Redstate

Far enough to smear a legitimate charity doing good work.

By Erick Posted in Liberals — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

It's unfortunate for Operation Blessing, a Christian non-profit, that Pat Robertson is interested in purchasing a newspaper. In this case, the Virginia-Pilot.

Regardless of what you think of Pat Robertson, the Associated Press has decided that he should not be permitted to purchase a newspaper because, as you saw with the New York Times treatment of Rupert Murdoch buying the Wall Street Journal, right of center individuals are not allowed to buy vestiges of the MSM.

The AP decided to do something about it. They have called into question Robertson's purchase accusing him of wanting to shut down an MSM voice that criticizes him. The AP cites a *1999* story and, in the process of making its case, completely misstates the facts.

But that's okay because of the greater good of casting aspersions on the purchase — even if it means dirtying the reputation of Operation Blessing, a very good charity doing very good work around the world.

Read on . . .

Reporter Sonja Barisic writes

In 1999, Robertson held a news conference to dispute The Pilot's report that Virginia's consumer protection agency wanted to prosecute his international charity, Operation Blessing, for making deceptive appeals for donations but was overruled by the state attorney general's office.

The paper, citing a report by the Office of Consumer Affairs, said Robertson made false claims about the use of Operation Blessing airplanes in humanitarian relief efforts in Africa when the planes were used to haul equipment for a Robertson-backed diamond mining venture.

Robertson accused the paper of conducting a vendetta against him and said he told his attorneys to look into the possibility of filing a libel lawsuit against the newspaper.

There's just one problem.

What Sonja Barisic or her editors at the Associated Press do not say is that the Virginia Attorney General found no basis to take action against Operation Blessing International, or its founder, Pat Robertson, in connection with a humanitarian project in Zaire in 1994-95. The AG’s report clearly states, “there was no intent by Robertson or [a company connected to him] to exploit Operation Blessing” and concludes that “Operation Blessing was motivated by legitimate charitable purposes” when it purchased several aircraft that proved to be unsuitable for humanitarian work in Africa.

Furthermore, in a letter to the Virginia-Pilot, the paper that “broke” the story, the Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, J. Carlton Courter, III disputed the paper’s characterization of their original interest in the situation—which Ms. Barisic rehashes uncritically—by writing, “First, you claim that we recommended that charges be brought against Mr. Robertson, or operation Blessing. This is false. The word ‘prosecute’,’ which is so prominent in your story, does not even appear in our report.”

Of course, that the AP chose to totally mischaracterize key information and harm the reputation of a very good charity doing very good work doesn't really matter. They are, after all, defending the MSM from encroachment by a conservative voice.