CNN debunks false report about Obama

[sabra]

Run time: 06:04 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-kPCCog0BY   Posted on YouTube: January 22, 2007 By YouTube Member: frajam Views on YouTube: 44588   Posted on DU: January 23, 2007 By DU Member: sabra Views on DU: 4021

 

[China_cat]

1. Two birds with one stone

Smear Obama and blame it on Clinton.

[matcom]

2. K&R

[Tektonik]

3. kick

:kick:

[IWantAChange]

4. Am I actually getting a whiff of integrity?

Imagine a world where the MSM actually refutes Repug BizzaroWorld propaganda! Might this be a tiny step toward self-enforcement of the Fairness Doctrine?

[Tin Man]

6. Props to CNN on this one.

...actually went to Jakarta to examine the school and, as a result, expose the silly and baseless "madrass" allegations.

[helderheid]

10. absolutey. Rec 5!

[Bitwit1234]

5. Where is the republican outrage remember

how they went berserk when Rather, reported a true story, but had a forged memo to do it. Darn the republicans wanted a congressional investigation. They screamed from the rooftop of the capitol. Haven't heard one of them say a thing. See the dif if about a republican -- who committed a crime. But if about a democrat ha ha ha good laugh the jokes on him.

[John Gauger]

7. Real journalism? From CNN?

I'm astonished. I've never seen anything even approaching that kind of candor and integrity from CNN. That's the first time I've ever actually seen them do their job. Wolf said, "Like any serious journalism outlet...." Oh, so you do know what journalism is, you've just been avoiding it so far.

Great piece, though. I'm glad they eviscerated that bullshit story. I'm really happy. It's a nice feeling.

[smoogatz]

14. Astonished says it perfectly.

What the hell has gotten into them--it's like they're actually interested in doing their jobs, or something. Whatever--I'll take it.

[rfranklin]

28. I think it was more about competing with Fox than integrity...

Just my view of the competitive nature of the news biz.

[IWantAChange]

30. rfranklin - u r probably right - but one can hope can't they??

[zalinda]

46. They are trying to position themselves as a

serious news channel again. Too bad they've dropped the ball for 5 years. I guess better late than never.

But what may be more telling is that they are clearing up rumors about 2 candidates that probably can't be elected. Not that I don't like the 2 of them, but I don't think the south would vote for either of them, at least not yet. If Gore had gotten in, it would probably be a different story. But socially, we have gone backward in this country in the last 5 years. They are bending over backward trying to make these 2 the front runners, because they know that the country isn't ready for a black, woman, or even a Hispanic to be president.

zalinda

[LuckyLib]

54. And the second part of the "real journalism" would be CNN

actually posing the question, "Who stands to gain by planting such inflammatory stories and blaming it on Hillary?" It's Republican Swiftboating 101 with, as mentioned above, a "two birds with one stone" twist.

[LiberalVoice]

8. All Madrassa means in arabic is "school"

I went to madrassa. Am I a terrorist?

Edit: Blatant media ignorance.

[etherealtruth]

32. I doubt that it is media ignorance

I think it was purposeful and calculating ... they know what a madrassa is ... they simply counted on American ignorance of other cultures/ societies and sought to perpetuate negative attitudes toward it.

[LiberalVoice]

48. You may be right...

In fact you probably are. There has to be one person at all of the 24 hour news stations that knows what madrassa means.

[Mortos]

9. I don't think this would fall under the fairness doctrine

for the crap right wing magazine that started this lie or the crap right wing cable news channel that ran with it but there should be some law passed that blatant lies reported by media outlets should carry some risk to the people and companies that report them. If the U.S. government can fine television and radio stations millions of dollars for showing Janet Jackson's bejeweled tata then there should also be penalties for the obscene lies spread as fact by Fox News and the Moonie Magazine.

If this lie was spread, and I am sure it was, by right wing radio over the public airwaves, then that would fall under the fairness doctrine and is a good example of why it needs to be restored. Imagine every right wing program that echoed this bullshit being federally required to give equal (uninterrupted) time for the truth to be exposed.

The fairness doctrine is the only thing that can insure the lies created by Rupert Murdoch and Moonie's crowd do not leak into the public consciousness and become incorrect common belief (see lies about Al Gore, John Kerry, Bill Clinton et. al. that a majority of Americans believe are fact just because the lies were repeated so many times by the right wing and then the MSM echo chambers)>

To compliment the fairness doctrine, monetary fines should be imposed on papers and cable channels that propagate lies. There is no shame on the right wing side for reporting lies, no apologies and never, ever retractions. Fines are the only things that these huge billion dollar corporations fear.

Congrats to CNN for finding it's journalistic integrity. I hope it is the beginning of a trend.

