The original of this diary got chopped because AP sicced a thug on droogie and threatened him through his employer. The GBCW diary, today, recounts what happened. Well, Hell, my uncle did two+ years in Germany after WW II de-Nazifying 'em, so the least I can do is to follow suit.

And BTW: if any of you dkos folks find yourselves joining the military, you'll take an oath to defend the Constitution. Too bad we don't all take that oath as part of citizenship.

I was inspired by Granny Doc's excellent diary "Taking down the AP" this morning to tell you all something that you might not know about the Associated Press.

As a news consumer, your reasons for disliking the AP are many: slanted reporting, incomplete coverage, sloppy fact-checking, lack of original work, Rupert Murdoch's involvement, etc.

But what you might not be aware of is this: Many newspapers dislike the AP as much as you do, but for different reasons.

Diggit ? Cindy, what's a Diggit ? Diggit Link....

And here is the explicit permission to reprint droogie's original.

Associated Press Washington Bureau Chief Ron Fournier posted the following article shortly after Hillary Clinton's speech at the Democratic Convention Tuesday evening.

http://news.yahoo.com/...

I started writing this diary several times and never quite thought it made the bar. But all this hubbub over the AP got me to thinking about this again.

Fox News is a problem. It's the point of the spear of the right-wing smear machine and a propaganda outlet for the Republican party. It's painful to watch and it's frustrating to watch them lie with inpunity.

But the AP, a once-proud organization that still provides a valuable service today, is much more dangerous and insidiuos. I'll say something nice, first: A lot of the reason we know about various incidents happening across the world is largely due to the AP. Because it's so pervasive and comprehensive, we have a tremendous access to information we wouldn't otherwise have. That's the good part.

(From the diaries -- kos)

In case you're wondering why The Associated Press is so zealously defensive about people saying newspapers don't need them, it's because newspapers don't need them.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune is the latest paper to cancel AP service. In Washington, The Spokesman Review of Spokane canceled around the same time that The Bakersfield Californian cut ties. Several smaller newspapers have joined in. In Ohio, eight of the top newspapers, including The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The Columbus Dispatch, The Cincinnati Enquirer and The Toledo Blade, decided to create their own network, the Ohio News Organization. Now they share local news without submitting it to the AP.

You can expect this trend to continue.

The reason is that with multiple 24-hour news networks, countless news sites online, and even news content on cell phones, consumers can access news from almost anywhere for free. Commoditized news like what the AP offers doesn't add much value to a newspaper while costing newspapers hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars a year. Even after newspapers demanded the Associated Press reduce its fees next year, that cut of approximately 10% still makes the AP a very large budget item for progressively smaller newspaper budgets.

The Associated Press's response to the changing media landscape has been less than impressive. Most famously, it was ridiculed for trying to charge bloggers for using five-word excerpts at up to $2.50 a word. With the increasing threat of mass newspaper cancellation, it's easy to understand why the AP has been so reactive and heavy-handed lately. While Ron Fournier's predecessor worries, "I just hope he doesn't destroy it", the slow death of the AP may continue regardless.

After we all threw a fit this weekend after Karl Rove's buddy and former potential McCain communications team member Ron Fournier produced a total piece of hack 'analytical journalism' on Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden, the worst reporter in the country is at it again, this time questioning Hillary Clinton's unbelievable speech to the DNC by dragging up old quotes she has consistently sought to bury and recant.

This is bad, real bad, and he must be stopped before his total partisan bullshit ends up in papers nationwide for the rest of the election cycle.

Here's the link: Analysis: A Perfect Night for Clinton and Obama?

Quotes on the flip...

I watched Hillary Clinton's speech on c-span and was impressed as heck. She rallied her troops and told them in no uncertain terms that they'd be wrong to vote for anyone but Barack Obama. And she did it in inspirational fashion, as far as I can see.

Based on a conversation in another thread, I thought I'd gather some snippets of the Traditional Media analysis of HRC's speech.

It's all below the fold...

i'm impressed. i've been reading kos, and other blogs, huffingtonpost, greenwald--well that's about all, but i've been reading them relentlessly since bush came into office. i've disagreed with some, left kos now and again when his horse started crashing my ceiling; tired of huffington's self-absorption; felt real disapoint in greenwald's nader-like grinding down of democrats for the sake of the cause when it's clear these causes will never see the light of day without a democrat...

and i've left a few comments over the time (seems like i'm blocked out of huffington and kos, who cares?). but never thought to write a diary (didn't really understand what it is (don't really know what it will be, or if it will be, when i'm done)) until i read droogie's diary about AP going after him.

so just want to say, AP disgusts me.

and i hope everyone does everything in their power (i know that that means miniscule things in between all the fires that need to be quelched, priorities that demand prioritization, and loved ones that deserve your love) to destroy that organization.

