Worst of the Week: AP Writer Accuses Palin of “Appeal to Racism”
By Rep. Lamar Smith | October 7, 2008
In a deplorable accusation that borders on defamation, an Associated
Press writer on Sunday claimed that Gov. Sarah Palin engaged in a “racially tinged” criticism of Sen. Barack
Obama and that her words represented a “potential appeal to racism.”
In the article, AP writer and editor Douglass K. Daniel took
issue with Palin’s remarks about Obama’s relationship with William Ayers, a
known domestic terrorist and cofounder of the radical group Weather
Underground.
Daniel claimed that while Palin avoided “repulsing voters
with overt racism,” she created a “false image of a black presidential nominee
‘palling around’ with terrorists.”
According to Daniel, “portraying Obama as ‘not like us’ is another
potential appeal to racism.”
Daniel’s accusation is baseless and
injects racial rhetoric that has no place in the presidential campaign.
Obama’s relationship with a known
and unrepentant domestic terrorist has nothing to do with race. In fact, Palin’s argument was that Obama’s
relationship with Ayers raised questions about Obama’s judgment and character,
both of which are important qualities in a presidential candidate.
The AP article was originally titled “Analysis: Palin’s words carry racial tinge” but later edited to “Analysis: Palin’s words may backfire on McCain” – perhaps a tacit admission
that Daniel’s accusations went too far.
AP’s Extraordinary Influence
The Associated Press is one of the
largest and most influential news organizations in the world. It serves thousands of newspapers, radio
stations and TV outlets.
Americans expect the AP to be fair
and unbiased in its reporting. Unfortunately, examples like Daniel’s article
show that the AP has fallen short.
In addition, a comparison of AP
news stories following the announcement of each vice presidential running mate
shows that while dozens of AP stories characterized Gov. Palin as
“conservative,” few described Sen. Biden as “liberal,” even though the National Journal ranked him as the third
most liberal Member of the U.S. Senate.
Given its tremendous influence on
the national media, Americans should encourage the AP to be fair an
objective.
Call to Action
I firmly believe that the answer to the problem of media
bias lies with the American people. The media are central to the democratic
process and I want to help the American people become educated consumers of
media and make their voices heard by holding news outlets accountable to the
highest journalistic standards.
By focusing our attention on one media outlet per week, we can have a far
greater impact in effecting significant change. We can make a big
difference if thousands of concerned citizens join together to show they won’t
tolerate media bias.
To that end, if you share my concern about AP’s latest example of bias, please
take a moment out of your day to voice your opinion by contacting Tom Curley,
President and CEO of The Associated Press, using the contact information
below.
(212) 621-1500
450 W. 33rd St.
New York,
NY 10036
Representative Lamar Smith is a Republican Congressman from Texas, and is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee.
13 Comments | Post a Comment
Isn’t the onus really on Palin here? Or on those crafting the language of the attacks? The phrase “palling around with terrorists” is inflammatory and misleading.
There’s a lot of trouble with bringing this stuff up. First of all, in doing so, the McCain campaign comes across as completely bankrupt. They’ve run out of ideas (or maybe just Steve Schmidt has), so they’re forced into this weird nuclear endgame. And if these accusations didn’t poison Obama before, they surely aren’t going to now—coming at the end of a truly farcical month for the McCain campaign. Resorting to material that didn’t work for him before is just going to drive the final nails into the coffin. Rather than a couple of mavericks, we’re going to have cadavericks whose run is declared officially dead.
Besides, these personal attacks are already beginning to backfire. McCain’s personal associations are equally suspect, and they’re already being trotted out (see the U.S World Council of Freedom, whose ambiguous nature is again up for scrutiny). Add to that the narrative presented in Rolling Stone’s “The Make-Believe Maverick,” and things are bound to get pretty ugly until the election. With a career as long as his, McCain is bound to have some twitchy skeletons hanging around.
CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, AP…they are all alike. It is as if they have all already fallen under this Common-ism, North American Union, bunko that is going to destory our Nation as we know it. I do not waste my time listening to any of them. I seek out website media that is interested in stating the facts, and let me draw my own conclusions! That’s called “REAL” journalism. I like to think for myself, rather than be spoon-fed what I am to think, feel or vote! It is a clear fact to me that Obama has ties to terrorist. None of the news media, mentioned above, has mention Frank Marshal Davis, Or his billionaire supporter George Soro. Maybe Obama hasn’t heard the expression, “When you lie down with dogs you get up fleas!” So He got caught..face up and stop the whining! Obama has used the racist excuse so much it is getting sickening! You don’t hear anyone whining because he is anti-white…Oh that’s right…no one seems to have figured that one out yet. Hint, he was raised on that sentiment. Another Hint: Mrs. Obama’s famous statement.“For the first time in my life I am proud to be an American”. Call it what you will, but sounds very much like a Freudian Slip to me. His affilation with DNS, and Acorn should be worriesome enough. His sponorship of the Global Poverty Tax bill…let’s bleed more money out of our country, as if we do not already spend billions in foreign relief! I pray each night that the American people that follow him like hypnotized SHEEP will awake up before it is to late! Our Nation is in trouble, and we need a leader that has the interest of our great Nation at heart, not one that wants to lead us towards Common-ism, socialism, or whatever
”. . . and the 2008 Image Award for Racial Awareness goes to Tim, for his outstanding work at the Accuracy in Media website!
“Tim, what do you plan on doing with this honor, which comes with a substantial monetary prize?”