[The Wizard]

13. They have plenty of money

Tie Moon and Murdoch to a pole and administer a public horse whipping. With pain comes awareness.
As for GOP enablers CNN: One honest act does not balance the books. Wolfie belongs to AEI, one of the chief architects of the war and promoters of the "Surge." Leslie needs to have his foreskin reattached.

[RubyDuby in GA]

11. The powers that be on the right must be absolutely terrified of Obama

And as well they should be.
I'm shocked shitless that CNN actually had the balls to set the record straight.

[Scriptor Ignotus]

27. indeed they are

they have already been reaching for ways to smear him. Ever wonder why they keep bringing up the fact that he is "half-black"? Wonder if he would be a better candidate if he was "full black"? Or worse?

Good for CNN, although I normally hesitate to compliment anyone for doing what they are supposed to do - in this case for reporting the facts.

[blondeatlast]

49. I'm afraid that in this world, we must take notice when the media

does what it was intended to do. It's the only way to urge them to continue it.

Sad it is. I remember (vaguely) Watergate and knowing what an impact Helen Thomas had on me.

[AwakeAtLast]

57. Totally agree with you. On both points!

:hi:

[BearSquirrel2]

62. You mean ...

You mean that the people running CNN are terrified enough to Put his picture up on the screen and call him Osama? You mean worried enough to do idiotic pieces on the "name confusion" between Osama and Obama that really didn't come to prominence until Faux and CNN tried to "debunk" it?

[izzybeans]

12. I feel really bad for those Indonesian educators. Ethnocentric assholes used them

for partisan attacks. And then our "journalists" actually sent someone there to query them on it. This is twisted in more than one way.

But I did notice one thing. Those kids at the school clearly hate American freedom. They were playing with tennis balls on a basketball court. Blasphemy. And...AND...THEY WERE DANCING LIKE SAVAGES IN THEIR MUSIC CLASS! there is no proof they aren't terrorists. Now if they were line-dancing, or at the least droppin' like its hot, then I'd say we are all safe from the Obama/Osama menace. :sarcasm:

[Sweet Freedom]

15. I literally had a conversation about this minutes ago...

and just sent the person this link. Thanks for posting.

[Auggie]

16. Something tells me we haven't seen anything yet

[LuckyLib]

55. You're right about that. It's starting slowly in terms of language, as well.

The term "rock star" repeated ad nauseum by parroting media outlets. It minimizes him as a serious candidate.

[Jackpine Radical]

17. Maybe you can inoculate people against pathological lies

the same way you inoculate them against viral disorders, i.e. by giving them small weakened doses of the virus (or lie) and then letting their immune system (skills of discernment) learn to recognize and repel the noxious and destructive invaders.

[JAbuchan08]

18. Fox news lying?

say it ain't so Bill'O sat it ain't so.

[ms liberty]

19. This would be hilarious if it weren't so disgusting...

I'm glad to see CNN perform it's journalistic duty exposing this as the smear it is and the smear-ers themselves for their lies.

It really is just too much. What will it be next? "Obama pinched a little white girl in the 7th grade! That little girl was Hillary Clinton! She then contracted with a Mafia hit man to eliminate his family and staged an elaborate cover-up in order to make our President look like the culprit! And all before the age of 10!"

Jeezy Creezy these people are worse than a dime-store novel!

[erpowers]

20. Does He Have a Chance

Now that it is out that Obama went to a muslim school does he have any chance of winning the general election? I know this school is not a radical school; however, now days in America anything that has muslim in it is considered radial. There are many people, especially white people, who are extremely afraid of anything that comes from the Middle East. Will his attending a muslim school scare too many people away from him for him to win the election?

[Patiod]

21. My 83-yo dad bought this hook, line and sinker

Didn't even question it. He even added: "he won't come out and say whether he's Christian or Moslem".
I told him "He has said clearly that he's a Christian. He's UCC, and he's been UCC since before he went into politics".
"Isn't that one of those fundamentalist churches?"
/bang head on wall

Saw a right-wing idiot on a local Sunday morning "roundtable" spouting the same crap, and also trying to blame Sen. Clinton for "revealing" the information. No one challenged the guy on it, either. (I sent him your link, though!)

As I said to my dad "he went to a Catholic school for 2 years, too, and it didn't make him Catholic."

Delighted to see them post some real journalism as opposed to Faux's "Fax"

[gratefultobelib]

22. No, I don't think so--at least not for enough people to make much

of a difference. I think his race will (unfortunately) be more of a problem with some redneck white voters, even Dems.

