo, first published by the Times of London on May 1, received so little coverage in their papers, several of them are pointing to the same culprit: the Associated Press. Editors rely on the worldwide wire service to let them know what's worthy of attention, and that's particularly true for international events. In the case of the Downing Street memo out of London, they say the AP simply failed to cover the story.

Jim Cox, USA Today's senior assignment editor for foreign news, tells Salon that when the story first broke last month, "we looked to wires for guidance" but for days didn't see anything. It was a month before the paper reported on the memo; Cox takes the blame for that omission.

On Sunday, the ombudsman at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune addressed readers' complaints about the paper's lack of Downing memo coverage. According to that account, the paper's nation/world editor, Dennis McGrath, was aware of the memo story when it broke in May, and he and his deputies "began watching for a wire story. A week later, they were still watching. 'We were frustrated the wires weren't providing stories on this,' McGrath said." The paper eventually assigned the story to a local reporter.

At the Portland Oregonian recently, public editor Michael Arrieta-Walden covered the same territory: "For an international story, the Oregonian primarily relies on material provided from about 10 wire services. The Associated Press, the world's largest newsgathering organization, essentially didn't cover the document in its reports until last weekend in a story mostly about John Bolton, Bush's nominee to become U.N. ambassador. The document then was reported on in an AP story stemming from last week's news conference involving Blair and Bush."

http://www.salon.com/politics/war_room/index.html?blog=/politics/war_room/2005/06/14/downing/index.html

Well, at least they admit it. :sarcasm:

[GetTheRightVote]

1. It is finally getting some press time, it is growing & growing

Soon * will have to answer to the American Public for his lies.

:kick:

[Clark2008]

6. What I wonder is if they ignored it on purpose.

:shrug:

[Carla in Ca]

38. And I want to know

why AP is the only wireservice to rely on. How about Reuters or Knight-Ridder? One international source seems odd in this day and age, doesn't it?

[wildeyed]

75. I believe Knight-Ridder covered DSM.

My home town rag, The Charlotte Observer, also a Knight-Ridder paper, covered it A1 above the fold. Kind of scary when a provincial place like Charlotte is getting better news than DC and NYC.

Geeze, This is the lamest excuse in the history of journalism. "We didn't cover it because no one told us to." :wtf:

[DrRang]

78. KR does better in general

Seems like whenever I see a wire story that confronts the Bush Admin it's usually Knight Ridder that's the source. Gawd, I can't stand Nedra Pickler.

[Carla in Ca]

129. Right...'Because no one told us to'.

I hope THAT changes soon!

BTW, last week I started a thread Minneapolis Star-Tribune calls *ush a liar(DSM coverage). It got a lot of attention, as it should have. A few days ago I found out the paper got the DSM info because one of their readers told them about it(Buzzflash)!
Are these people in a locked closet?

[TankLV]

115. God forbid they should DO THEIR OWN LEGWORK and dig up more facts

on their own!

What a bunch of lazy crybabies!

"We couldn't find it on AP!"

Did you look at at least ONE other source?

Did you try to do YOUR OWN REASEARCH instead of haveing it spoon-fed to you?

I am so goddamn sick of these worthless lazy psychopants who never even consider doing any work themselves!

[leesa]

63. Of course they did. They are paid to distract from BushCo's crimes.

It has become too large now, the rats will start to disassemble now.

[JRob]

72. either that or these papers don't staff international reporters...

merely pull ready-for-print material from the wire.

In other word; one message

[In Truth We Trust]

94. If you will recall AP was also complicit and actually the conduit to steal

the election on Nov. 2
They are CIA.

[central scrutinizer]

113. If the dateline is London and the story is not about Lady Di

then the story is of no interest and is spiked.

[Emit]

116. Haven't read this entire thread, but I was wondering that

I recalled some issues back in Nov. following the election--and remembered that AP was involved with the polling/vote tally issues. Here's a clip from an old story:

http://www.onlinejournal.com/evoting/102304Landes/102304landes.html

<<snip>>

Could the Associated Press rig the election?
By Lynn Landes
Online Journal Contributing Writer

October 23, 2004—The Associated Press (AP) will be the sole source of raw vote totals for the major news broadcasters on Election Night.

<<snip>>
Who is the AP? The Associated Press was founded in 1848. It is a not-for-profit news cooperative, some would say ‘monopoly,’ that rakes in about $500 million dollars a year. The AP is owned by its 1,500 U.S. daily newspaper members. Their board of directors is elected by voting ‘bonds.’ However, it is not clear who controls the bonds. AP spokespeople would not give out information on who sits on their board, however AP leadership appears quite conservative.

Burl Osborne, chairman of the AP board of directors, is also publisher emeritus of the conservative The Dallas Morning News, a newspaper that endorsed George W. Bush in the last election. Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and executive editor of AP, was a reporter at The Dallas Morning News before joining AP. Carroll is also on the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME)’s 7-member executive committee. The APME "works in partnership with AP to improve the wire service's performance," according to their website. APME vice president, Deanna Sands, is managing editor of the ultra conservative Omaha World Herald newspaper, whose parent company owns the largest voting machine company in the nation, Election Systems and Software (ES&S).

<<snip>>

[psychopomp]

118. Let them know! Contact list here

This list has some emails that are no longer active. Remember put them in Bcc so as not appear as a mass email. If you email uses the semi-colon ( than copy the list in word and do a find/replace on , with ;

Good luck!

