Redstate

Posted at 2:50pm on Feb. 25, 2008 Journalism By Insinuation

By California Yankee

Appearing on CNN's "Late Edition," Minnesota Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty called the New York Times slanderous hatchet job on John McCain "journalism by innuendo."

In the Sydney Morning Herald Paul Sheehan writes "Anatomy of a Smear," in which he makes Governor Pawlenty's point dissecting the Times slander, highlighting each of the 54 points where the Times manipulated the narrative to support the insinuation in the Times headline and the opening paragraphs, regardless of the facts. Here's a sample:

"William Black, one of the banking regulators the senator met with, argued that Mrs. McCain's investment with Mr. Keating created an obvious conflict of interest for her husband. (Mr. McCain had said a prenuptial agreement divided the couple's assets.) He should not be able to "put this behind him," Mr. Black said. "It sullied his integrity."

[23. Rather than quote the official report into this matter, the Times quotes Mr Black, a tangential figure, as the only authority worth quoting.]

[. . .]

"He sent two letters to the commission, drawing a rare rebuke for interference from its chairman. In an embarrassing turn for the campaign, news reports invoked the Keating scandal, once again raising questions about intervening for a patron.

[51. Omitted here is that McCain did not seek to influence the Commission on how to make a decision, but merely urged them to make one. This was impatient, but not unethical.]

Mr. McCain's aides released all of his letters to the F.C.C. to dispel accusations of favouritism, and aides said the campaign had properly accounted for four trips on the Paxson plane. But ...

[52. For the seventh time, the story undermines a positive fact with the immediate qualification of "but".]

" ... the campaign did not report the flight with Ms. Iseman. Mr. McCain's advisers say he was not required to disclose the flight, but ethics lawyers ...

[53. Anonymous and negative attribution number 13.]

I encourage you to examine all 54 instances of manipulation.

Read on, there's more.

Posted in 2008 | Biased Media | Hatchet Job | John McCain | new york times — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »