NYT/AP: Huffington Apologizes for Clooney Blog

[DeepModem Mom]

Huffington Apologizes for Clooney Blog
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: March 21, 2006

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Commentator Ariana Huffington apologized to readers for a blog posted on her Web site on March 13 that was attributed to actor George Clooney but was actually a compilation of his views.

Huffington acknowledged on her Web site Saturday that she was ''blinded'' to the issue of assembling a blog in which the source of the material wasn't clear, as was the case with Clooney.

''I now realize that I made a big mistake in posting a blog without clearly identifying that the material in it didn't originate as a blog post, but was pieced together from previous interviews,'' she wrote. ''I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier.''

Last week, Clooney issued a statement denying he wrote the blog, saying he only gave Huffington permission to use a compilation of his critiques of the Iraq war from interviews with Larry King and London's The Guardian.

On Monday, Huffington said she considered the misunderstanding a ''major lesson learned'' and would put future snippets from interviews or conversations into her own blog....

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-People-Clooney-Huffington.html

[kurth]

1. Ariana can do whatever she wants

in my book.

The Bush cult will make a big deal out of this. They can go fuck themselves.

[hang a left]

2. She should have apologized and corrected it last week when

she was asked to by George Clooney.

[jayfish]

3. Yeah, Let's Pick Knits.

As far as I am concerned it was a class move by a class act.

Jay

[hang a left]

6. Your entitled to your opinion....

I thought it was a pretty deceitful, and she should have corrected it immediately.

Some backround:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=667983

[fujiyama]

11. Agreed

I thought Clooney was blogging there as well. I'd say it's pretty misleading.

This makes Ariana look like an idiot. She could have easily quoted certain parts from the conversation, explained these were answers to interview questions.

The website is actually pretty decent and has some interesting blogs, but this hurts her credibility and might make people less comfortable in speaking to her.

[Love Bug]

13. She did correct it immediately. Look up her blog for 3/15

She then apologized again on the 18th and listed the criteria they will use in the future to make sure something like this doesn't happen again. The whole thing was a well-intentioned mistake. Can we cut her some slack, here?

[hang a left]

14. She did not correct it immediately.

She was contacted on Monday the 13th and asked to retract the post. She refused. Clooney was forced to make a public statement on the 15th. Arianna felt she had legal standing because of the email from the publicist and chose not to act right away. However, upon the request of Clooney she should have corrected it immediately, not wait two days. Now she has egg on her face.

It was misrepresentation. Everyone thought that Clooney was blogging at Huffington. IMO she used Clooney, and she used her readers.

The alternative media is all the left has. The cause is too important to have it tainted by dishonest tactics.

[RazzleDazzle]

8. Nits.

Term for the eggs of lice. If you ever saw them, you'd thoroughly understand the full meaning of nit-picking AND nit wit.

[GregW]

4. "Major lesson learned" ...

Like, oh, maybe being married to and stumping for a closet-gay Republican senator wannabe who tried to buy a seat in the senate?

I love her website and mostly agree with her views, but no matter how many times she tries to explain her past I keep keep scratching my head and go, :wtf:

[Skittles]

5. my guess is Mr. Clooney will accept the apology graciously

it was a serious error; I thought he was blogging on her site.

[Misskittycat]

7. On CNN, they said Clooney doesn't like blogs; thinks they're not

"accountable." That was their comment about this story.

This upset me a lot because I thought Clooney was more sophisticated than that in the way of the blog world. Sure some blogs are full of crazies, but lots of blogs nowadays provide an important information service not being provided by the corporate media. Morever, my experience reading blogs is that the readers quickly correct any misinformation on the (reputable) blogs. In that way, blogs -- and message boards like DU -- are much more accountable than other media or reporting sources.

Maybe somebody needs to give Clooney evidence that blogs are great for freedom and democracy -- kind of nicely educate him about this.

[Skittles]

12. blogs are still fairly new for a lot of people

I hope Mr. Clooney will come around; like everything, some are crap but there are some real gems out there

[Misskittycat]

15. It would be nice if we could educate people like that because when George

Clooney says he doesn't think much of blogs, he has a lot of people listening to him.

I just got off the phone with a candidate friend of mine (who shall go nameless, because I promised it would be off the record) but I explained that I was more progressive than he and that I blogged several hours a day. His reply was: "My staff won't let me read the blogs." I told him that was a BIG mistake, and that he should ignore us at his peril.

I don't have a clue how to reach George Clooney, but maybe there is some backdoor accessibility. After all he is active in liberal circles, so some liberals must have access to him.

[Skittles]

16. I have a feeling he peruses DU

yes indeed, I do

[anotherdrew]

9. it's a trifling matter. n/t

[donheld]

10. Arriana was hoping for a spanking

She wanted some good Clooney discipline. :evilgrin: