Despite prior advice to reporters to avoid "fuzzy language," Fournier offered only "breezy" response to news he told Rove to "[k]eep up the fight"
SUMMARY: The AP's Ron Fournier asserted in a 2007 essay that reporters must "[w]rite with authority" and that "[t]he AP's hard-earned reputation for fairness and nonpartisanship must not be used as an excuse for fuzzy language when a clear voice is demanded." But Fournier apparently did not follow his own prescription for clarity and candor in responding to a report that he told Karl Rove to "[k]eep up the fight" following the death of Pat Tillman in 2004.
A July 14 proposed House Oversight and Government Reform committee report stated that, in the wake of the death of former pro football player and Army Cpl. Pat Tillman in Afghanistan in April 2004, then-White House senior adviser Karl Rove asked Ron Fournier, then a reporter for the AP, and now its acting Washington bureau chief: "How does our country continue to produce men and women like [Tillman]?" As noted by the TPM Muckraker blog, according to the report, Fournier replied, "The Lord creates men and women like this all over the world. But only the great and free countries allow them to flourish. Keep up the fight." In an article about the congressional report, the AP reported that Fournier said the following:
I was an AP political reporter at the time of the 2004 e-mail exchange, and was interacting with a source, a top aide to the president, in the course of following an important and compelling story. I regret the breezy nature of the correspondence.
Fournier apparently offered no explanation for his statement to Rove to"[k]eep up the fight."
In a June 2007 essay in the AP's internal newsletter on how to fulfill reporters' "obligation" to "hold public officials accountable," Fournier wrote that "[w]e can and we must not only tell people what happened in politics today, but why it happened; what it might mean for our readers and their families and what it might reveal about the people who presume to be our leaders." In the essay, titled "Accountability Journalism: Liberating reporters and the truth," he stated that AP journalists should "[w]rite with authority," explaining that "[t]he AP's hard-earned reputation for fairness and nonpartisanship must not be used as an excuse for fuzzy language when a clear voice is demanded nor should it force us to give both sides of a story equal play when one side is plainly wrong." He continued:
Shortly after Katrina struck, I dutifully reported that President Bush had said nobody anticipated the breach of the levees. In fact, many experts had predicted a major storm would bust New Orleans' flood-control barriers. In the past, that's all I would have written; readers would get both sides of the story and then be expected to draw their own conclusion. This time, I went a step further and simply wrote: He was wrong." Why not? Why force the readers to read between carefully parsed lines when the facts are clear? Why not just get to the point? The president of the United States was wrong. The governor lied. The congressman broke his promise. The preacher, the CEO, the banker, the coach, or whomever, failed. Don't mince words. John Dowling put it this way in a note to me: "We can write with authority when we've got the facts that let us say unequivocally what happened. Too often we depend on the government and its critics to tell us what happened, and we end up with he said/she said stories that never get to the bottom line. [no closing quote in original]
From the proposed House Oversight and Government Reform committee report, which has not been voted on by the committee (footnotes omitted):
Several high-level staff members of President Bush's reelection campaign contacted White House officials to suggest public responses to Corporal Tillman's death. Matthew Dowd, the campaign's chief strategist, sent an e-mail to Mr. Bartlett, writing, "You hear about pat tilman? Potus should call his family or go to Arizona or his hometown."
Mark McKinnon, the campaign's media advisor, also e-mailed Mr. Bartlett, saying: "Realize President really shouldn't do anything that he hasn't done for any other soldier killed in the military, but certainly think he could say something about he exemplifies the ultimate in humility, heroism and sacrifice."
Commentators and reporters contacted the White House to offer advice. For example, Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan e-mailed the White House's Director of Strategic Initiatives, Peter Wehner, recommending that he "find out what faith Tillman practiced and have the president go by that church and light a candle or say a prayer." Karl Rove exchanged e-mails about Pat Tillman with Associated Press reporter Ron Fournier, under the subject line "H-E-R-O." In response to Mr. Fournier's e-mail, Mr. Rove asked, "How does our country continue to produce men and women like this," to which Mr. Fournier replied, "The Lord creates men and women like this all over the world. But only the great and free countries allow them to flourish. Keep up the fight."
In total, the White House staff sent or received nearly 200 e-mails relating to Corporal Tillman's death on April 23, 2004.
God bless Pat Tillman.
WITH?
WITH?
For the same reason you're here, AA. As an example of the pitfalls of a lazy 4th estate. The item is here deliberately, you , more unknowingly.
Karl Rove needs to be shot for treason and then tossed in prison for life!!
Pat Tillman's death, Katrina, 9/11, California wildfires, Valerie Plame, etc, etc being used as a political toy's for these psycho's are all clear cut examples that these bastards need to all be tossed in prison!
I would love to see an America where corporations are in their rightful place..... as a fictional creation of We the People, subject to We the People!!
Capn,
It looks to me like you are in favor of a fascist dictatorship that promotes Communism as the economic system.
I appreciate your honesty. :-)
Um.....I don't think so Sparky!
At no time does my post even come close to considering that option!
But if you want to play that game..... you seem to want to have America run via fascism.... which by definition is the melding of corporations and state government!
While neither options is good.... at least communism does not stand for profit first!
I DO NOT want corporations running the show.... I want a government run the way that Jefferson and Washington and all those other great American patriots spilled blood to guarantee for all of us....
A government run by the people, for the people!! PERIOD!
Do not ever presume that I would think for a second that any form of communism or fascism is a good thing for America! Your lucky that you have the right to say that to me!
The point of my post was to say that corporations having stole personhood is undermining our democracy!
Your not a corporate whore.... are you?
While neither options is good.... at least communism does not stand for profit first!
But it clearly stands for opressing your entire citizenship for power and country dicatation. Forgive me, but I'd rather have a government who wants to profit, than one who wants to kill me.
