AP Fact-Checks Accurate Clinton Comment By Invoking Monica Lewinsky

[meegbear]

The Associated Press's fact check of President Bill Clinton's DNC speech strained to find statements to check, and at one point attempted to fact-check one of Clinton's accurate assertions by bringing up Monica Lewinsky.

AP reporters Matt Apuzzo and Tom Raum claimed that Clinton repeatedly "cherry-picked facts or mischaracterized the opposition." Here's one of the "cherry-picked facts" or mischaracterizations that they identified:

CLINTON: &quot The Romney) campaign pollster said, 'We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact checkers.' Now that is true. I couldn't have said it better myself - I just hope you remember that every time you see the ad."

This is a direct, verbatim quote from Romney pollster Neil Newhouse as he spoke at an ABC News panel in Tampa last week.

The AP fails to explain how this claim is a "cherry-picked" fact or a mischaracterization of "the opposition," and instead lays out "THE FACTS" this way:

THE FACTS: Clinton, who famously finger-wagged a denial on national television about his sexual relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky and was subsequently impeached in the House on a perjury charge, has had his own uncomfortable moments over telling the truth. "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky," Clinton told television viewers. Later, after he was forced to testify to a grand jury, Clinton said his statements were "legally accurate" but also allowed that he "misled people, including even my wife."

That's the entirety of the AP's fact check of that Clinton statement: Clinton accurately quotes a Romney pollster, and AP responds by dredging up the Monica Lewinsky affair.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/2012/09/06/ap-fact-checks-accurate-clinton-comment-by-invo/189767

[hlthe2b]

1. when Ron Fornier went to AP this was the result.. .he is an abhorrent RW hack

[emulatorloo]

7. Yes, that Rove-loving hack destroyed the AP, and they are still following in his

misbegotten footsteps.

[WCGreen]

2. These people have no shame...

it's all about me and not the story. It really is.

Look at me, look at how clever I am....

There are no journalists left at the national level. They are all angling to get noticed so they can get on the Cable and write a book.

[seabeyond]

3. i listened to one fact that that stated claiming obama compromised wasnt true... and then left it

there and did not explain how he was not compromising.

just cause they say it does not make it true. they may feel obama did not compromise or as much as he should, but.... fact check cannot make a claim without fact. or else we need a fact check for fact check

[Kalidurga]

4. Are they serious???

WTF, how are you going to fact check something that is not in the current topic of discussion? I suppose we could play that game to and play it better. But, it wouldn't get anyone very far.

[librechik]

5. attack of the liberal media---lol

what hacks they are at AP

[jsr]

6. That's the best they can do?

Pathetic.