The blogosphere is abuzz with the story of the “study” by the Center for Public Integrity, which worked with the Fund for Independence in Journalism on a website compiling the Bush Administration’s well-known and oft-discussed pre-invasion statements about Iraq. Indeed, Dan Collins has covered it here at PW. At HotAir, Bryan Preston writes that the AP story should have been labeled a press release and that the NYT similarly missed that the Center for Public Integrity is funded in part by Bush nemesis Gororge Soros.  Captain’s Quarters notes that the FIJ is not really independent of CPI, which compounds the bad reporting by the establishment media.
The reason I return to a story already ably covered by Dan is, as PW regulars will appreciate, “because of the hypocrisy.” If the independent, nonproft group responsible for a study was named the “Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,” the AP would have done a story focusing on the grups political ties. The NYT would mention those ties even before the target of criticism would do so.ÂÂ
If this was not George Soros, the media might even manage to write about the Center for Independent Media and its ties to Media Matters as part of showing a “vast Soros-funded conspiracy” to influence… the media. But because it is George Soros, the activities of these groups are treated with utter credulity and their funding is left unmentioned. Because of the hypocrisy and… because the establishment media really requires no influencing to promote an anti-Bush project.
Comment by Squid on 1/23 @ 11:57 am #
I would like to take a moment to thank our trolls. Without them, Karl might have published
“If the independent, nonproft group responsible for a study was named the ‘Swift Boat Veterans for Truth,’ the AP would have done a story focusing on the grups political ties. The NYT would mention those ties even before the target of criticism would do so.”
without including the links, with the understanding that anyone who’s been paying the least bit of attention would accept the assertion as fact. But thanks to our oh-so-nuanced trolls, we get links to the historical records themselves.
So thank you, trolls, for keeping people like Karl honest, and for keeping the historical record in sharp focus. Now, if it wouldn’t be too much to ask, could you start showing the same legwork and attention to detail in your arguments? It’s not that I doubt your assertions, mind you, it’s just that I’d like you to set a good example for the rest of us to follow.
Comment by Dr. Tobias Funke on 1/23 @ 12:01 pm #
Speaking of media complicity, check out this bit of creamy goodness:
http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/23/601213.aspx
Comment by J. Peden on 1/23 @ 12:09 pm #
MSM thinks anything disparaging Bush with “Study” in it is therefore true, especially if it only reinforces or restates their Conspiracy Theories: that’s their version of Peer Review.
‘Proprioceptive’ anencephaly strikes again.
Comment by JR on 1/23 @ 12:50 pm #
It would be interesting to acquire statistical data on all reports produced by Soros financed entities (2000 through 2008) released to the public media and see how many are positive towards the current US Presidential Administration.
Comment by Squid on 1/23 @ 12:59 pm #
Waitaminnit. I take back everything I wrote in #1 (my blood sugar was low). What I meant to write was, “Shame on you, Karl, for repeating this ‘liberal media’ canard.”
That’s better.
Comment by McGehee on 1/23 @ 1:19 pm #
At Dr. Funke’s link, Martin Fletcher says:
This, allegedly, prevents Fletcher from describing the person he “understands” as a terrorist.
When did it become necessary to hate someone, before we could accurately describe their tactics? All this time, I’ve been doing it wrong.
Comment by Squid on 1/23 @ 1:33 pm #
In Fletcher’s defense, he admits that Ahmed was a terrorist. He just says that it’s hard to say, because they were acquainted.
From the end of the article: A neighbor, whose son was also killed, said, “Israel took my home in Jaffa, now they come and kill us here, and they say WE are the terrorists.”
I thought, yes, but Ahmed sent the suicide bombers, he made the bombs. What else would you call him? It’s confusing when you get too close to the story.”
I have no great love for Fletcher, and his moral equivalency tendencies shine through most of the obituary, but he does admit that the young man was a terrorist. To me, that looks like progress.
Comment by rwilymz on 1/23 @ 1:42 pm #
As I gathered from the brief, very brief, perusal I gave that this a.m. I was struck by one of their supposed Trump Cards: the war in Iraq was preceded by false and misleading information given to the public.
…in order to convince that public to support the war.
And my reaction to that was, “Yeah? and? When has that ever NOT been the case?”
