"Some say" the AP is a joke
February 03, 2009 9:12 pm ET by Eric Boehlert
Last week we noted this newsroom train wreck, courtesy of the AP. And now we have this one-man, Charles Babington pile-up, AP-style.
From the second sentence [emphasis added]:
Two weeks into his presidency, Barack Obama proved that even a clearly gifted politician cannot escape the gravitational pull of Washington forces that have humbled many of his predecessors. The new president, seen by some as arrogant, was anything but on Tuesday.
Note that nowhere--nowhere--in the lengthy piece does the AP quote anybody, either on the record or off, who claims that Obama is arrogant. The only person who makes that claim is the AP's Charlie Babington, while hiding behind the cowardly "some say" cliche.
Let's just call this what it is. It ain't journalism and it ain't political analysis. It's casual character assassination, courtesy of the AP.
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Thank you, MMFA, you summed up my own feelings when I saw this perfectly.
But why stoop to cheap shots like this when this is supposed to be an AP "news" piece?
Because you get a top-line link on Drudge for doing the dirty work for him. Let the clicks begin!
When you complain about the arrogance of someone who ran for president of the friggin' United States, your brain already fell in a ditch, regardless of quotes or sources.
Wait a second .. that Babington piece is clearly labelled "Analysis." You can't judge it in the same manner as you would a straight news story.
Come on, MM, are you that dsesperate for things to write about that you have to manufacture outrage?