[progressivebydesign]

40. He did not go to a Muslim school. Did you watch the clip?

He went to a PUBLIC school in Indonesia, where the majority of students were muslim (because it's in Indonesia), but there are christian students, bhuddist students, etc., and they have one hour of religious study in THEIR own religion. You're perpetuating that rumor by your subject line. It's a PUBLIC school.

[blondeatlast]

50. thanks--I'm glad someone beat me to it (I just got home from work).

Somebody had to point out that enormous leap of credulity.

[erpowers]

51. Muslim

From what I read at the CNN website Obama in his own book said he went to a muslim school. Have you read his book. I think what was said was that he went to a muslim school in Indonesia, but the school allowed other religions to be taught. I think the Republicans were trying to say that the muslim school was a radical muslim school which taught a radical version of islam.

[SteveM]

52. Obama should worry less about Swift Boating than his gun policy.

I will continue to float his position in all messages about Obama: he is in favor of banning possession and sale of ALL semi-automatic weapons -- ducks guns, .22 squirrel rifles, 742 deer rifles, handguns held by tens of millions of Americans for self-defense. He should work on this position while he has time; readers here should work on HIM, if they want him to be a viable candidate.

[benEzra]

56. You are EXACTLY right...

and resurrecting the Dems'll-take-yer-guns meme, via attempts to ban self-loaders, rifles with handgrips that stick out, etc. would be very ill-advised. Unless you want a repeat of 1994-2004, stay the hell out of people's gun safes.

Dems and the Gun Issue - Now What? (written in '04, vindicated in '06, IMO)

[Mr. McD]

23. A new direction for CNN? Makes me think of

"Ladies and gentlemen, uh, we've just lost the picture, but what we've seen speaks for itself. The Corvair spacecraft has apparently been taken over- 'conquered' if you will- by a master race of giant space ants. It's difficult to tell from this vantage point whether they will consume the captive Earthman or merely enslave them. One thing is for certain: there is no stopping them; the ants will soon be here. And I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords. I'd like to remind them as a trusted TV personality, I can be helpful in rounding up others to toil in their underground sugar caves." -- Kent Brockman

[maxrandb]

24. Has CNN Demanded a retraction, apology, etc from it's own Glen Beck

who was running like Jesse Owens with this story the other day on CNN HEADLINE NEWS.

Be careful CNN. You lie down with dogs...you get fleas!

They can't have it both ways. Now, if they were fire said "journalist" Beck, then they might start to get back some of their integrity.

[tblue37]

25. Did you notice that the report actually commented on

the way the "right wing echo chamber" pumped up a story that was nothing but a false rumor? The CNN report actually used the phease "right wing echo chamber"!

[peaches2003]

26. The damage is already done

and how many people ever believe an explanation after they have read the juicy stuff. I read right wing sites and this has been repeated over and over straight from FoxNews to every right wing radio station and website there is. It no longer matters to these people if it is true or not- they are not willing to 'trust our country to a Mooooslem'.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lerkfish]

31. since they apparently AREN"T, I find your speculation incendiary

I don't prefer Clinton as my candidate, but this post is an attempt to create division where none exists, IMHO.

[July]

33. To quote John McEnroe, "You canNOT be serious!"

"Her campaign will make W's '04 campaign look squeaky clean by comparison"? Are you kidding? You think Hillary's team will be WORSE than Rove, Hughes, the Smear Boaters, the Purple Heart Band-Aid freaks, and the people who tried to get Catholic bishops to refuse to give communion to Kerry? (And those are just some of the tactics of the "squeaky clean" team.)

Hillary's as ambitious as everyone else in Washington, but we'll see if she will really smear other candidates more than Bush, Rove, and their lemmings did in '04.

Meanwhile "she almost definitely has her own Swift Boat team at the ready." Unsubstantiated assertion to support your very negative prediction. Have any real facts?

[rexcat]

35. "Honestly"...

I am surprised that you have this word in your vocabulary. This attack is typical of the right-wingers and will be repeated ad nauseam by them.

[progressivebydesign]

41. Oh god.. more hillary bashing. Hannity? Is that you? n/t

[Missy M]

42. You are as bad as the people who smeared Barack Obama...

and I don't believe smear posts like this against Hillary Clinton belong on DU.

[milkyway]

34. The ugly side of our country will get a lot worse if Obama gets close to winning

the Presidency. The swiftboating of Kerry and this madrassa nonsense will seem like a holiday at the beach compared to what's to come for Obama.

And they're getting ready for Hillary also by giving one of Rove's oppo researchers subpoena power as A.G. in Arkansas. They're probably already rounding up highly paid liars in Arkansas to accuse her of everything except piloting one of the jets on 9/11 (and, of course, she will be blamed during the campaign for 9/11, along with Bill).

