Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor crafts Biased Article - Says potenti

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_steven_l_060604_associated_press_wri.htm


June 4, 2006

Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor crafts Biased Article - Says potential future Democratic House Leaders all ‘Liberals’
by Steven Leser


http://www.opednews.com


Steven Leser

On its website, the Associated Press says its mission is to “be the essential global news network, providing distinctive news services of the highest quality, reliability and objectivity with reports that are accurate, balanced and informed.” The below article (which I include in its entirety because it is necessary for the reader to form an accurate opinion) by AP Writer Andrew Taylor failed in this mission on all counts. First some basic background to those who do not understand the news game. When you write an article, you either write News or an Editorial. AP articles are on the news side. News is supposed to be fact-based and not include judgments, opinions or subjectivity. If you want to include any opinions or subjective information, you write an editorial and clearly label it as such.

Mr. Taylor’s below article is what news agencies everywhere should guard against, an editorial masquerading as news. First of all, the term ‘Liberal’ is subjective and depends a lot on perspective and geography. If you ask fifty people what it means to be a Liberal, I guarantee you get at least thirty different answers. If you ask a member of the website Free Republic, they will tell you that anyone to the left of Ronald Reagan is a Liberal, including Republican Senator John McCain. If you ask a member of the Green Party, they will tell you that anyone to the right of Dennis Kucinich is NOT a Liberal and that pretty much excludes everyone on Mr. Taylor’s list and 75% of the Democratic Party. Second, the entire premise is insulting to readers of all stripes. Is there anyone in the American population or electorate who has even a mild interest in politics who would not instinctively know that if the House changes hands to the Democrats that those who will lead it are more ‘Liberal’ than the Republicans running it now? Third, thanks to Ronald Reagan and his ilk, the term has been redefined in the minds of many as a pejorative. I find it difficult to believe that Mr. Taylor does not know this and did not intentionally craft the article around this word as a veiled attack on the congress people discussed therein. The author mentioned the word no less than nine times in his article. Fourth, Mr. Taylor went out of his way to repeat unsubstantiated allegations against Congressman Conyers, who already has served previously as chair of the judiciary committee without ushering in Armageddon, and of course had to bring up the impeachment of Judge Hastings. Although how either of those issues fit into his main premise I have no idea. A better practice would have been to stick to highlighting a few House leaders and describe particular different stances that their replacements would have. Mr. Taylor seemed to start to do this several times but was either too lazy to do a thorough job of it, or too distracted by his seeming anti-Democratic agenda.

The Associated Press needs to take some sort of action. I hate to see anyone lose their jobs but at the very least a counseling session is in order. The two major news agencies in the world are the Associated Press, and Reuters. The lack of real competition means that we are at the mercy of these organizations sticking to their principles and keeping their writers in line with their missions as AP’s is stated above. I have no problem with Mr. Taylor joining me and countless others on the editorial side of the house. But if he is going to write news, then do it properly.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060603/ap_on_go_co/democratic_chairmen

Prospective Democratic chairs all liberal By ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jun 3, 12:46 PM ET

WASHINGTON - If the chips fall right for Democrats and their party seizes control of the House, President Bush's agenda on Capitol Hill would fall into the hands of some of his most dogged opponents.

It's not just would-be Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, but a boatload of Democrats newly running committees who would determine what legislation gets debated and which programs and agencies get scrutiny.

So who are the chairmen to be?

_a Polish-American lawyer with a reputation for making witnesses quiver.

_a die-hard liberal from New York's Harlem with 35 years in the House.

_a free-spending progressive from Wausau, Wis.

_one of the few remaining "Watergate babies" swept into Congress in 1974.

For that to happen, Democrats would need help from voters in November: Right now, Republicans hold 231 of the 435 seats in the House, with 201 Democrats and one independent. Two seats are vacant.

As for those prospective Democratic chairmen, the group is overwhelmingly liberal-leaning.

Only two of 20 earned grades of less than 90 percent on last year's voting records from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action interest group. Half had perfect scores of 100 from the ADA — or would have had it not been for missed votes.

The lawyer is Rep. John Dingell (news, bio, voting record) of Michigan, the dean of the House and the once and maybe future chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. He is a staunch ally of the auto industry and a fearsome inquisitor of bureaucrats and CEOs alike. Dingell, 79, has lost a step in recent years but is among the most respected Democrats.

