WASHINGTON POST DIGS IN

By Michelle Malkin  •  April 4, 2005 11:16 AM

You’re gonna love this.

Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz writes about the Schiavo memo once again, finally acknowledging that the Post did indeed report that the talking points were “distributed to Republican senators by party leaders.”

The flap about a Washington Post report on an unsigned strategy memo in the Terri Schiavo case, which the paper said was “distributed to Republican senators,” isn’t going away.

It turns out that The Post’s news service put out an early version of the March 20 story — published by numerous other papers — that said the talking points, which touted the Schiavo case as a political opportunity, were “distributed to Republican senators by party leaders.” GOP congressional leaders say they never saw the document, whose author remains unknown. Post reporter Mike Allen, who was unaware the news service had distributed the earlier version, said last week that the paper was careful not to say it was “a Republican memo.”

Incredibly, Post News Service editors still refuse to issue a correction, even though the reporter who co-authored the article has now requested one:

Kate Carlisle, the news service’s managing editor, says Allen’s report was sent out at 9:07 the night before and “we weren’t notified that changes had been made to the story after we got it.” Despite criticism from bloggers, and Allen’s request for a correction, Carlisle said no correction was warranted. Late Friday, the news service sent out an “advisory” saying: “The version of the article published by the paper did not specify the authorship and noted that the memo was unsigned. The authorship remains unknown.” The advisory did not retract the assertion that “party leaders” had given out the memo.

Unbelievable. Opening this one up for comments. 200pm Closed.

Contacts:
- Kate Carlyle, Washington Managing Editor, Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service, (202) 334-7666
- Michael Getler, Post ombudsman, (202) 334-7582, getlerm@washpost.com
- Al Leeds, President and Editorial Director, Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service, (202) 334-6175

Previous:
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch slaps the Washington Post upside the head
- Will the Washington Post please respond?
- What exactly did the Post say about that memo?
- Kurtz revisits the fishy Schiavo memo
- Kurtz dodges again
- Ask Kurtz
- MSM continues to ignore questions about the Schiavo memo
- Howie Kurtz tries to cover up
- Kurtz keeps quiet
- Did the MSM learn nothing from Rathergate?
- MSM ignores Schiavo memo story
- Another fishy memo

***
Related:

Scott W. Johnson of Power Line sums it all up: Where did they get that idea?

See what others have said

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Comments

  1. #1
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:20 am, Paul said:

    The Post is worried that if they print a correction, they will be acknowledging that bloggers caught their mistake. The last thing the MSM wants is to legitimize this “new form of journalism”.

    Fortunately, we all it’s legitimate. What’s not legitimate anymore is the Post.

  2. #2
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:23 am, Terrence T. McDonald said:

    Hmmm — about forty posts on this topic, but still nothing on Osama bin Laden escaping at Tora Bora, or about Bush staying on vacation despite the 9/11 warning, or about Condi lying to the Senate about said warning, or about how we’re ignoring the will of the people in Iraq, who voted to boot us out of there. But, yes, let’s talk about this memo some more. Hello? Priorities? Where are you?

  3. #3
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:24 am, Sean said:

    The Post attacked the integrity of Republican party leaders based on info given to them from Democratic aides-the least they can do is issue a correction! The Post grows more loathsome by the day.

  4. #4
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:26 am, Sean said:

    Wow Michelle, I didn’t know the trolls watched you that closely! Only took 7 minutes.

  5. #5
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:31 am, Monkeydarts said:

    Hysterical stuff Terry TMac. We’ll leave those issues to your unread blog. Nice try.

  6. #6
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:33 am, Kat said:

    Liberal spin makes me laugh. Terry the Troll.
    You have the best blog.

  7. #7
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:36 am, Joshua Claybourn said:

    I think it would be wise to publish the contact information for editors as well, and particular the editors in charge of issuing retractions. I’d like to target Allen and Kurt’s superiors as well.

  8. #8
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:42 am, John H. Schneider II said:

    Why should MSM “news” organization retract anything? Remember that the same rules that apply to honest news organizations don’t apply to them.

    Michelle - if you want to keep the comments section open - I volunteer my time and resources as a moderator.