[e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail], 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[FrenchieCat]

2. I don't know why any paper looks toward "AP" for guidance....

From what I've seen, "AP" is pretty much in bed with BushCo. Hell, in fact, I call them the "Spreader" of BushCO propaganda...cause when they print a story, it appears all over the place!

[Clark2008]

11. AP used to be reliable - only six years ago, it was.

A lot has changed in the past five years.

Sadly.

[Crunchy Frog]

51. The Moonies haven't bought it up like they did UPI

have they? They seem to have their hands in most things these days.

[Last Lemming]

3. But how many

have covered Sunday's set of documents?

[Pirate Smile]

4. Here is where AP admits it:

"In response to a request for comment, Deborah Seward, AP's international editor, conceded to Salon in an e-mail, "Yes, there is no question AP dropped the ball in not picking up on the Downing Street memo sooner."

Seward deserves credit for admitting AP's error. But a more pressing question remains about the media at large: Why, in the face of the clearly newsworthy memo -- which made international headlines and went straight to the issue of how and why President Bush decided to invade Iraq -- did senior editors and producers at virtually every major American news outlet let the story slip through the cracks? "

[yodermon]

28. answer

of course, is operation mockingbird.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

35. An appropriate graph for this thread:

Would Harwood have us believe that media critic and former Post
Ombudsman Ben Bagdikian is telling less than the truth in his account
of wire-service control over news: "The largely anonymous men who
control the syndicate and wire service copy desks and the central wire
photo machines determine at a single decision what millions will see
and hear. ...there seems to be little doubt that these gatekeepers
preside over an operation in which an appalling amount of press
agentry sneaks in the back door of American journalism and marches
untouched out the front door as 'news'" (*95).

[Nothing Without Hope]

69. "Let the story slip through the cracks"? No, it was ACTIVE SUPPRESSION

Their wording makes it sound like an innocent, passive accident. The truth is much uglier. They DELIBERATELY attempted to suppress this vitally important news as an act of fawning compliance with the law-breakers of the Bush Administration, just as they have been feeding propaganda and routinely blacking out inconvenient or embarrassing stories for a long time now. They thought that they could get away with it because the US media is so fully so controlled. They thought that the Orwellian society with the Thought Police had already reached the point where they could make reality whatever their bosses chose it to be.

They reckoned without the internet. And I fully expect a direct attack on the free internet from the neocon thugs soon, maybe as part of the next version of the "Patriot" Act or buried in some other legislation that is shoved through. They see now that we can make a big difference, and they will not let that stand unopposed.

[jamesinca]

122. Good thing the Times did not wait for the AP

So I do not entirely blame the AP, that is to easy. It seems that newspapers are saying they only blindly print what is handed to them. Looking for news, being there with ears forward and tail up is not part of journalism I guess. If that was the case, the Times would have never printed the story. The AP did not distribute it widely and the rest of the media did not go looking for it.

[David Zephyr]

5. Impeach the President and Vice-President Now.

[Kikosexy2]

7. Sounds....

like lame bullshit excuses...so every journalists has to wait for wire services to break newsworthy stories now??? Utter bullshit!! Just Bush-paid media whores who plainly ignored the story altogether...f*#king asslicking--Bushbots...just pisses me off...Let's keep hammering the DSM at them and don't let up...don't let this get swept under the rug!!!!

[Clark2008]

10. Not true.

Most newspapers don't have the resources for covering international stories.
Granted, some larger newspapers, like the NY Times, the WaPo, some regionals, etc., do, but the vast majority of newspapers in this country are small, local dailies who rely on news and wire services for their national and international coverage, preferring to use their own resources for local coverage (because no one else does).
And, since the average reporter makes between $20,000 and $50,000, I'm doubting they have the money to go after these kinds of stories on their own.


P.S. As a former journalist, I'm not defending the AP's inaction. I'm just pointing out that the vast majority of newspapers across this country simply don't have the money to go after stories of this magnitude, which is why the wire service was born.

[Kikosexy2]

13. I'm pissed...

I'm just hoping this doesn't get swept away....we need to keep haunting them with the DSM story...let's not give them a moments rest!!

[Clark2008]

16. I know. And I understand.

See my "P.S." above.

:hi:

[bvar22]

32. There are other agencies besides AP.

Or they could have an intern read DU, Buzzflash and watch the BBC.
I suscribe to an excellent Global News Service:
http://www.ipsnews.net/index.asp

Small is no longer an excuse.

[Clark2008]

104. No... I meant that they don't have the staff to go out

and fetch the info for themselves.

Reading DU would be about the same as subscribing to a wire service: you'd be relying on someone else's reporting.

[calimary]

121. Unfortunately, that means paying money OUT and not taking it IN.

I knew of a lot of newspapers and radio stations that had budgets ONLY for one wire service. Hell, some stations couldn't do enough to cut back on their news coverage. It was a constant battle if you did news on a music-format station, to justify your existence when they really didn't want to have to bother with you when they could be playing the hits instead, or running a few more commercials.

