Ignoring their own reporting, NY Times and AP uncritically report Palin's “palling around with terrorists” claim

Written by Lauren Auerbach

Published

The New York Times and the AP uncritically repeated Gov. Sarah Palin's claim that Sen. Barack Obama was “palling around with terrorists,” an apparent reference to Obama's association with former Weather Underground member William Ayers. Neither the Times nor the AP noted their previous reporting that Obama and Ayers were not close.

October 13 articles in The New York Times and the Associated Press uncritically reported Gov. Sarah Palin's claim that Sen. Barack Obama was “palling around with terrorists,” an apparent reference to Obama's association with former Weather Underground member William Ayers. Neither the Times nor the AP noted their previous reporting that Obama and Ayers were not close. The Times, in an October 4 article that Palin cited for her claim, reported that “the two men do not appear to have been close. Nor has Mr. Obama ever expressed sympathy for the radical views and actions of Mr. Ayers, whom he has called 'somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8.' ” Similarly, the AP reported on October 5 that “there is no evidence that they [Obama and Ayers] ever palled around. And it's simply wrong to suggest that they were associated while Ayers was committing terrorist acts.”

As Media Matters for America has noted, the Times and the AP have nonetheless previously reported Palin's claim without noting their own reporting otherwise.

From the October 13 New York Times article:

Asked about race, Mr. Miller said: ''I think the country is ready for a black president, but a lot of people around here may not be. I just hope that whoever we elect, we all have faith that the person will do the best he can.''

Ms. Palin, who drew sharp criticism from Democrats last week for saying that Mr. Obama had a history of ''palling around with terrorists,'' refrained from personal attacks on Sunday and hammered Mr. Obama on issues like taxes and late-term abortion.

At one point, Ms. Palin said ''we know who the bad guys are,'' and a man in the crowd here screamed ''Obama!'' It was unclear if Ms. Palin heard him; she did not address his remark.

From the October 13 AP article:

McCain and his running mate have toned down their attacks on rival Barack Obama. Last Monday, Palin said Obama was "palling around with terrorists." On Friday, after voters at campaign rallies shouted “terrorist” and “off with his head” toward the stage, McCain called Obama “a decent, family man” whom public shouldn't fear and cut off a woman who called him an Arab.

On Sunday, one man shouted out “Obama loves terrorists” as Palin talked about “the bad guys.”

The character attacks, it appears, are now out of Palin's stump speech as the economy has become the issue on which this election will be decided.