US: major news organizations quoted General Clark out of context

Source: http://www.editorsweblog.org/newspaper/2008/07/us_...

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A number of major media organizations in the US took a quote by retired general Wesley Clark about John McCain out of context, media watchdog Fair.Org reported.

This led to the publication of many misleading accounts about McCain’s electability

A few days ago, CBS’s Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer asked Clark about his previous declaration that McCain was "untested and untried", to which Clark replied:

"I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands of millions of others in the armed forces as a prisoner of war."

Schieffer then said, "I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down."

Clark replied, "Well, I don’t think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president."

The Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times and NPR all wrote stories based on Clark’s last quote, but without mentioning that he praised McCain’s military service. News cable channels like MSNBC and Fox News also included false claims.

This issue serves as a timely reminder of the dangers of disregarding the facts for the sake of a great headline.

Source: Fair.Org

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