I've never in my life met a station manager or news outlet owner who was eager to spend more money. Ever. Quite the contrary - they were ALWAYS looking for ways to cut, ways to nickel-and-dime stuff, how little they could get away with spending. In fact, I worked at some places where the GM was rewarded with a bonus commensurate with whatever money was saved from quarter to quarter. If it meant spending on the product rather than lining one's own pockets, well, you know the answer to that one.

I remember when one of the AP editorial board members spoke at a regional convention about an upcoming rate restructuring (ie: higher subscription fees being charged to member stations) and not only were some stations not happy to hear about this, but some of the AP brass were VERY upset with that board member for spilling the beans. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING, was cheap-cheap-cheap. Done on the cheap-cheap-cheap. There was a wire service joke that went around (probably still does): You can't spell "cheap" without AP. The corrolary was: You can't spell "stupid" without UPI.

[janx]

36. True, except that now they seem to rely on the wires--

particularly AP--for just about everything. (Hence the same AP article sent to thousands of news outlets with the slightly varied headlines.) They got extremely lazy. And they could have gone after this one at least to the extent that they could have sent some emails. They could have asked questions. They didn't have to trot the globe.

The state of U.S. journalism is...well, dead.

[calimary]

117. Good point you make, Clark2008. I used to work for the AP.

Frankly, that was all some news departments could afford as far as "world-wide coverage" - especially considering that most radio stations and many TV stations can't afford the overhead of a large or even semi-large news department. So they hire one or two people and subscribe to the AP and assume they're covered.

Perhaps Terrence Hunt was afraid of losing his seat in the White House press room? Or perhaps somebody leaned on him or one of the desk people from cheney's office? I don't know. But it DOES happen. Remember the story from Michael Moore - in the wake of a "Today" show appearance? He was talking about how his "Fahrenheit 9/11" was the only vehicle covering a huge swath of truth about the bushies and what a shame that was, that the conventional media wasn't doing its job and a civilian film guy was putting this stuff out when it should have been on the evening news every night. When the interview ended and they cut to commercial, Katie Couric leaned over to him and murmured that he was "so right about media intimidation." She told him it happened to her, too. Evidently somebody in the vice president's office didn't like the tone of voice she used when interviewing some White House official, and called the NBC brass to complain. No indication of the exact nature or content of the complaint, but Couric said it was followed immediately by a nasty memo to her from "upstairs," warning her to cool it. Michael Moore recalled that he was incredulous about this, and pleaded with her to go public with it. He said "you're KATIE COURIC, for cryingoutloud! You're one of three people in this whole country who can't be fired! Why on earth don't you do an op-ed piece or something and blow the whistle about this?" Moore said her response was a milquetoast "someday I will." They're scared. More than they are willing to admit. It happens a LOT. Probably still happens up to this very moment.

It's deeply disappointing and embarrassing for me, and I retired from the AP - in Los Angeles, back in 1996. The AP should have led the way. For heaven's sakes! Besides, it prides itself on being a world-wide news-gathering organization, and you'd think it'd be hearing from its foreign desks and affiliates. The Downing Street Minutes have been getting a LOT more play overseas.

Yes, the AP dropped the ball. Shame!!!

[July]

84. And somehow they manage to publish every unsubstantiated

rumor that gets floated by RoveCo -- e.g., "Clinton trashed the White House and Air Force One," along with all kinds of "some say" slams at Democrats, liberals, and anyone who disagrees with the Bush administration.

Big story all over Britain -- no coverage (AP's fault).

Nonstory invented by Rove -- all over television and newspapers.

[Pirate Smile]

8. Fourth Estate - Do your fucking JOB!!!!! You didn't in the run up to the

Iraq War and you almost missed this chance too.

Redeem yourselves.

edit to add - I'm talking about the Corp Media, not the alternatives who are fighting to do the job the "big boys and girls" (who have the access, financial backing and prestige) have failed to do.

[FrenchieCat]

9. Guess that the 4th estate's name is now simply

Associated Press.

Not good!

[tinfoilinfor2005]

98. Oh poop. They're only addressing it now

because the people aren't letting it drop. They aren't interested in redemption. They're only interested in which administration can bring them more money.

[samsingh]

12. Dropping the ball!!!

funny how we at DU stay on top of all the worthy news, yet AP and MSM outfits with paid staff can't do their jobs.

The new mantra of the MSM is 'sorry, we goofed'. and then go back up into Bush's ass. they must be used to the stench by now.

[burythehatchet]

14. Same M.O. - blame it on ineptitude, not on willful

dereliction of duty

[Dr Fate]

15. Oh I see- now it's "the wires" fault. Last weeks excuse: "it's old news."

Note how they keep changing their excuses.

Last week it was "This is old news, everyone already knows about it."

Now it's: "But 'the wires' never told us- we didn't know anything!!!"

[snowbear]

17. Condosleeza Rice is on Hardball.. says she's seen a lot of...

..memos, but doesn't recall the Downing Street Memo...

:silly:

[Clark2008]

18. And she allegedly vets the "news" for Bush to read... erm... be read.

I guess now we know why he's such an uninformed idiot!!

:eyes:

[fooj]

21. That bitch has selective memory recall! She makes me ill...

:puke: I sure as hell wouldn't want HER karma!!

[Coexist]

95. but that was Reagan's excuse and he was forgiven everything.

So they are hoping to share the teflon.

[Al-CIAda]

29. That bitch committed TREASON before the 9/11 Omission in the same way. n/t

[leesa]

65. Maybe she doesn't read?? She missed that memo about OBL attacking

the US as well. Very uncurious, these folks.

