AIM to Honor People in Pajamas [Congratulations, Buckhead and TankerKC!]

Accuracy in Media (aim.org) ^ | November 4, 2005 | By Roger Aronoff

[Jim Robinson]

"The scandal at CBS involved the use of phony documents to make charges against President Bush regarding his Air National Guard service that were not only unsubstantiated, but contradicted by evidence and information known to CBS at the time."

In memory of Reed Irvine, founder of Accuracy in Media, AIM is awarding its first annual Reed Irvine Investigative Journalism award to two of the bloggers responsible for exposing Rathergate—Dan Rather's use of forged documents to smear President Bush. This episode was a milestone in the history of journalism.

Former CBS and current CNN executive Jonathan Klein derided the bloggers as people "sitting in his living room in his pajamas writing." No matter what they wore, however, they did the research that Rather didn't. They made Rather, the "veteran" journalist, look like a fool.

One is an Atlanta lawyer, Harry MacDougald, who writes under the name "Buckhead" on FreeRepublic.com. He was the first to raise questions about the authenticity of the documents that CBS posted on its website the night of Dan Rather's report on 60 Minutes Wednesday two months before the presidential election last year. From having read a manual explaining the computer program Microsoft Word shortly after it came out and was acquired by his law firm, he knew that the CBS documents couldn't have been typed back in 1972, the year they were purported to have been written, because typewriters from that time weren't capable of proportional spacing the way Microsoft Word does it automatically.

The other award winner is Paul Boley, an active Air Force officer from Montgomery, Alabama, who went by the handle "TankerKC." He had the very first web-post attacking the memos while the 60 Minutes II program was still going on.

[Jim Robinson]

"As AIM goes forward with our awards, there is some evidence that CBS may be coming to grips with the scandal. It's about time."

[Tall_Texan]

Big Kudos.

Making a difference against the forces of evil! Way to go!

[Jim Robinson]

"...And most importantly, she said that "Accuracy must come first. Fair and objective will flow outward from that."

That was the message of AIM founder Reed Irvine. It's too bad that Dan Rather didn't take it to heart. Reed finished his time on earth with his head held high, a man of principle who told the truth. Rather is slinking away in disgrace."

[Jet Jaguar]

ping

[carumba]

I hope Mapes and Rather get invites to the big soiree.

[Jim Robinson]

Congratulations Buckhead and TankerKC!!

Well done!

[Deetes]

Congratulatons !!!!

[Old Sarge]

[RVN Airplane Driver]

It still amazes me that anyone would go to the length's that they did to forge documents and then be so sloppy. Any former officer could tell at a glance something was wrong due to the format and terminology that was used.

BTW, what has happened to any follow up on identifying the perp's who tried this feeble stunt. If we can spend millions over this phony plame leak it would seem that folks trying to influence an election by lying should have some very serious ramifications.

[SeaBiscuit]

Huge Kudos to Buckhead, TankerKC, and
all FReepers that took part.

[advance_copy]

Just think about it. If it weren't for Buckhead and TankerC, John Kerry might be President of the United States now. ((((shudders))))

[Carolinamom]

AWARD time for our fearless and knowledgable FREEPERS, Buckhead and TankerKC! They and FreeRepublic deserve the credit for exposing this intellectual dishonesty.

[Socratic]

Joseph Pulitzer to his staff

"Accuracy! Accuracy is to a newspaper what virtue is to a woman."

[Wolverine]

"Within a few minutes, I was online visiting Websites I had never heard of before: Free Republic, Little Green Footballs, Power Line," writes Mapes...

"They were hard-core, politically angry, hyperconservative sites loaded with vitriol about Dan Rather and CBS."

"This was something else, something new and fundamentally frightening," Mapes writes. "I had never seen this kind of response to any story.

"It dawned on me that I was present at the birth of a political jihad."

Congratulations FReepers!

[Unknown Freeper]

Congratulations. Yes, one man (well, in this case, two men) can make a difference.

[Americanwolf]

Congrats all... you have made history...brought down a media icon... an most of all made sure that the truth came out... thanks for being great!

[Americanwolf]

ping the crew for congrats to these great FReepers!?

[BlessedBeGod]

Oh my goodness, that's awesome! Congratulations!

[Jet Jaguar]

Pinging the crew!

[real saxophonist]

That's good to go. Used to listen to Media Monitor with Reed Irvine and Cliff Kincaid all the time.

And dated a girl who lived in Buckhead. 8~)