AP "weasels"

Since late March, 2006 most of my media-related blogging has had to do with the Duke Hoax and frame-up coverage, principally that of the Raleigh News & Observer which, with a March 25 story the N&O knew was a fraud, presented to other media and readers Nifong's frame-up story a full two days before Nifong himself first began telling it in public on March 27.

So I'm "out of touch" with a lot of what MSM has been doing this past year.

But what I've read of MSM reporting doesn't suggest it's getting better. In fact, what I read at blogs - Instapundit, Betsy's Page, Powerline, Newsbusters, to name a few - suggests, if anything, MSM reporting is getting worse.

Something else.

The AP has gotten a number of important stories wrong, and then been reluctant to admit it. What's more, when its errors have been so blatant it's had to say something, the AP’s usually weaseled rather than straight out admitted its mistakes.

This JinC post from July, 2005 suggests it's "same old, same old" at the AP.
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The AP has issued the following correction:

LONDON - In a July 9 story about Prime Minister Tony Blair's comments on overcoming global terrorism, The Associated Press erroneously reported that he spoke of easing the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Blair did not specifically mention the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his interview with the British Broadcasting Corp.

Instead of using a weasel phrase like "Blair did not specifically mention the Isreali-Palestinian conflict," the AP should just say:

"Blair never mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Associated Press made that part up and sincerely regrets having to acknowledge that."

The AP's correction's here.

Hat Tip: Littlegreenfootballs.com
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