Posted on 5/27/2004, 11:13:30 PM by RWR8189
Something to Yak About – AP Needs Math Classes
The Associated Press has undertaken a weird ‘less equals more’ style of wordsmithing in its reporting on global terrorism. The AP somehow came to the bizarre conclusion that fewer terrorists means their ranks are swelling. A May 26 dispatch reporting an estimated 18,000 potential terrorists around the world notes a few hundred words deep that the current number is derived from Clinton-era estimates of 20,000 bad guys minus 2,000 killed or captured since George Bush took the War on Terror to the perpetrators of terrorism. So according to the AP’s new math, 20,000 – 2,000 = swelling. Say what?!
Question of the Day for Your Listeners
In the spirit of engaging programming, The Yak humbly submits the following question for your listeners regarding the aforementioned graph: How in the heck does getting 2,000 bad guys off the street amount to “swelling,” the ranks of terrorists?! If it smells like bias…
Why Would AP Leave Out the Facts?
Republican National Committee Communications Director Jim Dyke issued a statement following Al Gore’s “furious” speech to Move On Dot Org Wednesday. Part of the statement noted that while Gore was vice president, Osama bin Laden declared war on the United States of America five times! Yet the AP’s coverage of Gore’s speech dropped that point when including parts of Dyke's statement. The Yak understands folks don’t have to include everything from every statement, but isn’t five declarations of war against us a salient point?
The Whole Truth
For those esteemed broadcasters who suffer with the woefully incomplete AP coverage of Al Gore’s Wednesday rant, here’s the entire statement by the RNC’s Jim Dyke. Go For It! What happens when the news is the news? You pick up the phone and dial 202-863-8614 and ask for RNC Radio Services to get the latest info and guests on how this partisan press coverage is slanting the news to a liberal perspective.
Talkers Profile – WMAL Morning News with Fred and Andy
“If you're talking about it, we're talking about it every morning on The WMAL Morning News! Join Fred Grandy and Andy Parks for four hours of the hottest stories, news-maker interviews, traffic reports every ten minutes on the fives, award-winning news, and Washington's most dependable and accurate forecasts each weekday from 5 to 9 AM.” (SOURCE: WMAL/Washington)
The Final Yak
“Al Gore’s close ties to MoveOn.org cast serious doubts on his credibility.” (SOURCE: Research Briefing for May 26, 2004 by the RNC)
AP does better than AFP. At least AP is aware that metric is not the same as English measure.
"...Clinton-era estimates of 20,000 bad guys .."
You have to take inflation into account.
They musta read my FR post! ;)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1141850/posts?page=2#2
Report: Al-Qaida has 18,000 ready to strike
Posted by adam_az to esryle
On News/Activism 05/25/2004 8:47:19 AM MDT #2 of 73
"LONDON - Despite losses around the world, al-Qaida has more than 18,000 potential terrorists, and its ranks are growing because of the conflict in Iraq, a leading think tank warned Tuesday."
Interesting.
"International Institute of Strategic Studies"
Rat front group. Warning.
"The estimate of 18,000 fighters was based on intelligence estimates that al-Qaida trained at least 20,000 fighters in its training camps in Afghanistan before the United States and its allies ousted the Taliban regime. In the ensuing war on terror, some 2,000 al-Qaida fighters have been killed or captured, the survey said."
20,000-2000=18,000.
So how many were recruited post-Iraq... and where were they trained?
Not Afghanistan. Not Iraq. Using their math, ZERO have been trained since then.
Nice "study." Too bad the whole thing is a non-sequiter.
I was listening to AP radio news this morning. They were reporting on the rising U.S. prison population. Remember the clueless New York Times headline along the lines of "Prison Population Rises Despite Drop in Crime Rate"? AP radio actually said the same thing. These morons are incapable of figuring out that perhaps the crime is dropping because more criminals are in jail.
If is isn't necessarily IS, and abuses in Abu Gharib is TORTURE or considered commesurate with BEHEADING then 18,000 can easily be described as MORE than 20,000!!!
The one that writes the press release knows what he is saying, although the voice reading the item probably wouldn't remember 30 seconds later. Don't blame the news service for 100% of it. Maybe 50%. Blame can be shared.
Indeed, apparently there is an obesity epidemic among terrorists.
However, in an ominous and threatening rebuttal, Al Qaeda spokesman Abdul al-Fati al-Grosmani has reportedly stated that "we are hopeful that the removal of 'super size' options at the satanic and decadent McDonald's will bring our members back into fighting trim."
He went on to issue a fatwa against Mayor McCheese.
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