[ktowntennesseedem]

74. Somebody send her "Hooked on Phonics"

SOMEONE in the White House needs to be able to read!

[OneTwentyoNine]

77. Bawhahahahah.....Gee Condi you need to get on the ball....

Hasn't seen it my FUCKING ASS!!

[are_we_united_yet]

92. Tehehehe!

:)

[Tommymac]

102. Technically she can probably say that...

It's really not a 'memo' but the MINUTES of the meeting.

Looks like the neocon swine are going to parse this and deny accountability because of semantics. Lame, but it gives them a small out for a little while longer until the correct question is raised.

We need to start referring to it as the 'minutes", not a memo.

The question should have been, "have you seen the Downing street Minutes...."

[lala_rawraw]

19. The Associated Farce

Tell them to make their checks out to us, we did all the work without their resources. God I hate this pity party crap.

[oblivious]

20. AP IS THE US GOVERNMENT. WHY DON'T PEOPLE REALIZE THAT???

They totally dominate news reporting on anything of importance to the US. They are to the US government what Xinhua is to the Chinese government. Google Iraq reports every morning around the world and whether it is Indian, Chinese, Turkish, British, French, Filipino, Canadian or American, it's almost always an AP story. Reuters and AFP are way way down the list. Then there seems to be the occasional paper with a reporter on thr ground - Chicago Trib, NYT or WP maybe.

There is no media in the US anymore. It's just a bunch of papers who print the same wire stories. You control AP and Reuters and you control the daily news.

[FrenchieCat]

23. You are so correct.....

AP is also in charge of our elections (who gets exposure, the slant of the story, the headlines, etc..)....but most folks don't seem to notice.

[ebayfool]

68. You're right -AP board looks to be comprised just for vote(r) manipulation

http://www.freelancewriting.com/news-102504-03.html

snip/
Burl Osborne, chairman of the AP board of directors, is also publisher emeritus of the conservative The Dallas Morning News, a newspaper that endorsed George W. Bush in the last election. Kathleen Carroll, senior vice president and executive editor of AP, was a reporter at The Dallas Morning News before joining AP. Carroll is also on the Associated Press Managing Editors (APME)'s 7-member executive committee. The APME "works in partnership with AP to improve the wire service's performance," according to their website. APME vice president, Deanna Sands, is managing editor of the ultra conservative Omaha World Herald newspaper, whose parent company owns the largest voting machine company in the nation, Election Systems and Software (ES&S).

--------
They probably would have few problems trying to 'protect' *ushCo!

on edit: to add the results of a google for:
AP news voting machines board directors
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=AP+news+voting+machines+board+directors&btnG=Google+Search

[marions ghost]

85. this incestuous situation

looks to be "performance-enhancing" all right.

AP is a BIG part of the problem.

[Pacifist Patriot]

26. Absolutely correct.

I blistered my local paper for not carrying Conyers' Dec. 8 hearing of the Jan. 6 electoral challenge and was told by an editor, "well according to AP it wasn't much of a story."

AArrrghhhh! Renders his job capable of being done by an 8th grader now doesn't it?

[librechik]

46. don't forget, this is the same entity that won't release election night

exit poll results.

They are owned, bought and sold by the Pukkkes.

[intheflow]

57. That's right.

They contracted Mitofsky for the polling as a member of NEP. :grr:

[flpoljunkie]

22. Knight Ridder was on the story on May 5. Link below to their Iraq stories.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/special_packages/7132720.htm

Someone on DU very helpfully posted this recent link.

[oblivious]

33. Knight Ridder is different, but they don't seem to be in many papers.

I Googled AP Iraq just now and got 19,500 results
I googled Knight Ridder Iraq and got 816 results.
Reuters only got 669
AFP got 1040

My local paper here in Hong Kong is using AP more and more even for local stories. I guess it's far cheaper to buy their stories than have a reporter spend a couple of hours on it.

Now that's power - to basically control world news from one source. Contol of what's printed, which headline, which opener, how it's presented...

But it's basically Carl Rove deciding what will be in world papers each morning.

[kster]

24. Seems to me

we just won our first battle in the run up to the IMPEACHMENT. They(MSM) could not keep it covered up. The MSM has got their excuse for not covering it, now all they have to do is cover the DAMN story.

Because I for one will not sleep until the Memo and the election theft story is out there far and wide.

Keep pushing......... We are winning this thing.

[gratuitous]

25. Yeah. Right

On the one hand, it's good that someone says, "Yeah, we dropped the ball on this one." But I have a sneaking suspicion that this will rapidly pass into old news without a little tub-thumping from us.

Oddly enough, the mainstream media do seem to pick up on stories even without the AP imprimatur: For example, when John Kerry had the temerity to mention Dick Cheney's lesbian daughter, it passed without a second thought. Cheney himself even thanked Kerry for his sensitive comment about being the parent of a sexual minority child, and the whole thing was over. For a day or two, that is, then the mighty Republican Wurlitzer spun it into a Big Issue, and How Dare John Kerry Say Such A Horrible Thing? A couple of days ago, Dick Cheney made a comment not nearly so sensitive or respectful about Howard Dean's mother. I have yet to see the media blow this up into a Big Thing.