I don't know what the protocol on linking to AP stories is, but this one is so ridiculous that you must read it for yourself:

"Edwards' Wife Blasted by Democrats"

That's headlining AOL.com right now. Not Teddy Kennedy or Michelle Obama's amazing convention appearances. Not the Georgian leader's new accusations against Russia. But a story about supposed bickering between Daily Kos and Elizabeth Edwards. Both Foxnews and CNN are carrying the "story" on their front pages. I don't see it on MSNBC.

That's right folks, comments to a blog post are now being treated as national news and evidence of a major rift in the party. And who's the bad guy in all of this, according to the AP: the insensitive hacks at Daily Kos.

Today it took a whole team of Associated Press hacks to write their concern article du jour about trouble at the Democratic convention. We learn that:

Democrats bickered among themselves...

As strains between Obama and some former Hillary Clinton supporters persisted...

Some Democratic activists, meanwhile, voiced concern...

And it took the combined efforts of Scott Lindlaw, Jim Kuhnhenn, Liz Sidoti, Nedra Pickler, Charles Babington and Stephen Ohlemacher to come to these conclusions, backed up with a couple of examples of "some say" there are problems, quotes from James Carville and Paul Begala whining about the tone of the first night of the convention...and a celebrity lawyer who wore a gag to a breakfast meeting of the California delegation. But the Associated Press has decided that Denver is abuzz with Clinton supporters itching for a fight, so it must be so.

I'm sorry.  I can't sit by on this one.

If you haven't read droogie6655321's recommended diary, head over there and catch up on what has transpired since Droogie published yesterday's diary (since deleted) about the AP.

Much, much more over the fold.

Hello,

I got a call from an official of the Associated Press this afternoon at my work number. He or she contends that my diary yesterday, which I have deleted, is filled with fact errors.

Pointing out that the Associated Press is an embarrassment to journalism has become a daily affair, but today they have sunk to new depths. Their report on Ted Kennedy's appearance tonight and the convention is beyond tasteless:

It is, indeed, a last hurrah.

Edward M. Kennedy is taking the stage at the Democratic National Convention Monday night for what likely is his final appearance in a familiar setting.

We're long past expecting any journalistic ethics or integrity from the AP, and now we can scratch common decency off the list too.

Am I being too thin-skinned or what? Is it just me?

Sorry for the short diary, but the Associated Press has an article published within the last half hour that I found on Yahoo... for a change.

copyright © 2008 Betsy L. Angert.  BeThink.org

What is black and white and read all over?  Associated Press reports written by the "respectable" albeit some would say disreputable Ron Fournier.  Few Journalists foment interest in this Presidential election in the way this whimsical writer does.  His prose is not dry.  Detachment does not define the Washington Bureau Chief.  Conventional standards, set by the information industry, might label this laudable lackey as less than logical.  For logic is rarely found in flaming rhetoric.  Fournier describes his approach as “accountability journalism” and “liberating . . . the truth,” as well it should be.

With all of the news coming out of the convention, it's hard to believe that the Associated Press would need to make up a story, but hey, it is the Associated Press...the headline is eye-catching:

Pelosi admits Democrats not yet united

Oh no! This is exactly the kind of story you don't want to see, right? Well, don't worry because there is nothing in the article that justifies the headline. What does Pelosi have to say about the disunity question?

The nomination is decided, we have a vice president, we're going to work together and go forward...You know what? This is like a yesterday room. We are going into the future. What did I walk into, a time capsule?

    Just got off the phone with an representative out of the Washington AP office, which handles political coverage.

UPDATE  Just wanted to make it clear this was all inspired by Granny Doc's diary - I just wanted to throw in a clarification on other things you can do to your yahoo page.  God bless Granny Doc!!!!

UPDATE #2  Does anyone know how to do this on the microsoft/hotmail site?  We could alter all of our home pages in this way.

UPDATE #3  Please go to this site and uprate this commenter on yahoo.com!!!!

http://suggestions.yahoo.com/...

I heard one of the flood of Blabbering Faces quote Ron Fournier's pieces with the lead in that he is "One of the very best political reporters we have".  And I got to thinking...

I posted a comment yesterday evening, in JapserJohns Diary, that was met with encouragement to write a diary about my suggestion.

One trick that will be noted...

move the selection off AP in your Yahoo down load.  Get your feed from any, and everyone, else.  If their links are not being used, they will notice.

I have been watching what television I do watch on my computer these days, since my cable is turned off.  So this afternoon, when I wanted to check out Meet the Press, I searched for NBC News, and the first entry on my search read

Nbc News
See what John McCain said

and it linked to http://www.johnmccain.com