“I plan to summer on Lake Bigotry; there I hope to spend the mild months fishing off my yacht the S.S. ‘Intolerance,’ and finally catching up on a little bit of reading.”
I knew that there would be “one of you” out there. Suggestion: Pull your head out of the sand and start looking at reality. If the truth hurts, then let there be pain. You are so typical of the kind of people who won’t tolerate anyone who doesn’t share your views. The only way you can justify yourselves is to attack others and call them names. I’m white and I am sick and tired of being discriminated against by people like you. However, your comments are kinda cute!
So, I’ll “pull my head out of the sand” and do . . . What, exactly? Begin accepting racial jabs from angry white men? Zone off a space where you can refer to Obama as a “black boy?” Develop—in a complete parody of the “liberal position”—tolerance for intolerance? I mean, do I help organize a PARADE for you champions?
You’re getting sarcasm here because, frankly, that’s the only thing your position really deserves. There are plenty of people on this website who don’t share your views, conservative and non-conservative. I’ve spoken with plenty of them, and I can tell you their notion of our society—North and South—is very, very rich. All you do with remarks like yours is help cheapen the discourse. And you reduce people’s intelligent conservatism to some kind of redneck satire. If you want people all over the world to believe this website coddles rascist language, go ahead and just produce more. Otherwise, keep it to yourself, or go spit it out somewhere else.
It’s funny.
When the AP and the rest of Obama cohorts in the MSM lambasted Palin even her unborn grandchild, they hear nothing.
Because of that, Palin can do everything. MSM violated her using the rhetoric of “vetting”, NOW IT’S PALIN’S TIME TO VET OBAMA, THE CANDIDATE OF THE MSM.
AND PALIN IS DOING GREAT… OBAMA COULDN’T PRONOUNCE THE WORD AYERS… AND THERE ARE MORE IN CHICAGO POLITICS…
THE ANNENBERG CHALLENGE IS REALLY A CHALLENGE TO THE CREDIBILITY OF OBAMA, THE GREAT PAL OF AYERS. AYERS LET OBOMA LAUNCHED HIS POLITICAL CAREER IN AYER’S OWN HOME IN HYDE PARK.
OBAMA IS LYING!!!!!!
SARAH IS JUST STATING THE TRUTH!! MSM COULDN’T FIND OTHER WAY TO DEBUNK AYERS CONNECTION OF OBAMA BUT BY RACE CARD.
FUNNY!!! IT’S OBAMA WHO DIRECTLY STARTED THE RACE CARD BY SPECIFICALLY STATING GUNS AND RELIGION OF SMALL TOWN AMERICA.
Palin,
Now, I’ve never actually understood what the McCain campaign wants me to believe about Obama’s association with William Ayers. There hasn’t been a single negative outcome of this verified by them, the mainstream media, or anyone else. A candidate’s judgment is problematic when it has negative consequences for national or international policy. And the William Ayers thing lacks in this. Problems arising from the association are left to readers’ minds to invent. This is a good way to write a horror movie (tie a character to somebody potentially shady), but it has nothing whatsoever to do with critical thought.
If, as a voter, I’m supposed to believe that the Chicago Annenberg Challenge was a hotbed of radicalism rather than a philanthropic education project, and that members who also sat with William Ayers (some of them Republicans with ties to Reagan) are somehow terrorists devoted to the destruction of American values, the McCain campaign will have to produce something more than what they have now, which amounts to little more than spooky innuendo. Unfortunately, this works with a certain percentage of American voters—but it doesn’t work with all of them.
Bad judgment, in order for voters to take this accusation seriously, must have demonstrable effects. Comparing Obama’s and McCain’s stance on the war in Iraq, or their different approaches to economics, says a great deal more to thinking Americans. Obama said no to the war. McCain did yes. McCain’s judgment on this matter has had a tremendously negative effect both nationally and internationally. McCain’s judgment is costing American taxpayers ten billion dollars a month with no end yet in sight. On top of the 2,700 American civilian deaths of 9/11 McCain has helped add 4,000 more, this time from our military. Add to that the 90,000 civilian deaths so far in Iraq and you have an extraordinarily naked example of bad political judgment.
For myself, I would rather deal with tangibles than intangibles. Instead of contemplating some nebulous “what if” of associations whose only verifiable outcomes have been within the field of education—a perilous route for critical thought—you have, instead, concrete examples of what a difference between two candidates can actually produce.
Actually- I’m taking my second look at the Annenberg files today- I was waiting for others to highlight a certain subject - but I haven’t seen that done to my satisfaction, so I am going to present some information pertinent to the campaign this evening on my blog.
This information will appeal to mainstream America—I don’t think far lefties will care one way or another.
And here comes pecanpii with exactly the same strategy—suggestion, suggestion, suggestion. “Tune in for details,” people. Let’s see if s/he can actually produce something tangible. My guess is that it will be little more than another mystification.
October 7 at 1:45 pm | #1 | Link
I will definitely write to them. I posted this AP bias on my blog also. This is quite ridiculous—Ayers, according to Obama is mainstream and respected—how many main stream and respected citizens do you know that visit Hugo Chavez?? He posts this info on his blog.
Ayer is part of a think tank - Miranda International Center. Spread the word.
# posted by Bill Ayers @ 10:53 AM ... WORLD EDUCATION FORUM. Centro Interncional Miranda Caracas, Venezuela November , 2006 President Hugo Chavez, Vice-President Vicente Rangel, ...
billayers.blogspot.com/ billayers.blogspot.com/