And then when we do point out an overlooked story, the media's first reaction seems to be nettled annoyance at being told by the Great Unwashed to actually do their jobs. See, for example, Michael Kinsley's recent column in the LA Times about the Downing Street Memo, which he finally deigned to notice and read after receiving about 200 emails. The column starts off with his peevishness at being called out, then he goes on to call the folks who emailed him a bunch of crackpots and lunatics, and evinces total bewilderment about why anything in the memo would be even remotely noteworthy.

But every now and then, someone comes around, if only briefly. And so we continue to bring these little items to their attention, hoping againg hope that the giant will once again become aware that someone's pulling on their pants leg.

Overpaid asshats.

[babylonsister]

27. It's because of the bloggers, internet(s), and

activism that this got out at all!

http://www.juancole.com/2005/06/downing-street-memos-and-revenge-of.html

//snip

Most commentators on the Smith story have missed his open acknowledgment of the role of the blogging world in turning the Downing Street Memo and other leaked British documents from a provincial Whitehall story into a world (and American) phenomenon. Smith writes,



"The briefing paper is certain to add to the pressure, particularly on the American president, because of the damaging revelation that Bush and Blair agreed on regime change in April 2002 and then looked for a way to justify it.

There has been a growing storm of protest in America, created by last month’s publication of the minutes in The Sunday Times. A host of citizens, including many internet bloggers, have demanded to know why the Downing Street memo (often shortened to “the DSM” on websites) has been largely ignored by the US mainstream media."

//snip much more

[kster]

31. I like the ending of the article

Snip...........Certainly, the end of the story will depend far less on the contemporary equivalents of Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee, who gave Woodward and Bernstein their heads in uncovering the Watergate scandal, than would have otherwise been the case. Such members of the press and editorial elite used to get to decide whether to bury a scandal or pursue it. Now, that power has been democratized by the world wide web. Bloggers will help to decide the end of the story.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

37. That's why "The Internet Freedom Act" is coming to

a Congress near you.

[Nothing Without Hope]

70. EXACTLY. The perfect Orwellian title. They see now that we can make

a difference and slow down their plans, and they will try to shut down the free internet.

[In Truth We Trust]

96. Revolution NOW!!! Paper ballots NOW!! Hand counts NOW!!!

This is the ONLY solution

[Nothing Without Hope]

103. Yes, Andy Stephenson's mantra: VOTER-VERIFIED PAPER BALLOTS

And we also have to safeguard the electoral campaign process and influence-buying. Which is why we MUST MUST MUST block HR 1316, the "Make Congress More Corrupt" Bill:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1847357

[babylonsister]

41. I honestly think this article is great and that the internet

and people like us have definitely gotten this story out, and I'm damned proud of that! :toast:

[Nothing Without Hope]

71. Yes, I'm proud of it too, but you KNOW they will not sit back and let us

keep doing it unopposed. We made a difference and they will try to destroy the free internet now that they see that we can do that.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

124. Imagine it:

1,000,000,000 freelancers!

No way are they not gonna try and stop it. Too dynamic of a change. The world reduced to a small town where everybody knows everybody else's secrets.

The question is, "Will they succeed?"

[kodi]

30. this crap and the FCC wants to define who is a journalist?

I read about the memo in the times of london the day it came out. i am at a loss to understand how i am to consider that the aforementioned apologists are actually journalists if they can not even check out the BBC or the largest english speaking paper in Europe to see what is happening outside the US.

it rises to the level of excuses not heard of since little timmy told his teacher that lassie ate his homework

[quaoar]

"We looked to wires for guidance"

There's a weak-ass excuse if I've ever heard one.

[Jade Fox]

60. No kidding. What are they, student interns?? This is their business....

and they're like "oh gee, have we totally failed again? Golly we're sorry!"

[bvar22]

34. They also forgot to report that there was a HUGE election

in Great Britian. While poodle was returned to office, his party suffered HUGE losses because of his relationship with bush* and the Iraq War.
Barely mentioned in US CorpoMedia, and when it was mentioned, it was billed as a WIN for Tony.:puke:

[Dr Fate]

39. No-no- they were "waiting on the wires." It is all "the wire's" fault.

And that mean old "wire" is apparently forcing them to report on Wacko-Jacko and the Runnaway Bride as well!!!

SOMTHING MUST BE DONE about these "wires" that are apparently undermining the news!!!

[blm]

43. Well, one of those wires is owned by RevMoon. And we all know he's hardly

concerned with accurate news being promoted throughout this country.

Why oh why....UPI?

[BigBearJohn]

40. RECOMMENDED - thanks for the thread!!!!

[matt819]

42. I am fed-fucking-up with media mea culpas

These people are full of shit. The fact is that they're too damn lazy to do any real journalism. These clowns who call themselves journalists are nothing more than purveyors of press releases. And the publications they work for are more concerned about the bottom line than good, solid, and, sure, controversial, reporting. They're too damn scared of lawsuits and advertiser pullouts to pursue a story beyond the surface.

Ask the fucking questions. Question sources till they plead for mercy. Investigate the credentials of the sources and the press release purveyors. Following the sales rep's credo. The selling process only begins when the buyer says no. Take this Phil Cooney crap. He was allowed to edit global warming reports on behalf of his benefactors, ExxonMobil. These reports were out there for the world to see. Did anyone question it at the time. Did anyone put these stories on the front page? Is anyone going to call the whole damn system into question now that this fraud has been put back on the payroll of his masters (yes, ExxonMobil)?

