Quick translation... (Updated)
By Moe Lane Posted in Democrats — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
...of the latest Fitzmas Fizzle (thanks to Tim Blair, again)
Read on.
On Saturday afternoon, May 13, 2006, TruthOut ran a story titled, "Karl Rove Indicted on Charges of Perjury, Lying to Investigators."
Not a translation: it's merely the only sentence in this post that's objectively true, so I'd thought that I'd isolate it out.
The story stated in part that top Bush aide Karl Rove had earlier that day been indicted on the charges set forth in the story's title.
Translation: this was actually the reason why all you crazy kids tuned in, but you're no more willing to admit that we got burned on this than we are, so you'll forgive us. As usual. You also won't bring up any inconvenient questions about all the stuff that we did say that people have categorically denied.
The time has now come, however, to issue a partial apology to our readership for this story.
Translation: Time's run out on the clock here and sacrificing chickens to Cthulhu didn't work this time. We thought about getting Bob from the mailroom to take one for the team instead, but apparently Anybody But Bush is just a slogan for some people...
While we paid very careful attention to the sourcing on this story,
Translation: Trust us. Trust us, or we will reveal the cosmic horror of objective truth to you! Do you want us to do that to you? Do you? Do you?
I didn't think so.
we erred in getting too far out in front of the news-cycle.
Translation: we got caught.
In moving as quickly as we did, we caused more confusion than clarity.
Translation: we got caught.
And that was a disservice to our readership and we regret it.
Translation: we got caught.
As such, we will be taking the wait-and-see approach for the time being.
Translation: We are now going to completely drop this subject, until such time as somebody in this administration gets indicted. Should that actually happen - and, Cthulhu and Bob willing, it really will be Karl Rove - we will immediately start crowing that we were right all along and be all in-your-face to the people who laughed, LAUGHED at us! If it doesn't happen, well, you guys are only here for the speaking-truth-to-power and the free bile anyway. You don't want to remember, and we don't want to remind you. Everybody wins.
We will keep you posted.
Translation: Just not on the front page. Google, you know.
Update [2006-5-20 19:45:10 by Moe Lane]:: Shorter Wayne Madsen: We stand by our story, but we're not going to tell you who told it to us. But, really, you can trust us, unlike Karl Rove and George Bush and all those other guys.
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Quick translation... (Updated) 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
character traits.
A news source wanting credibility must first be willing not merely to admit its mistakes, but to trumpet them.
One of my favorite blogs is Groklaw, which focuses on Free Software and law. It's run by a paralegal-turned-journalist, Pamela Jones, who is very thorough, a woman of great professionalism. The few times I've seen errors pointed out to her, the retraction has been swift, unequivocal, and of at least as much prominence as the original error.
CBS News, as a counterexample, stood by a story it promulgated based on forged documents, in effect saying they knew the story had to be true even if they had no evidence. Its credibility still has not recovered.
But admitting a mistake, forthrightly and quickly, takes courage. Few of us want to admit a mistake naturally, so we learn to do so as a mark of character. Or we skip that lesson, and unwittingly show it when we can least afford to do so.
10 Translation: We made this up and we're sorry you fell for it.
- Truthout. What a perfectly appropriate website name for a made up story.
- Excuse me? Either Rove was indicted or he wasn't.
- Do you know about the 48 hour rule.
- "we erred in getting too far out". Can this realy be true?
- have we lost contact with reality
- we claim to be right, just off on the timing.
- political fantasies are now the game
- If only we had used the Electric Koolaid Acid Test
and the best one
1. Write it and it will come true..
identity, which wasn't classified, there doesn't appear to be a secret this nation can keep anymore. Not that the contrast bothers the reality based community of the left.
i wudn't put ANYTHING past HIM!
...is knowing exactly what motivates them (Liberal Democrats) and then telling everybody about it. That's the only release of highly-classified information that infuriates Liberals.
Maybe what they mean by "Truthout" is that truth is, literally, out--as in "so last week." Who needs it?
Don't know why, but its a good thing for a bunch of liers to be off the web.
We'll say "I told you so" for telling you it had already happened.