We entered WWII based on the completely unanticipated sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, right?
Wrong; we entered WWII two years earlier when we started supplying Britain in violation of our own neutrality laws and sinking German subs as we found them.
We entered WWI based on the brutal sinking of the totally civilian Lusitania, didn’t we?
No we did not; we entered WWI after the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania which was transporting war materiel to the British.
We entered the Span-Am war because Spanish saboteurs sunk our ship in Havana harbor, right?
Wrong; we entered the Span-Am war because faulty battleship design put the magazine next to the coal-fired furnace.
Oh, we know the difference NOW, don’t we? But we didn’t at the time, even though the government knew or at least suspected the truth.
Let’s not even get into the rationalizations for Kosovo, Bosnia, or Vietnam, let alone the desired rationalizations for having a war in Sudan on behalf of the slave-trading, revolution-starting Fur tribes.
ALL wars are sold to voters in democratic societies based on false and misleading information. ALL.
This “study” says nothing that a college kid taking a second-year history class couldn’t have guessed blindfolded. It’s hardly an epiphany, and the conclusion means less than nothing in the long- or short-term.
Comment by N. O'Brain on 1/23 @ 1:56 pm #
“#
Comment by JR on 1/23 @ 12:50 pm #
It would be interesting to acquire statistical data on all reports produced by Soros financed entities (2000 through 2008) released to the public media and see how many are positive towards the current US Presidential Administration.”
If I may take a stab at a WAG, somewhere between 0 and none.
Comment by Patrick Chester on 1/23 @ 2:00 pm #
“We entered WWI based on the brutal sinking of the totally civilian Lusitania, didn’t we?
No we did not; we entered WWI after the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania which was transporting war materiel to the British.”
Nope. The Zimmermann Telegram was the culprit.
Now, since your statement is “false” does that mean you lied, or simply did not read enough history?
Comment by daleyrocks on 1/23 @ 2:43 pm #
“We entered WWI based on the brutal sinking of the totally civilian Lusitania, didn’t we?
Wrong. Everyone knows it was because of the Bilderbergs.
Comment by Patrick Chester on 1/23 @ 4:48 pm #
daleyrocks: IX-NAY!!!!
*grumble* How can we have a worldwide dark conspiracy of doom work when people keep talking about it?!
Comment by Pablo on 1/23 @ 5:00 pm #
No, it was the Trilateral Commission, LIAR!!!
Comment by John Cheshire on 1/23 @ 7:33 pm #
Soros needs to get with the program and check the narrative; The war in Iraq is old news(because the surge has been working) and the American Public is not buying our faux rage any longer and so we, with the help of our friends in the media, have organized a recession which should be coming to an economy near you this summer.
It’s the economy…again – Stoooopid!!!!
Comment by narciso on 1/23 @ 8:30 pm #
Your both wrong, it’s was Cthluthu and the Old Ones’s operating from R’Liyeh; google it!
Comment by Blind Howling Moonbat on 1/23 @ 9:20 pm #
IT WAS TEH WARMONGRELERZ!!!11!!one!11!!1eleven!1!!!!11!!!!
Comment by Spiny Norman on 1/23 @ 10:56 pm #
o_O
Comment by Merovign on 1/23 @ 11:31 pm #
And for all eternity, moonbat morons will cite this as “pr00f!”
Man, I already have a headache.
Comment by Carin on 1/24 @ 7:08 am #
Cheshire – I’ve been saying that exact same thing to my husband for two weeks now.
Remember all the homeless before Clinton got elected?
Comment by Dr. Tobias Funke on 1/24 @ 8:20 am #
I blame it on the Pentavrit — though I’m not sure who replaced Col. Sanders after he went tits up.
Comment by JD on 1/24 @ 8:25 am #
Don’t forget the Masons. And the Joooooooooooooooooooooooos.
Comment by McGehee on 1/24 @ 1:07 pm #
Probably Dave Thomas. And these days it would be Truett Cathy, who inflicted upon us the semi-literate cows.
Pingback by Neiwert on Goldberg, Illustrated [Dan Collins] on 1/24 @ 7:39 pm #
[...] elides and ignores whole mountains of contravening evidence and broader context. These are simply theses in search of support, not anything like serious history.”12) “This is a telling omission, because the [...]
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