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WJC redefines "running the ad"

August 20, 2009 6:25 pm ET by Terry Krepel

The other day, we pointed out that a Western Journalism Center video claiming that Rachel Maddow's statement on "Meet the Press" that MoveOn.org never ran an ad comparing President Bush to Adolf Hitler was a lie because the ad in question was not commissioned by MoveOn but, rather, a submission to a 2004 MoveOn contest that was taken down after controversy arose about it and never ran anywhere as a paid ad.

The WJC has now responded by calling us liars, accusing us of "splitting hairs" and asserting that it "never claimed the ad was run on commercial T.V. We consider posting the ad on its website to constitute 'running the ad.' "

So a submission to a contest that was (briefly) posted on a website is the exact same thing as buying airtime for it on commercial TV? Interesting redefinition of "running the ad."

That's not "splitting hairs" -- that's comparing apples and oranges.

Further, the WJC video remains a work of lying by omission: It presents the Bush-Hitler video but at no point does it explain that the ad was a contest submission, never ran as a paid ad, and that MoveOn itself said that "[w]e do not support the sentiment" in it. The WJC post accusing us of being liars doesn't mention that either.

The WJC should try telling the full truth instead of redefining words to fit previous lies.

Tags: Rachel Maddow, Western Journalism Center

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    • Author by Western Journalism (August 20, 2009 7:11 pm ET)
        7
      if you view the video on Youtube in the side bar we explain that they ran the ads on their website and even had a link to a news story from 2003 about the ads. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKKT9HDJWcE&eurl=http://www.westernjournalism.com/%3Fp%3D3062&feature=player_embedded I like how you have now decided that the video only ran on the website "briefly".
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      • Author by Ecotopian (August 20, 2009 9:28 pm ET)
        4  
        Still can't let go of that "running the ad" wording?
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      • Author by open_mind (August 20, 2009 9:38 pm ET)
        4  
        Thanks for the Fox "News" link in the youtube sidebar. Apparently you Western Journalism guys are a bit hypertextually challenged. Your link shows MoveOn criticizing the ad:
        MoveOn.org released a statement on Monday, saying neither that ad nor another one portraying Hitler and Bush was their ad, "nor did their appearance constitute endorsement or sponsorship by MoveOn.org Voter Fund. They will not appear on TV. We do not support the sentiment expressed in the two Hitler submissions."

        MoveOn.org noted that those ads were voted down by the group's members and the public, who submitted nearly 3 million critiques while choosing the 15 finalist entries.

        "We agree that the two ads in question were in poor taste and deeply regret that they slipped through our screening process," the statement said. "In the future, if we publish or broadcast raw material, we will create a more effective filtering system."

        The group argued that the RNC is making this an issue and it should not be held responsible for what was submitted to their contest by a private citizen, particularly since MoveOn.org itself apparently disavowed the ad.


        Western "Journalism" looks like plain old yellow journalism to me.
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    • Author by mustardman (August 20, 2009 7:21 pm ET)
      1  
      WTF is WJC?
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      • Author by The_Cat (August 20, 2009 8:11 pm ET)
        2  
        [W]estern [J]ournalism [C]enter. And apparently they are staffed by liars who enjoy propagating any lie told that smears liberals, Democrats, or opponents of Bush/Cheney foreign policy.
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      • Author by open_mind (August 20, 2009 9:18 pm ET)
        2  
        I first heard of the site from birthers. I think that is the kind of crowd these guys attract.
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    • Author by Übermensch (August 21, 2009 10:09 am ET)
         
      I would still like to know how a contest submission can be considered an "advertisement"


      Seriously how?
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