I was wondering how I had initially gotten the idea that James O’Keefe had been accused of trying to wiretap Mary Landrieu’s phones. After all, if you look at my original post — in which I mistakenly said O’Keefe had been arrested for “allegedly attempting to bug Mary Landrieu’s office” — I linked a Times-Picayune blog post as my source. Follow that link, and you’ll see it begins as follows:
Alleging a plot to tamper with phones in Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in the Hale Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans, the FBI arrested four people Monday, including James O’Keefe, 25, a conservative filmmaker whose undercover videos at ACORN field offices severely damaged the advocacy group’s credibility.
Hm. Nothing about wiretapping there.
When I read the affidavit later that day and saw there was no allegation of wiretapping, I tried to figure out why I had messed it up. I went back and clicked on the above link to the Times-Picayune blog post, where I saw the language quoted above. So, I assumed that I had just misread the story, and had leapt to a bad conclusion.
As it turns out, I hadn’t. The Times-Picayune blog post originally said something different:
Alleging a plot to wiretap Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office in the Hale Boggs Federal Building in downtown New Orleans, the FBI arrested four people Monday, including James O’Keefe, a conservative filmmaker whose undercover videos at ACORN field offices severely damaged the advocacy group’s credibility.
That’s how the very same story was originally quoted at Ace’s. And at a whole bunch of other places.
See, the Times-Picayune originally said it was a wiretapping plot. Then, later in the day, they stealth-corrected their post. Meaning that when I went back to look, I was reading different language than I had originally read at the same link. I rubbed my eyes and thought: “I could have sworn that story said he had tried to wiretap her. Guess not.”
I wasn’t hallucinating. It had said that. I just didn’t catch the stealth correction — until now.
Weaselly move on the part of the Times-Picayune.
By the way, that fact-challenged CBS story has now been fully corrected. Glad to see it.
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[...] Excellent reading here: Big Journalism: Times-Picayune Originally Reported that O’Keefe Was Charged with Wiretapping, Then Stealth-Correct… [...]
This is one of the drawbacks of digital media. I think there should be a change in the prevailing style guide (or standards) which requires a visible strikethrough for the correction. This stuff happens in all areas of the internet and it's definitely weaselly. However, the MSM claim to hold themselves to higher standards so if that's the case then lead by example and own your mistakes.
The best disenfectant is the light of day. Keep shining the light on 'em………….
[...] Government: MSM Leaping to Conclusions — While Big Government Waits for Facts Big Journalism: Times-Picayune Originally Reported that O’Keefe Was Charged with Wiretapping, Then Stealth-Correct… Hugh Hewitt: An Interview With Andrew Breitbart About The O’Keefe Arrest No Runny Eggs: Pure [...]
I got my "Don't Blame Me, I Voted For The American" and "Gore Lied" bumper stickers and gear at http://www.keep2theright.com
"Beware the manipulators of words, for the truth is not in them."
Old media still hasn't learned that the internet is FOR EVAR!
I gamer-speak, FAIL!
This will remain possible until caching is made illegal.
Then, the memory hole will be complete.
Oceania ftw!
You are right Huc.
We have the "new guy" on our side. Moe.
MOE MENTUM.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave, When first we practice to deceive”
~ Sir Walter Scott ~
they got what they wanted out of this…
Namely a repudiation of O'Keefe, a slap at Breitbart, and the 'reclamation' of Bertha Lewis and ACORN. Facts be damned, the propaganda victory alone was sweet for the left.
And they are basking in it. It doesn't alter the fact that ACORN is still- and forever- discredited. That's just an 'inconvenient truth' to borrow a metaphor- it just gives grist to the left wing noise machine to spread the disinformation to it's willing adherents worldwide.
It's a short term victory for them; but a victory nonetheless…
Unfortunately, James and company still must deal with the legal hurdles regarding gaining access to a Federal Building while misrepresenting themselves as telephone repairmen. That is still a violation which may place them in legal jeopardy before they ever reached Landreau's door, and regardless of what did or didn't happen on the other side of it.
I find the propaganda victory and tactics used disturbing. Yes, the hope is to discredit O'Keefe, and my implication perhaps store some respectability to ACORN. Still, this electronic fraud "stealth" correction is inherently unethical. Even with the rise of a alternative new media, this kind of behavior promotes bad journalistic behavior because in the end, casual followers of the news will just say "politics as usual–pox on both their houses," when that clearly is not the case.
Cowards act as cowards do.
What ever happened to journalistic license? Oh yeah, that only applies if you are a liberal pretending to investigate the evil corporate empire.
You should contact the Richmond Times Dispatch as they have an editorial in today's paper (Monday 2/1) that reads "Now O'Keefe has been stund himself – busted in what looks like an attempt to tap the phones…"
O'Keefe should have known that the powers that be were out to get him. They want to stop him and now that he is arrestedf he will be discredited…I believe that the charges will be dropped.
Tressa, I'm not so sure on that. America doesn't have the starry-eyed fairy dust in its eyes that it did pre-November election. James may come out of this stronger than before. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
Such misrepresentation is illegal only if a felony is intended.
What is the felony?
Aside from les majeste, that is.
That young man and young lady deserve medals, commendations, and a wide berth to work. The public service they did in uncovering the stench that is ACORN is immeasurable.
If they are convicted of anything, it will be a blot on our judicial system. Thinking of the "reporting" malfeasance committed from time to time by "reporters" at ABC, NBC, CBS, and CNN, these two are saints. Absolute saints.
Now, if we could just figure out how get other Democrat's methods of corrupting vote tallies to disappear.
My wife and I live in Baton Rouge, where we met. She had lived her entire life in New Orleans, except for a couple of years in Manhattan, before 2000. I mention this because until 2 years ago she read the Times Picayune daily. After the 9/11 attack she began to notice subtle differences in AP news articles published in both the Baton Rouge Morning Advocate and the Times Picayune. She noticed a pattern that the Times Picayune always, and I mean always blurs the identity of minority demographic groups while pointing out the WASP types by changing the wording in the AP articles. Moslems are always referred to as Asian (even if they are from Africa). There is never any mention of race when it concerns black people even if we are supposed to be on the lookout for an escaped criminal that is of that race.
So, we must assume that the Times Picayune is trying to appeal to a readership only among the DNC or a native of the "Chocolate City"
This does not surprise me at all. To add to this the Times Picayune is in a very precarious financial condition. I wonder why?
Read "Suspicious Handling of O'Keefe Incident": http://bit.ly/cwhHMK
I think most of the "Right" post above point out the Lies of the Left are NEVER contested or questioned by the Lib MSM. I gave up on the MSM in the early 1980's because I started to see stories I KNEW were Lies or distortions. The Web is fast and sometimes incorrect but it can be CORRECTED just as fast! Big, Bald Bertha and her ACORN Gang are at LEAST being OUTED as the corrupt TAXPAYER FUNDED scam that they are..and to think Obama was once their "Legal Adviser"!
TRUTH? Is that still a word now days? Apparently liberal / progressive / socialists know nothing about TRUTH and how it's spoken.
For liberal / progressive / socialists, anything to do with the TRUTH is an INCONVIENENT annoyance.
And the state-run media wonder why we want them to finish dying already.
I wonder, who is stashing the eraser, someone needs to be searched!! Ob/sama wants everyone to return to school, these young Investigative Journalists are getting quite an education in their quest for Justice among all the corruption!!! No guts, no glory………………..and then the rest of the story!!!!!!
As I posted elsewhere on one of the Big sites, it's no felony to ask a senator's staff about trouble on the phone lines or to make a phone call to a senator's land-line with one's cellphone to see if anyone answers the call or if there's trouble on the line. The issue, it seems, is what, if anything, happened beyond that. On Hannity, O'Keefe indicated that everything was caught on tape. I hope the tapes reveal what dolts the senator and the Justice Department are for even bringing about this arrest–it's unheard of for journalists to get arrested for Candid Camera antics. And if the Feds "erase" part of the tapes, let's all channel Nixon and his secretary (Rosemary Woods?) to get their take on all this…
I am from New Orleans, and had occasion to interact with the Times-Picayune. They flunked the test.
I was born and raised in New Orleans and have lived here most of my adult life. Many locals have nicknamed the paper "TP" as in Toilet Paper. I'll let your readers guess why?
[...] reading: Big Journalism: Times-Picayune Originally Reported that O’Keefe Was Charged with Wiretapping, Then Stealth-Correct… Andrew Breitbart, Big Government: MSM Leaping to Conclusions — While Big Government Waits for [...]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vince Humphreys, lmcginnis33, Netty Wisbaum, Adam Wickman, Joseph Glatstein and others. Joseph Glatstein said: RT @BigJournalism: Times-Picayune 1st Reported O’Keefe Was Charged with Wiretapping, Then Stealth-Corrected the Error http://bit.ly/bclIBc [...]
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