Get out there and do your damn jobs, and stop with the fucking excuses. If you read a report over the AP (or wherever) that says that the British believed that * wanted a war when he was telling the American public that this was the farthest thing from his mind, that's a story. It doesn't take a damn genius to figure this out, and I don't care if the paper is in Washington, New York, or West Bumfuck. If you're a journalist, you know a story when you smell one. That was a story. It didn't belong on page 18, which is where the Washington Post first put it. If you're too stupid to see news when it bites you in the butt, then get out of the business. Sell insurance. Become a farmer. But don't call yourself a journalist.

[marions ghost]

88. the bottom line...

"If you're a journalist, you know a story when you smell one. That was a story."
(matt819)

So many lies, omissions and distortions in the media for many years now...but the DELIBERATE omission of the DSM makes it crystal clear just what we are dealing with. TOTAL CONTROL of the biggest wire service in America. We are not in a position to bypass them just yet, must keep the pressure on, but I have absolutely no respect for the AP.

"Dropped the Ball"...more like "dropped the bombs."

[chaska]

44. This could get good, people. They've got to make it up to us now.

[librechik]

45. Don't let these jokers lie to you--they knew about it from day 1!

they just REFUSED to deal with a story that will wind up making them look like idiots for supporting the idiot's war.

SHAME!!!

I personally told several editors and producers about the memo early on and got a big fat "Huh? Whah? Well, maybe..." for WEEKS!!!

Cowards and phonies, all of em!

[Clark2008]

47. OK... after reading the responses, I just want to point out that

AP's "we blew it," while a start, is NOT the end result any of us has hoped for. But, we can work with it.

There are some major problems in the media, the first of which is that there's too few media owners - a diversity of voices used to be the goal of most media outlets, it made good copy. This is a problem we all are aware of.

Other problems include too little pay on the ground level. Many hard-working, good reporters leave the profession for more lucrative work when they have families. OR they turn into raving lunatics to make a niche for themselves in attempts to make better pay.

There is also the problem of too few publishers coming up from the news side. Most publishers in days past came from that side and understood news and the separation of reporters from "business." Now, most of them come from the advertising and/or circulation sides. They don't know the first thing about the principles of journalism.

Where does that leave AP? Well, AP made a name for itself as reliable and accurate during its heydey. With the fall of UPI and the other wire services inabilities to compete (whatever they may be), we're left with a virtual, and now lazy, monopoly.

Time to demand the reduction of dead weight. It might behoove us all to meet with the publishers and editors of our local newspapers and see what it would take to get them to oust AP in favor of another wire service. Get them to see that they MUST compete with the blogs and Internet - or else it's their swan song.

Just some thoughts from someone who once was on the inside.

[bleever]

53. Clark, I've always appreciated the working journalist's perspective

when you've given it. It's a contribution to the way I think about "Media" and how it works on the personal as well as the corporate level.

:hi:

[calimary]

125. Your observation about UPI's demise (and Reuters being too expensive)

are spot-on. There was virtually no competition for the AP once UPI fizzled. And so, when you've got no other runners in the lanes next to you and the race begins, what difference does it make how fast you run? For now, they're the only game in town. For now. The internet's changing a lot of that, however.

ALL this is correct. Once upon a time, news wasn't expected to turn a profit. It was just supposed to be the news - there for the public good, watchdogs and truth-tellers and muck-rakers above and beyond the reach of the day-to-day money-chase and compromising for cash. There was no serious worry about the bottom line. Some other division or department within the company that WAS bringing in the bacon would cover it so news wouldn't have to pay its own way.

That's all changed. I think the death blow came when William Paley sold CBS to Larry Tisch. Paley was the guy who set up the CBS News operations long ago with Edward R. Murrow to be completely separate from the razzamatazz carnival show-biz crap of the entertainment division. So when CBS went the way of all flesh (at least in that regard - selling out to the ruthless bottom-line-only guys), that meant NOTHING was sacred anymore. I remember when "Tisch" became a vowel. As in "Oh, you've been Tisched, too?" I remember around that same time when the upheaval locally (at the CBS O&O here in L.A.) even went so far as to downgrade a serious, award-winning, highly-respected anchorman in favor of a blonde cutie-pie coanchor. They'd had more serious women on camera there, up til then.

[tuvor]

48. Fine. Whatever. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO ABOUT IT N-O-W ?

[Festivito]

110. The metaphor is GAMES OVER wait for another new nation.

They leave an impression that there is no more to do other than walk away from the game court.

Let's kick that impression up their APs.

[Crunchy Frog]

49. So I take it this means

that newspapers no longer have reporters or investigative journalists associated with them. If they only exist to print what the wire services give them, I don't even see what their purpose is anymore.

There was a time when newspapers used to hire journalists to go out and research and report stories...wasn't there?

[Clark2008]

106. They still do - but for local or state stories

Newspapers rely on wire services for national and international stories unless they are a national newspaper of record, like the NY Times or the WaPo.

You never found too many local newspapers' reporters doing national or international stories - even long ago.

