Saturday, December 18, 2010

American Family Association distorts Associated Press article on DADT repeal

 The American Family Association's One News Now has already begun distorting an Associated Press article about the DADT repeal:

One News Now version:

Despite warnings of a serious disruption in military operations and concerns over prejudice against Christians, the Senate has bowed its knee to homosexual activists and voted to repeal the military ban against gays known as 'don't ask don't tell.'

The Senate agreed on Saturday to do away with the 17-year ban on openly gay troops and sent President Barack Obama legislation to overturn the Clinton-era policy.

Obama was expected to sign the bill into law next week, although changes to military policy probably wouldn't take effect for at least several months. Under the bill, the president and his top military advisers must first certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' ability to fight. After that, the military would undergo a 60-day wait period.

The actual Associated Press article:

In a historic vote for gay rights, the Senate agreed on Saturday to do away with the military's 17-year ban on openly gay troops and sent President Barack Obama legislation to overturn the Clinton-era policy known as "don't ask, don't tell."

Obama was expected to sign the bill into law next week, although changes to military policy probably wouldn't take effect for at least several months. Under the bill, the president and his top military advisers must first certify that lifting the ban won't hurt troops' ability to fight. After that, the military would undergo a 60-day wait period.

Also, One News Now omitted portions of the Associated Press article not conducive to the point of view it is trying to push. Portions like the following:

More than 13,500 service members have been dismissed under the 1993 law.

What makes the situation even worse is that One News Now includes the byline of the AP writer Anne Flaherty, thereby making it appear that she wrote the article as it appears on the phony news organization's site.

Oh well, it's not like anyone figured that the American Family Association, or any of the other religious right groups for that matter, would "go gently into that good night" about the DADT repeal.

But it's so predictable. When you can't add anything to the discussion but lies, you become boring. And right now, AFA is making me yawn.


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8 comments:

Dawn said...

1. I thought AP was charging to swipe their news items?

2. Since they kept the byline in place should we be letting AP and Anne know about the distortion?

Anonymous said...

Great post. But there is an error, I think, in the next to the last sentence. Don't you mean "if you can't BRING anything to the discussion"?

BlackTsunami said...

@ Dawn - I did too. I hope the AP gives them hell over it.

@ Anonymous, thanks for the catch. You can tell that I was writing it pretty quick. LOL. The change was made.

Scott Amundsen said...

Well it sure took 'em long enough. What's it been, six hours?

I must confess that I am going to enjoy watching the Fundies' heads explode over this SO much that it is probably illegal :X

Prospero said...

These jerks have been making yawn for a long time. They aren't (and haven't been) fooling anyone with more than half a brain for a while now. When they finally realize they've been beaten, they'll switch their misinformation machines over to "stem-cell research mode" and invent a whole new batch of lies and distortions to disseminate to their believers.

WMDKitty said...

That didn't take long.

Murr Brewster said...

I'm still enjoying the thought of the Senate on its knees in front of homosexual activists. Now we're talking.

Hyperborean said...

Anyone care to bet that the bible-whacking bigots now desperately hope to stir up a rebellion among fundies in the military for whom the purpose of our military is Xtian holy war?