    John II

  9. #9
    On April 4th, 2005 at 11:42 am, RBMN said:

    General comment: When a reporter finds EXACTLY what they’re looking for, to express their own personal bias (which they all have–just human nature) that’s when the fact checking should be most rigorous. Otherwise, you hurt your own cause, because in this day and age you will be found out. The days of Dan Rather knowingly reporting half-truths (some Texas kids cheer after the death of JFK,) and getting away with it, are over.

  10. #10
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:02 pm, Steve said:

    I, for one, won’t be surprised when the business end of the Post gets involved in this. And it won’t be pretty.

  11. #11
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:08 pm, Eyegor said:

    Pride goeth before a fall…..

  12. #12
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:10 pm, Tim Shumaker said:

    This could also be just a simple matter of ego. They don’t want to print a retraction because they don’t want to publicly admit that they were wrong. If they don’t admit that they were wrong, most people will never notice their error.

  13. #13
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:11 pm, Kevin Craver said:

    Well, at least the Post quietly removed those two Reuters stories from its Web site with the incorrect information. I guess we won’t see a correction for those, either.

    As I say on my blog, is it really too much to ask to print a small correction nestled inside the Post’s many pages?

  14. #14
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:12 pm, CJ said:

    Howard Kurtz: kurtzh@washpost.com

    For anyone wishing to send their thoughts.

  15. #15
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:14 pm, CJ said:

    Forgot Mike Allen

    Mike Allen: allenm@washpost.com
    National staff writer/Congress

  16. #16
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:14 pm, ellen said:

    Why read the Post so much if you don’t
    like it? Isn’t that sort of like
    you calling Liberals trolls if they read your thing?

    Signed,

    I Don’t miss the Pope yet

  17. #17
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:18 pm, Brian J. said:

    …distributed to Republican senators by party leaders….

    Let’s look closely, shall we?

    It doesn’t say which party; perhaps they were distributed by Democrat party leaders. Or Green Party leaders.

    Wait a minute, it doesn’t even say political party. It just says party.

    Perhaps that’s the leaders or hosts of a party which the Republicans attended. Crikey, it could be lobbyists, political operatives, or parents of children who just celebrated a birthday and who go to the same exclusive private school as the Republican senators!

    So it would be premature to issue a correction until they get to the bottom of it.

  18. #18
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:19 pm, richard said:

    This is your typical Michelle Malkin/Sean Hannity tempest in a teapot. Tiny issue from weeks ago, shockingly insignificnt in comparison to the real gross errors we witness time and again on Fox and, somewhat less freequently, CNN. It’s fascinating to watch the rightwing bloggers beat their dead horses with a breathless, desperate and ultimately misplaced vitality. So many ghastly mistakes of a far more important nature have been made. E.g., did you read the latest report on how our well-funded agencies were “dead wrong” about everything they told us about Iraq pre-war? How about getting equally upset about that kind of mistake. which resulted in the deaths of untold numbers of young Americans? Now, two wrongs don’t make a right. Just because others made mistakes doesn’t mean the Washington Post can go ahead and make mistakes, too. But it’s a question of perspective. To dwell on this mind-blowingly insignificant error makes you appear petty, obsessive and a bit silly.

  19. #19
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:20 pm, d said:

    Thank you Ms Malkin, your blog is a must read. Your reporting on so many of these subjects carries more effort, work, fact checking and actual news breaking makes a mockery of the MSM…
    Meltdown or release indeed…

  20. #20
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:23 pm, Scaramonga said:

    The Post is caught and worsens its position by trying to spin, deny, and re-write the truth. Won’t work. People like Michelle won’t let them get away with it anymore.

    Sooner or later, the MSM is going to either wise up and start acting like responsible journalists or they will increasingly suffer from embarrassments like this one. Like Karen Carpenter once sang, “We’ve Only Just Begun…”

  21. #21
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:25 pm, addison said:

    It is pretty clear, in just the span of an hour, why Michelle does not leave her comments section open except for what she considers special occassions.

  22. #22
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:26 pm, salt1907 said:

    Click on my name for the list of categories of MSM bias. This one falls under the “Lie” category, but there are many others.