[earth mom]

50. Excuses...excuses...give me a break!

Do these so called journalists need help going to the bathroom too? :sarcasm:

[Miss Chybil]

52. Oh, sorry we can't write a story unless someone else writes it for us....

Is this what people go to journalism school for to copy wire stories?

[mirrera]

54. He said she said is now news...

We should thank the person who asked Blair and Bush about DSM. Unless the "journalists" can quote someone we won't hear a thing. That is why the Dems need to be raising hell. It is ALL we have for power...


www.nobullshirt.com

[baron j]

55. They didn't so much "drop" the ball, as they

"deflated" it purposely with sharp daggers.

[dhinojosa]

56. Scary, recommended. nt

[Pachamama]

58. Nice Mea Culpa - NOW START COVERING THE STORY!

And stop relying on the effing AP wire for your stories! Try going on the internet and seeing what newspapers in Europe are reporting....that would be a good start!

[GardeningGal]

59. So....who is the money that's behind AP?

Does anyone know? I tried to read through all the responses, but may have missed one. The key seems to be.....follow the money.

[marions ghost]

86. post 68

has some clues

[NightOwwl]

61. Meet the new media...

same as the old media.

[cthrumatrix]

81. SOOOOOO...what are they doing NOW?

[leesa]

62. So they don't notice anything until AP tells them too??

They ADMIT this??

[Dr Fate]

64. Here is wacky idea- send "reporters" out and "investigate" it yourselves.

I know- I know- its a very radical concept...

[KoKo]

126. Nah....they don't have computers and don't know about "Google Search"

so how could they go out without a "minder" and that would cost some big bucks for their newspapers.

It's much better for them to come into work and check out the wire services for their daily feed. It's even too complicated for them to find links to foreign newspapers...they just can't get how to use a "Search Function."

And, besides, they have orthodonture, private school tuitions and they need "access to the WH to get their editors to publish (courtesy of Nancy Pelosi) so their life is very much more complicated if they learn to use "Google" or to read an "International Newspaper."

It's tough out there for journalists. They just are besieged from both sides and that "computer/bloggy thingy" just throws them in a dither.

[Hissyspit]

66. "Mainstream"/Corporate media have FAILED this country.

They have failed every dead or maimed soldier and dead or maimed civilian in Iraq.

They have failed their predecessors who have given their blood, sweat, and lives for truth and speaking truth to power.

They have failed our Founding Fathers and Mothers.

They have failed me. And they have failed you.

They have failed democracy.

[kster]

67. The media cowards have failed

their own kids,that to me is the worst !!!! Sitting there every night spewing their lies, knowing that it could hurt their immediate family is sickening. :puke: :puke:

[Hissyspit]

73. That's a good point, too. nt

[Just Me]

76. *LOL* Sounds like a co-dependency problem to me.

:rofl:

[OneTwentyoNine]

79. Hell...with these clowns today Nixon would be on Rushmore....

Instead of resigning in discrace. Think about it,would the MSM TODAY do ANY investigative work if Bush would have authorized the bugging of the DNC offices?

[formercia]

80. AP, the same wire service that provided polling data

for the 2004 elections. People are still trying to sort that one out. The fact that prominent members of AP mamagement are associated with the CNP and Fearless Leader's administration might have something to do with it.

Hey fuckheads, get a WEB connection and monitor overseas news like we do!

[markus]

82. The AP is now the semi-official media of the government of the U.S.

It's that simple.

[Roland99]

83. Hell yeah they did!

They've been burned by the Propagandist and his machine on CBS and Newsweek. The WH has made the media even MORE afraid!

[insane_cratic_gal]

87. What happened to Journalist taking

some frigging initiative! Taking their stories from AP news wire is content plagiarism. I do realize that news stories are recycled, when did the journalistic field become lazy?

Why aren't people out there digging for a story?

I have to say this is exactly whey the Bloggers are beating the shit out of the press! Bloggers actually manage to find a story and go after it!

[Knight of Ni]

89. You "dropped the ball"? Well, then, PICK IT UP!!!!

And RUN with it, for Chrissakes!!!!!

[marions ghost]

91. Newspapers have taken a lot of content

from wire services for a long time. Before the net, this helped get news out more quickly and cheaply. It wasn't plagiarism, just a common practice. But since rightwingers took over the largest wire services...well, there's an obvious lack of integrity--as in everything else they touch. Of course the papers should do more of their own research and question AP stories. (Knight-Ridder is trying to be a better news service, it looks like...) and the publications that aren't completely sold out ought to be questioning their whole modus operandi IMO. They are losing credibility fast. Same with TV journalism.

Most smart people I know DON'T trust the big media for their
news anymore. Not if they want to know what's REALLY going on.

[AspenRose]

90. OH give me an (expletive deleted) break

MORONS!!!!

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

Blood on your hands for being complicit and silent!!!!

BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS!!!!!

[are_we_united_yet]

93. Yeah sure whatever

[scdusek]

97. So much for the "liberal media!"

<eom>

[wryter2000]

99. Damn it, anyway!

How many mea culpas are these assholes going to have to issue before they start doing their fucking jobs?

:mad:

[Pryderi]

100. I guess bitching to AP News is the way to get a story covered...

Let's see if they start covering it, now that there's more evidence showing up.

[julianer]

101. The penny has dropped somewhere else

too.