The liberal with the distinct New York accent is Rep. Charles Rangel (news, bio, voting record), poised to grab the helm of the Ways and Means Committee, which has a sweeping portfolio: taxes, trade, Social Security, Medicare and welfare. He has battled Bush's tax cuts every step of the way, opposed the 1996 overhaul of welfare laws, opposed the North American and Central American free trade accords and pushed for a more generous Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Rep. David Obey (news, bio, voting record), the unapologetic liberal from Wisconsin, is eager to retake the gavel of the powerful Appropriations Committee, which holds the reins on government spending. He briefly led the committee in 1994 before the GOP landslide that year awarded control of Congress to Republicans. Obey came to Washington at the height of the Vietnam War; ever since, he has been an ardent opponent of GOP efforts to clamp down of domestic agency budgets that Congress approves each year.

Rep. George Miller (news, bio, voting record) of California is one of three still-serving members of the huge class of 1974 that swamped Congress after the Watergate scandal. He is in line to head the Education and the Workforce Committee; he was chairman of the Resources Committee in the early 1990s when it was the Natural Resources Committee. Miller also is an unalloyed liberal, but he proved able to work with Bush in writing the 2002 No Child Left Behind education bill that is up for renewal next year.

For Republicans, the prospect of the House being led by a San Franciscan and so many left-leaning chairmen has supporters in business and Washington's K Street lobbying shops aghast. The switch could mark the demise of Bush's tax cut agenda and would usher into power union allies such as Rangel and Miller.

"The whole issue agenda would change," said GOP lobbyist Jack Howard. "All the businesses and trade associations would find themselves on defense."

The prospect of some of Congress' biggest liberals running committees probably will not be much of an issue in GOP fall campaigns, which typically focus more on local issues, said Carl Forti, spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee.

Former conservative Democratic Rep. Charles Stenholm (news, bio, voting record) of Texas says that regardless of any chairman's personal ideology, he would have to produce legislation that was middle of the road. Even if Democrats win control of the House, it would almost certainly be by a narrow margin in which the balance of power would rest with moderate Democrats.

"There will be very little if any legislation that passes that is to the left of center or very far to the left of center," Stenholm said.

The responsibility for determining the floor schedule probably would fall to Rep. Steny Hoyer (news, bio, voting record) of Maryland, who could advance to the majority leader's post from his current job of minority whip. Hoyer and Pelosi fought a sometimes bitter race five years ago for a leadership post, but seem to have patched up their relationship.

In a potential power switch between the parties, more than an unrelenting string of liberal Democrats are positioned to take over committees.

Rep. Collin Peterson (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota, who would run the Agriculture Committee, is anti-abortion and as pro-gun as practically anyone in the House. Rep. Ike Skelton (news, bio, voting record) of Missouri is a longtime hawk in line to lead the Armed Services Committee.

Black lawmakers would run major committees.

Besides Rangel, there is Rep. John Conyers (news, bio, voting record) of Michigan, in line for the top spot on the Judiciary Committee; Rep. Bennie Thompson (news, bio, voting record) of Mississippi on the Homeland Security Committee; and Rep. Alcee Hastings (news, bio, voting record) of Florida at the Intelligence Committee.

Conyers has been accused by former aides of misusing his office by turning them into baby sitters for his children. He is the prime sponsor of a resolution that seeks to investigate grounds for possible impeachment of Bush over the war in Iraq.

Impeachment is hardly the message Democrats want to take to the swing voters expected to decide the outcome of the election.

"Democrats are not about impeachment," Pelosi said last month on NBC's "Meet The Press."

Hastings, a charismatic former federal judge, was impeached and removed from the bench in 1989 for fabricating evidence that secured his acquittal in 1983 on bribery charges.

Republicans award chairmanships based on the evaluation of a leadership committee that takes into account leadership fealty, fundraising prowess and other factors. Democrats would award would-be chairmanships strictly by seniority.

I'm sorry, is that a controversial statement?

Blacks, Poles, Liberals, Women , egads !....run everybody, their going to take our country.

What a piece of shit this guy is :evilfrown:

I thought that was a good thing?

attempts to bias readers against Democrats in general and the potential future committee chairs in particular. And he ABSOLUTELY did it intentionally. He thought he was really slick about it too.

:toast:

really, a very poor excuse for journalism. Can't believe the AP would print that crap as news. :-(

Pelosi is the most liberal of the bunch, and even SHE makes concessions to the koolaid drinkers. As for the rest, I don't see that any of them are raging liberals, not that being one is an insult. It would certainly be great if they all were. . . .

if any? :shrug: