The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

The Fox headline is much more descriptive and to the point and not misleading in the least.

If one's only source of news was Fox, they would not be getting the whole story. Not to mention the whole backstory.
Moving the paragraph isn't a big deal. But what is the reason for doing that?

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

If one's only source of news was Fox, they would not be getting the whole story.

Of course, I'm of the opinion that non one will get the whole story until all the key players are dead and the archives release the unclassified documents some 50 years from now.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

Of course, I'm of the opinion that non one will get the whole story until all the key players are dead and the archives release the unclassified documents some 50 years from now.

So, wait 50 years to worry about now?

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

If one's only source of news was Fox, they would not be getting the whole story. Not to mention the whole backstory.
Moving the paragraph isn't a big deal. But what is the reason for doing that?

What is the reason for less than descriptive AP and CNN headlines, which I interpret to be done in such a way as to intentionally make the casual news headline reader link Bush to the Plame leak?

Like Alex said, anyone can find bias wherever they choose to do so.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

What is the reason for less than descriptive AP and CNN headlines, which I interpret to be done in such a way as to intentionally make the casual news headline reader link Bush to the Plame leak?

All three headlines say the same thing.

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Like Alex said, anyone can find bias wherever they choose to do so.

And anyone can choose to be blind about the obvious when they want to.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

And anyone can choose to be blind about the obvious when they want to.

On that we can certainly agree.

[Alex]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

All three headlines say the same thing.

And anyone can choose to be blind about the obvious when they want to.

Yes, and everybody will find different things obvious.

All three headlines do not say the same thing. In an article about the Valerie Plame case (where the charge is that someone illegally leaked the name of Plame) the AP headline says:

Papers: Cheney Aide Says Bush OK'd Leak

In case involving an illegal leak, what leak do you think this headline would refer to?

The CNN headline says:

Libby court papers: Cheney said Bush OK'd intelligence leak

This headline give the information that the leak probably wasn't Valerie Plame's name (but that depends on whether you consider that an intelligence leak). It also contains the clarification that CNN inserted in the article that Libby doens't know what Bush said but just what Cheney told him Bush said.

The Fox headline says:

Libby: Bush Authorized Leaks About Iraq

This one specifically says that Bush authorized a leak but removes the possibility that it was Plame's name.


Sure, it is easy to argue that Fox was trying to diffuse the story by making this point clear from the beginning. But it is equally easy to argue that the AP was trying to make it a bigger story than it is by obfuscating that point. Pick the bias you want. All three headlines are true but they don't all say the same thing and if you think they do, then who is being blind to the obvious?

As for the background information, even if Fox News is your only source do you think that this is the only article they've ever had on the entire Valerie Plame affair? Perhaps they feel it unnecessary to re-report the entire trial and history every time there is a development. I don't know. Perhaps they were just letting it in as a placeholder until they got their own reporting of the story together. A version that comes in at a whole 200 words more than the AP version and seems to have all the background information you felt to be missing.

Fox News leans to the right and AP leans to the left (though not far). They all lean in some direction.