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=37680

Having a pop at CNN and AP in their coverage of Venezuela and basically calling them the mouthpieces of the US government

[Old Vet]

105. They didnt drop the damn ball;

They were doing EXACTLY what they were told! I watched so many other news outlets covering this (FSTV,LINK TV,PBS,) and alot of truth seeking people on the blogs. In my opinion there are alot of bloggers who should pat themselves on the back for this, This was a concerted effort from alot of good people working hard to be heard. Iam thrilled this has gotten attention (DSM) finally, And I cant imagine the flak Conyers is getting now, He has my support and were watching him.

[iconoclastNYC]

107. The AP needs some competition

Lets see besides the "centrist" "balanced" (barf!) AP, we have the Moonie run UPI.

Looks like we could use an alternative.

Mr. Soros, when are you going to get into media?

[TexasLawyer]

108. It's not a case of "dropping the ball"

With the DSM story, as with so many others, it's a case of the MSM not wanting to touch the ball with a 10 foot pole, because touching the ball will displease His Majesty.

To "drop the ball" one has to have picked up the ball in the first place. MSM didn't pick up this story until it was forced to do so by an outraged public.

[SittingBull]

109. Just for the DU-history

The german newswire DPA first mention the case on last Tuesday question session with Blair and Bush. But, frigten-proves, they didn't mention the reason for the questions- not one single word about the DSM.

So it looks like someone ask for old reasons...

I was very angry and mailed to the local DPA-Press

No answer.


And, what I want to mention: There was no widely report in Europe,
as I've read it sometimes in the last days
I didn't read anything about the memo here in Germany before last Tuesday. Since than, only the Sueddeutsche Zeitung made a report, and a few progressive web-sites. No coverage in the MSM.

[Douglas Carpenter]

111. Don't let the Media off the hook

:bounce:


Just a reminder of some very, very important links:

To sign Congressman Conyers’ letter

http://www.johnconyers.campaignoffice.com


To put and keep pressure on the Mainstream Media:

http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/takeaction.html#awaken


http://www.afterdowningstreet.org


C-SPAN Ask--them to cover the Hearing on Thursday, 16 June:

[e-mail]


Peace
O8)

Here is my standard letter to the Media:


Dear Sir/Madam:

As you know, on May 1 of this year a document now commonly referred to as “|The Downing Street Memo” was released into the British Press. These minutes of a British cabinet meeting raise serious question about how the administration was handling intelligence related to Iraq and appears to suggest that the Bush Administration had already decided on war when publicly it was claiming that no such decision had been made. Now further documents have been released in the British media which cast even further doubts.

These documents and other documents suggest that the Bush administration was determined to “fix intelligence” around a predetermined policy. Some of these documents make it clear that the administration had no credible plan for dealing with the post-war occupation.

It is most disturbing that there has been a virtual media blackout regarding “The Downing Street Minutes” and other disturbing documents.

Even more disturbing is the absence in the America media of any credible in-depth follow-up discussion or coverage regarding strong, credible and independent evidence that the Bush Administration intentionally mislead the U.S. Congress, the media and the American people.

I do hope you will accept the responsibility to address this issue and provide serious investigative journalism into this matter.

Furthermore, on Thursday June 16, 2005, Rep. John Conyers, Jr., ranking minority member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other House members will hold a hearing to consider testimony concerning the Downing Street minutes and questions of possible fixing of prewar intelligence. I do hope you will be giving full coverage to these events.

Sincerely,

____________________________________


A Voice for Working People
--Not the Elite--
http://www.bernie.org

[chomskysright]

112. HERE ARE AP REPORTERS E MAIL ADDRESSES/ INFO

WRITE THEM: I DID

AP - Ron Fournier, White House Correspondent [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Address: 2021 K St NW, Washington, DC 20006

AP - Jennifer Loven, White House Correspondent [e-mail]
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Address: 2021 K St NW, Washington, DC 20006

[liberal N proud]

114. Is AP the culprit or the scapegoat?

Did AP suppress the story, and did they do it to appease the bu$h regime?
Or are the other whores using AP as a scapegoat to cover their own asses?

We may never know!

Do I believe it was an oversight or accident, not a chance. I smell a fat pig behind this and his name is KKKarl.

[suegeo]

119. The media is the enemy

Bullshit "they dropped the ball." They purposely sweep damaging things under the rugs for their masters in the new American reich.

The media is a tool for the junta, they are doing exactly what they are told to do.

[wildeyed]

130. I am beginning to believe that.

I once thought the MSM was biased, lazy, complacent and incompetent. But after DSM, I am think it is more sinister than that.

[fujiyama]

120. "Dropping the Ball"?

AP and the rest of the press never had balls to begin with.

[Jane Austin]

123. Sheesh. So the MSM is admitting they are totally lazy.

What an embarrassing admission, that they themselves don't have the news judgement to figure out what to cover!

[Dee625]

127. That's how it reads to me...

They basically said they just sit and wait for someone else to send them the story. If the AP doesn't send it to them, it didn't happen.

Just plain lazy.

[Bravo411]

128. What a cop-out.

They have staff reporters. And editors don't solely rely on the AP for their articles. Just because the AP missed it, doesn't mean that the editors weren't aware of it.

This is why so many papers all have the same story, because they're to lazy to do any real work anymore. All they need to do is fill the space that they haven't sold for advertising. This is also why the majority of Americans don't have a clue as to what is happening in the world.