Crossposted from Flopping Aces

Mark Eichenlaub has an outstanding overview of the recent Old Media reporting on the latest investigation into the depth of ties between Saddam Hussein’s regime and the Al Queda network of terrorist groups. His article highlights in perfectly plain sight just how a single, biased writer will bite on a rumor from a single anonymous source about a report that hadn’t even been revealed, and then a total falsehood becomes propagated by the Old Media. When the actual report came out, anyone and everyone reading it could see that it listed innumerable documented and confirmed connections between Saddam’s regime and the network of terror groups called, Al Queda.

“Media swings and misses on IDA’s Saddam report”

The storm began (as noted in Stephen Hayes must read piece) with a McClatchy news piece titled “Exhaustive review finds no link between Saddam, al Qaida.” The leak-based story essentially summarizes a 94 page report down to a single, unrepresentative phrase. For the record it should be noted that once the report was made available to the public it was revealed that its author’s actually say on page ES-3 that their report is not exhaustive (contrary to the early news report) stating that the list of Hussein era documents are “not an exhaustive list” beause some were in the possession of other U.S. government agencies.

This story was followed by headlines of a similar bent. Steve Schippert’s sample of some of the more prominent headlines provides readers with what the story’s narrative looked like a few days ago:

ABC: Report Shows No Link Between Saddam and al Qaeda
New York Times: Study Finds No Qaeda-Hussein Tie
CNN: Hussein’s Iraq and al Qaeda not linked, Pentagon says
Washington Post: Study Discounts Hussein, Al-Qaeda Link
AFP: No link between Saddam and Al-Qaeda: Pentagon study

And within hours the (mainstream media) die had been cast. Saddam was not linked to al Qaeda went the theme.
This one is definitely worth the read. Think about what it shows: NO ONE in the McLatchy Newspaper chain of editors, no one at ABC, no one at the New York Times, no one at CNN, no one at the Washington Post, no one at AFP, and no one at any of the blogosphere sites that posted the original article actually read the report. NONE. Old Media/traditional media outlets are supposed to be special because they have armies of fact checkers yet no one in any of these armies ever saw the actual report. The actual report contradicts the original article at almost every turn.

Is there a fact checker anywhere, or have these outlets collapsed into rumor parrots? Were it not for spellcheck, I wouldn’t have been surprised if a spelling error from the original made it to all the outlets. Would you?

also:

The Racist Minister Pushes Back

Soooo, the pushback has started and its more pathetic then anticipated. Basically comes down to “your all racists for pointing out the hate”

“AN ATTACK ON OUR SENIOR PASTOR AND THE HISTORY OF THE AFRICAN AMERICAN CHURCH”:

Chicago, Ill. (March 15, 2008 ) — Nearly three weeks before the 40th commemorative anniversary of the murder of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr.’s character is being assassinated in the public sphere because he has preached a social gospel on behalf of oppressed women, children and men in America and around the globe.

I don’t think I have heard one, not ONE, complaint about his work to better the lives of those “oppressed” folks. No, what we’re complaining about is the fact he uses racism to blame it all on the “US of KKK,” or his hateful conspiracy charges like, for example, the charge that our government knew the Japanese were going to bomb Pearl Harbor and did nothing about it so we could go kill those non-whites. Lets throw in the charge that the white man infected black men with syphilis on purpose or that the United States is the same as al-Qaeda, we just operate under a “different color flag.”

Lets not forget “God bless America?”…..”God damn America!”

This man did nothing but do his best to divide this nation and Obama swooned with the rest of the congregation.

During the 36-year pastorate of Dr. Wright, Trinity United Church of Christ has grown from 87 to 8,000 members. It is the largest congregation in the United Church of Christ (UCC) denomination.

So what? Because 8,000 people like to immerse themselves in hate, somehow, someway, this is some sort of excuse?

“It saddens me to see news stories reporting such a caricature of a congregation that has been such a blessing to the UCC’s Wider Church mission,” said the Rev. John H. Thomas, UCC general minister and president, in a released statement. “ … It’s time for us to say ‘No’ to these attacks and declare that we will not allow anyone to undermine or destroy the ministries of any of our congregations in order to serve their own narrow political or ideological ends.”

Destroy the ministries? No one is doing any such thing. We are vetting a man who wants to become the leader of the free world. You continue to swill the hate as much as you and the congregation wants, but you better bet your ass if a member of that hateful congregation wants to become President, its going to be an issue.

Moss added, “The African American Church was born out of the crucible of slavery and the legacy of prophetic African American preachers since slavery has been and continues to heal broken marginalized victims of social and economic injustices. This is an attack on the legacy of the African American Church which led and continues to lead the fight for human rights in America and around the world.”

Healing “victims” is to God damn America? To throw around conspiracy charges akin to the twoofers? This is healing?

Sheesh….

What an embarrassing defense.

Meanwhile Ace got a tip that Michelle Obama may have been in the pews during this sermon in which:

he delivers his “America’s chickens are comin’ home… to roost” line with such relish and enjoyment there is no question whatsoever he’s a fan of 9/11. There is simply no other way to read his vengeful, hateful, delighted tone.

You tell me he doesn’t sound positively orgasmic over the payback 9/11 represents in his mind

And finally, wonders of wonders, Obama has started to erase any mention of Wright on his website.