The AP Changes "Boos" to "Ooohs" in Report on Bush and Clinton

Editor & Publisher ^ | 3 September 2004 | E&P Staff

[BigSkyFreeper]

Published: September 03, 2004 10:00 PM EST

NEW YORK The Associated Press changed "boos" to "ooohhs" Friday afternoon in reporting on President George Bush's first statement to supporters on the heart ailment that has befallen former President Bill Clinton.

In a dispatch sent to subscribers in early afternoon, the AP reported that when Bush, at a campaign rally in West Allis, Wisconsin, told the crowd that he wished to send Clinton his "best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery," the audience "of thousands booed. Bush did nothing to stop them."

Pretty damning, except that AP soon changed its story, only after the original appeared on many Web sites.

Several Web sites revealed that AP "retracted" the report "citing uncertainties about how to characterize the crowd's reaction."

The new version moved on the wire Friday described the same incident this way, after relating Bush's remarks: "The crowd reacted with applause and with some 'ooohs,' apparently surprised by the news that Clinton was ill."

A Knight Ridder/Tribune (KRT) report put it this way: "Some in Bush's audience booed when he wished Clinton well...." The AFP wire report declared that after Bush's statement "thousands of boisterous supporters clapped respectfully."

[andyk]

They can't get away with this stuff anymore

In a way, they did get away with it. Sure, FReepers are complaining about it. I've seen no mea culpa from the AP. I've seen no mainstream coverage of this outright distortion of fact. We won't see it. At best, the AP will issue a wire retraction/update of the story (to which Drudge has alluded). No mainstream paper is obliged to carry such a retraction, nor will one, IMHO. The people who've already been influenced by this story will not have their ill-gotten influence corrected. It's AP SOP, FWIW. :)

[John Lenin]

This is so much reminding me of a movie which I can't think of the name of in which some media mogul sets up a plan to rule the world through murder, intimidation and media manipulation of facts. Right at the coup de grace it all blows up on the mogul from all sides.

[Owl558]

The leftist media simply lies.

[BigSkyFreeper]

Even if it was a stringer in Wisconsin reporting back to NYC, the bureau chiefs in NYC would see such short snippets as "UPDATE: Bush wishes Clinton speedy recovery", "UPDATE: Crowd reacts with 'ooohs'", etc., etc.

Stringers do not write complete stories, they string it out over the wire for those back at the bureau to take those strings of information and tie together into cognitive sentences and paragraphs suitable for print.

[cyncooper]

I agree.

[cyncooper]

There was no booing according to eyewitnesses, none on the audio tapes or video. If there was any bad behaviour it was de minimis and one would hardly expect President Bush to notice it over the cheers, since nobody else can.

I know. And more egregious than even the booing lie was the tacking on of the snotty "President Bush did nothing to stop them". The image that is intended to create in the reader's mind makes me sick.