Your an idiot Science101!
Spare me your pathetic attempts at trying to claim you have some higher force of will that is better than a government for the people, by the people!
I was not defending communism as an alternative to democracy, I was simply pointing out that communism at least does not seek profit over all else like fascism does!
Stop pretending like you are intellectually acceptable to come in here and take a specific line that I wrote and claim it as an argument against my entire post! Rightwing idealogs do this.... or should we all presume that this is what you are?
It shows that you are so against money, you'll consider anything else in the world instead.
Like my father once said "those who dont have, will hate you so much because you do have".
No...... where in my post did I say anything about being against money?
I don't have much in the way of money, I would love some money to help pay the bills, I would love some extra money to take my children on even a cheap vacation (and my kids are 18, 16, & 14) and I have not been able to muster enough money to take them to see much of America these last eight years.
My wife and I have never had credit cards, we have never tried to live beyond our means and the only time we had enough to spare was back in the mid-90's and even then it was no further than the capital of ourhome state, Illinois.
I'm not and never will be against making it rich, I can't wait for the day to come, if it comes? But what I will not do is lower my standards and make money by stabbing the backs of my fellow citizens, ignoring their blood, sweat, and tears (as corporations and privitizing our commons most certainly does!) and as tempting as it might be, I would not even do that to you!
So you just go on and take your self-righteous crapola and shove it where the good lord split ya!
Capt,
Just how do you make your money? Do you work in the public sector?
ps. congratulations on your ability to live without credit cards. I do have a few and am lucky enough to pay them off every month.
pps. I realize that your first post in this thread was simply a rant. Thanks for taking time to further explain your positions. I now realize that I probably won't see in the news where you went postal on us. :-)
"Just how do you make your money? Do you work in the public sector?"
Actually AA, I have, through most of my life, happily work the jobs that George Bush and his defenders like to claim that WE Americans don't like to do!
I've worked as a fast food worker, lawn carer, landscaper, janitor, and most recently as a truck driver (but at the price of fuel, forget it now).
I've never had much use for white collar type jobs.... playing dress up has never been for me. I tried it once........
And your right..... you will never hear on the news how I went 'postal'..... I have anger toward the idiocy of those that don't understand the Constitution and what it means, but not to the point that I would lose it!
Arrogant self-righteous fools like Bush and his gang, Rush and his ilk, and Science101 and those like him that come in here and speak stupid give me pause, but since they are just that, arrogant self-righteous fools, I have no need to do more than rant a bit, speak my peace, try to move on, and survive.
"It looks to me like you are in favor of a fascist dictatorship that promotes Communism as the economic system. "
I'll give the Captain the benefit of the doubt and assume he wants a trial, a guilty verdict, then prison. That would therefore make him in favor of a democracy that adheres to the law and places no person or corporation above it.
PETE,
Tempting though it may be to simply be done with all of these un-American traitors.... yes... I'm all for a trial, verdict, prison, and then perhaps the firing squad!
Earlier post I wrote that we should execute him (Rove) first and then toss him in prison was just me blowing off steam! He's is a slimy little prick, but even scum deserve their day in court!
If not for that.... what democracy would we all be trying to save?
All politicians use tragic events to politicize and push their agenda. Using Katrina & the fires to push global warming, and trying to prove the troops need to be home instead for example. I wouldn't be opposed to the troops being home instead, and I'm all for not polluting as much as we do. But to push tragedies for those agendas is pretty sick too.
Then again, I have no respect for the AP anymore either. Regardless if you liked or disliked, approved or disapproved, with the job done by Tony Snow, you dont go and bash him in his own Obituary as they did. Its a time to speak about his good qualities and show respect for someone who lost a life. Not to push a political agenda.
"Its a time to speak about his good qualities and show respect for someone who lost a life. Not to push a political agenda."
Like those respectful folks at Murdoch's New York Post did.
Yeah, yeah, Sci... what a stunning turn of events that you watch and parrot Bill O'Lielly. I am wholly bewildered by this revelation. Who'd a' thought it?
Two questions, though: what in that obit was unfair or untrue?
Also, where was your boy O'Lielly's respect for the recently departed when he made a series of snide and disapproving remarks immediately after George Carlin's passing?
If you can't get a clue on your own, couldn't you at least borrow one from someone for a couple of days?
The first one is simply accurate. Should it falsely suggest that Snow was honest and forthright? I'm not sure if the second one is supposed to be a commentary on style or a criticism. If it's the latter, it seems like it should be cut out or at least better-phrased. And the third one lists what critics have said. Why do you have a problem with alternate views being mentioned?
There's a difference between an obituary and a tribute. They're not supposed to whitewash his entire life. Take Jesse Helms, his obituary should accurately reflect the controversial nature of his racist and homophobic remarks. They shouldn't condemn him on their own volition, but the idea that anyone who dies is supposed to be portrayed as having only good qualities and being universally admired is utterly absurd. If Robert Byrd died tomorrow and obituaries made no mention of his KKK days, you'd surely be screaming bloody murder over "liberal bias".
Karl Rove needs to be shot for treason and then tossed in prison for life!!
I agree, but... Aren't you doing these things in the wrong order? Or are you proposing just wouding him and then throwing him in prison?
NICEGUY,
I was being quite sarcastic....... but you knew that?
Even slimy critters like Karl Rove have the right to a trial.... whether its fair or impartial is a whole different story.
More than a hint of rationality there Science. Good, a better route than your historical ones. Didn't attend any Tony Snow pile on. Don't remember any. Please do not take individual feelings for group feelings.
Tony Snow RIP.
Pat Tlllman was a true hero, someone who served his country and questioned authority, He was dead set against the Iraq war and the Bush regime.