Drudge smears "joker" Franken with doctored photo
SUMMARY: The Drudge Report posted a doctored photo of Minnesota Democrat Al Franken wearing a diaper and bunny ears.
On May 4, the Drudge Report posted a photo of Minnesota Democrat Al Franken wearing a diaper and bunny ears. As the blog ThinkProgress noted in October 2006, the photo is doctored. Indeed, a spokesman for Franken told the Cincinnati Enquirer at that time that the "picture is a fake."
Below the doctored photo, Drudge linked to a London Times article headlined, "Democrat joker Al Franken to hand Obama control of Senate." From the Drudge Report, accessed on May 4 at 7 a.m. ET:
During the 2006 elections, the Ohio Republican Party included the doctored photo of Franken in a press release attacking then-Senate candidate Sherrod Brown (D) and Franken, who was campaigning for Brown at the time. In an October 25, 2006, blog post on its website, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that "Andy Barr, director of Al Franken's Midwest Values Political Action Committee [and currently a spokesman for Franken's senate campaign], said, 'The picture is a fake.' " Indeed, ThinkProgress noted that the doctored photo uses a "2004 AP photo of Franken." From ThinkProgress:
Even though he wasn't my first choice for DFL candidate, I will feel honored to have him represent me in the Senate. Senator Al Franken. It has a nice ring to it.
ABSOLUTELYE!!! Franken, Stewart, Colbert and Black are commedians. Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity, O'Rielly, Savage, Coulter and, now, COLEMAN are CLOWNS.
"Look at that idiot/, Franken."
Then I thought-"Maybe it's photoshopped."
Then I thought-"WHO GIVES A CRAP?"
And moved on.
I find it to be an interesting contrast. Franken is a comedian, but when it's time to talk policy he knows how to be serious about it. Drudge is supposed to be a reporter, but can't resist the childish impulse to mock someone he personally disagrees with.
LOL!!! This is beautiful!!!
Still, It makes The Drudge Report fall that much further down the ladder of integrity.
Drudge, the purveyor of poopy politics.
Drudge himself did not photoshop the photo, & I've no clue who did the Palin one, but hers were all over the internet. I can't recall if the Palin one made it onto Drudge, but it wouldn't shock me if it did.
Drudge is a website that links to other news sources, true. And yeah it's supposed to have credibility but of course that's questionable. I've seen HuffPo have to retract a thing or two, but at least when they make an error they'll do that. And again I might be wrong but I'm pretty sure I saw the Palin photoshop picture at HuffPo as well as on many other websites. If I can confirm that, I will.
Again, this kind of stuff is wrong no matter which side is behind it or who is distributing it.
"I've seen HuffPo have to retract a thing or two, but at least when they make an error they'll do that."
I think that's an important distinction. The picture that Drudge posted is not new. It was exposed as fake three years ago, so it's difficult to think that he was somehow snookered by it. That's quite different from someone running the picture of Palin when it was first circulated and then pointing out the hoax when it is exposed.
I used to start with Drudge every morning just to find out the stories from overnight but he has posted questionable info in the past & when it was exposed, he just took it down without explanation. I'm not a huge fan of HuffPo but I'll give credit where credit is due.
As far as the Palin photo goes, it of course would have been better if it had been verified before it was widely circulated. But that rarely happens.
Just so I'm clear, what media source are you lamenting about here?
Aw darlin, I'm not gonna call Uncle or anything else. The Franken photo is an obvious fake. The Palin one was not. Both could be considered smears, but the Palin one was likely doctored to push a political agenda, in that it tried to present Palin as some sort of gun-touting lady to raise the eyebrow of certain voters. The Franken one is a joke. Not saying it's acceptable but it is close to being Apples & Oranges.
CNN was one news source that presented the Palin photoshopped image as real. Might even be where the story first got it's legs.
http://www.alternet.org/reproductivejustice/126081/sarah_palin_and_the_rise_of_the_playboy_electorate_/
Who's the real joker here?
Franken or the idiots like Tapper and Politico that visit Drudge for "headlines" every hour every day??
I'll take Greg Palast's fedora over Drudge's any day.
I've always assumed that Drudge leans Right because he built his rep during the Clinton Administration when the Left marched lock-step behind him, sacrificing so many of their hard-won issues to keep him in his office. I think MMFA has caught him with his bias showing this time. Good job to them!
Worthwhile to note that your speaking broadly, meaning you likely don't know of "anybody" who "doesn't realize it's fake."
But I think I can surmise where you're coming from. People who are prone to support Franken and who do think it's real are "wrapped too tight." On the other hand, those who don't support Franken and do think it's real, well, let's just call them "misinformed." Am I right?
Many people see what they want to see.
Sean's mate Drudge is a nut. He and Sean give journalism a bad name.
Maybe he smuggled his Viagra in it.
seeing what a loser that Bush was BEFORE he blew the economy
and our international reputations. I think that it's hysterical to see right wing nuts falling over themselves trying to say that they represent change from Cheney and Bush. LOL! Now THAT is stupid.