There's one candidate who has grown so much in stature that he would be almost impossible for the evil forces of the anti-American right to take down: Al Gore. I'll completely support Obama or Hillary as the Dem nominee, but a shitstorm awaits them. A Gore/Obama ticket, however, could bring us 16 years of a Dem presidency (and Congress).

[DrunkenMaster]

37. I would absolutely vote Gore/Obama!

and I think you are 100% correct that if Obama runs in any capacity the racists will come out of their holes...just take a peek at what they did to Ford in TN!

[progressivebydesign]

43. That's my choice, too!! n/t

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

36. Where was this kind of reporting in 2003?

I suppose we should be grateful and CNN actually took the time to do its job, but why in the Sam Hell haven't they been doing it all along? A sober, responsible review of the facts in January, 2003 would have probably prevented the invasion of Iraq. A fair and non-partisan review of the Swift Boat allegations against John Kerry would have probably changed the outcome of the 2004 Election.

Welcome to the party, Wolf. What kept you?

[whathappened]

39. ah think about it

lets all get behind him and get him in the front running crowd , this is why cnn is saying what they are doing , they want obama to run and plus leave the thoughts about him being a muslum in the air

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

44. I'm imagining a CNN Marketing meeting...

Boss: We need something, something big, that will separate us from the competition.

Doofus: Maybe we could expand Glenn Beck to two hours per night!

Boss: Nah, nah. That's not working out on just one hour a night. Remind me to fire whoever hired that guy. No, we need something else.

Mousy Guy: Here's a thought. I mean, it may not be the best idea...

Boss: What? Out with it!

Mousy Guy: Well, I remember in journalism school, they told he was should be skeptical about official sources. And we we use an anonymous source, should find at least one other corroborating source -- one willing to be named in the article. I remember a professor who said we should do this thing called "leg work" and not rely on heresay.

Doofus: That sounds like extra work to me.

Mousy Guy: Of course it is. And it will cost more, but if people are willing to pay $5 bucks for a lousy cup of coffee at Starbucks, maybe they'd be willing to pay a little extra to support honest reporting.

Boss (Intrigued): Yes. Hmmm...That's an idea, I suppose.

Mousy Guy: We could market ourselves as real journalists. CNN could be the place people go when they want to hear real news and not some talking head reading press releases.

Boss: Sweet Katie Couric, you've got something! It's an angle, a marketing niche. Let's run with it!!

[progressivebydesign]

38. CNN was REALLY stressing the 'responsible journalism' thing.

I sense that perhaps polling has shown that the bullshit factories, like Faux, are losing favor with the public? Was it Faux that did the osama/obama "mixup" graphic? I'd LOVE to see CNN come back from the dark side.

[Ravenseye]

45. Whew

...because we wouldn't want anyone to be a leader in this country who was muslim, or even went to a muslim school for a couple of years when he was 6. Obviously any muslim american can't be trusted to take part in our system.

end :sarcasm:

That's the part of the story that really twists me. It's a 'nasty' and 'dirty' rumor that he had attended an islamic school for a couple of years when he was 6 to 8 years old. Really? Why is it dirty? Because being a muslim is bad? Muslim's are untrustworthy?

Muslim American's are as good and trustworthy as any other ones. The fact that saying a candidate attended a religious islamic school is seen as an insult or detriment to that candidate, just goes to show the level of hatred and distrust there is to muslim americans. I'm sure Keith Ellison would agree with me. I'm sure my muslim great uncle who fought and risked his life on Okinawa for this country would agree as well.

[Canuckistanian]

47. CNN and Wolf debunking a conservative smear?

Things ARE changing, aren't they?

[budkin]

53. Jeff Greenfield sure was responsible wasn't he?

When he said Obama's style of dress should remind people of Ahmadinejad? Still though, props to Wolf and CNN for actually debunking something. Why wasn't this done in 2004 against the Swift Liars though? Maybe they are getting their balls back because they know Bush is losing power so rapidly.

[Imagevision]

58. Looking forward to debate between Obama, Edwards and Hillary...

[LeahD]

60. and Kerry and Clark. n/t

[Synnical]

59. Can't we report Fox "News" to the FCC?

And force them to stop calling the network "news"? Seriously. They must be stopped.

[BearSquirrel2]

61. Underhanded "smearalism"

So you would like to smear someone, but you think it would be to overt to do it yourself. So you plant a story in a disreputable periodical that makes the smear accusation that you would like. Then you do stories about "allegations" raised. At the end you do a little piece about how it's false. By that time you've planted the next smear piece that you will come along to "debunk".

This is old hat. The Reee-pubs did this to the Clintons for 10 years. The only place we can expect this crap to get appropriate treatment is on the Daily Show.