  23. #23
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:37 pm, wannabe said:

    Richard baby, get a clue.

    When the Washington Post starts distributing wire news with errors, so we are not just talking about a story in their paper, but a story they sent out to various media outlets, and the very same error was picked up by even more media outlets including TV, and they refuse to publish a correction, in respect to a story that was hardly minor, then I give up.

    I’ve always held the Washington Post in the highest esteem of all the major newspapers in the United States.

    If the paper of Woodward and Bernstein won’t act responsibly, regardless of who pointed out the errors, then all hope is lost for the Mainstream Media.

    That is why Richard many of us are pissed off and why this is not minor. We’ve all held the Washington Post as a standard bearer of accuracy if not the truth and now we have to scratch WaPo off the list too. It’s a sad day. Bet Karl and Bob are shaking their heads.

  24. #24
    On April 4th, 2005 at 12:50 pm, Tommy said:

    How many of you that have commented, watch or read the MSM, and then go elsewhere to check for the truth?

    Richard you don’t think lies that appear to be created by the media are note worthy?

  25. #25
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:00 pm, ellen said:

    Did someone just start singing “We’ve only just begun” by Karen Carpenter? oh no.

    No. no. no. no.

  26. #26
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:01 pm, pat said:

    What is clear is that all three primary recipients of the memo who acually dealt with a person(i.e. did not recieve the same via fax), now admit that the distibutors were Democratic staffers. These so-called reporters hate Republicans so much that they could not see the need to walk a few steps down the hall to verify info they recieved from the opposition. These people are simpletons and should be relived.

  27. #27
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:02 pm, ellen said:

    you mean reviled.

  28. #28
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:03 pm, CJ said:

    ellen

    LOL!

  29. #29
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:04 pm, Jason Smith said:

    Remember this…

    1. Those who trounce on Bush for the alleged “missed opportunity” at Tora Bora are stunningly silent on Clinton’s “actively ignored” opportunity to catch bin Laden BEFORE he killed 3,000 in New York.

    2. Those who argue about our “well-funded agencies” being wrong about things intelligence, also want MORE “well-funded agencies” to manage our healthcare system, retirement benefits, and many other areas they’re bound to f*ck up.

    3. Those who think media outlets manufacturing news to support a bias like a nazi-esque, propaganda machine is “insignificant” are the same ones who cry “nazi” when referring to conservatives at every turn.

    Glad to see so many liberals read this blog. Gives me hope that a few may someday find the intelligence needed to become conservatives.

  30. #30
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:05 pm, ellen said:

    LOL?

    And what does addison mean by special occasion? You mean the Pope’s thing?

  31. #31
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:06 pm, aaron said:

    I’m afraid it’s worse than WaPo even suspected, I recieved this from an impeccable source, a journalist:

    —- start official strategy message from high ranking republican —

    I am a high ranking Republican (#1019C), and this is a confidential official message to all other high ranking Republicans:

    How bout let’s kill all the animals.

    p.s. - Guys, please DO NOT give to Washington Post.

    —- end official memo —

  32. #32
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:09 pm, LC Scotty said:

    Ms. Malkin,

    I just wanted to take this opportunity to say how wonderful your blogs and Townhall columns are. Truly refreshing, and it’s a pity that some mis-guided, unhinged folks discouraged you from accepting comments. As to the memo, the left seems to fail to grasp it’s signifigance. The bias the MSM holds makes them drool for such a scoop, and when they see it they just can’t help themselves. to paraphrase, “It’s the bias, stupid!”

    All the best!

  33. #33
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:11 pm, JMoz said:

    “beat their dead horses with a breathless, desperate and ultimately misplaced vitality.”

    Ugh… ‘breathless’ is the new meme. How many of you, like me, are already sick of this overused word?

  34. #34
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:11 pm, Liberal Boogey-Man said:

    Speaking of inaccuracies in reporting, who was it that had to correct her blog three times on Friday? The name is on the tip of my tongue! ;)

  35. #35
    On April 4th, 2005 at 1:14 pm, Michelle M. said:

    Yes, and the corrections were immediate and prominent each time. Thanks for making my point.

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