Wednesday, May 18, 2005

N&O Goes to Bat for Newsweek

The MSM is hard at work trying to spin the Newsweek story so that it is not a comment on the "blame America first" mentality at liberal news organizations. Today the N&O plays along by running an 11A story from the AP.

Instead of noting all of the individuals and organizations who have condemned Newsweek's actions, the story breaks the battle down as one between the White House and Newsweek. That theme fits into the MSM mindset that this is just another example of the Bush administration stirring up trouble.

Instead of doing any analysis of how Newsweek failed in their reporting duties, the story compares Newsweek's errors to the government's practice (used long before the Bush administration came to office) of distributing information through unnamed administration officials.

Finally, the AP and N&O story desperately tries to prove, using one quote and no other evidence, that the Newsweek story did not cause the deadly rioting in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
If anyone should understand that the cover-up is worse than the crime, you would think it would be the press, but articles like this will add fuel to the fire of those calling for a full accounting at Newsweek.