NYTimes Owes Us An ACORN Smear Retraction

[marmar]

from OurFuture.org:



NYTimes Owes Us An ACORN Smear Retraction
By Dave Johnson

February 25, 2010 - 2:30pm ET


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A month ago while covering the arrest of James O'Keefe after his attempt to tamper with the phones at Senator Mary Landrieu's office the New York Times repeated conservative misinformation that smeared ACORN, and is now refusing to retract their "reporting."

James O'Keefe previously had released videos that purported to show ACORN employees supposedly advising a "pimp" on how to evade the law. These videos were widely publicized in conservative outlets as part of a larger conservative campaign to destroy ACORN, because the organization registers poor people to vote. Usually-careful major media outlets like the New York Times then picked up the "story" from these conservative outlets and repeated the false accusations against ACORN.

An an example of how the Times has repeated the misinformation, this Times story, High Jinks to Handcuffs for Landrieu Provocateur, contained the following:

Mr. O’Keefe made his biggest national splash last year when he dressed up as a pimp and trained his secret camera on counselors with the liberal community group Acorn — eliciting advice on financing a brothel on videos that would threaten to become Acorn’s undoing.

In fact, O'Keefe was NOT "dressed as a pimp." He represented himself as a candidate for Congress who was trying to help women who were being exploited. He then doctored the resulting videotapes to make it appear that ACORN acted improperly. He only dressed as a "pimp" when publicizing his videos, using the racist stereotype to amplify his false claims. This preposterous 1970's blaxploitation-movie costume seemed to resonate with media outlets like the Times. (The woman who played the "prostitute" in the videos has herself been videotaped verifying that O'Keefe DID NOT wear a "pimp" costume.) .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2010020825/nytimes-owes-us-acorn-smear-retraction

[SpiralHawk]

1. How about a little integrity, Gray Lady?

America does not need another Republicon corporate propaganda fishwrap...

[troubledamerican]

3. Integrity? The New York Times? Since when? Why start now?

[sam sarrha]

2. sue that rat bastards ass off.. take everything except his underwear...!!