LOL - Paper's birther joke draws rebuke -- UPI

[bsteadman]

Paper's birther joke draws rebuke

UPI
11/21/2012

Excerpt:

HELENA, Mont., Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A change in wire service copy by a Montana editor to say President Obama "allegedly" was born in Hawaii drew a rebuke from a retired wire service employee.

An editor's note in the Helena Independent Record explained how it happened but did not apologize to the wire service or the president.

"Our copy desk made an error in judgment in editing the Sunday 2A Associated Press story about President Obama's trip to Asia and his place of birth," the editor's note said. "One of the copy editors inserted the term 'allegedly' born in Hawaii in the story thinking the other copy editor would catch it, he didn't. It was a poor attempt at humor and a poor decision, but was not intended to be printed in the paper. Those responsible have been disciplined."

Retired AP employee Tom Laceky in Helena didn't think it was so funny.

"The Independent Record made a small but damaging alteration to Sunday's Associated Press story about the president's trip to Asia, and the change needs to be noted," his letter to the editor said. "Otherwise, your readers might make the embarrassing assumption that the AP has joined the birthers.

"As a retired AP staffer of 38 years, the last 28 in the Helena bureau, I regret the unjustified ridicule that your readers may mistakenly aim at the AP.
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View the complete article at:

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/...#axzz2CxTydS84

[bsteadman]

The LA Times: "President Obama 'Allegedly' Born In U.S., So The Story Says"

Birther Report
11/21/2012

Excerpt:

President Obama 'allegedly' born in U.S., so the story says
By James Rainey @ The LA Times

News that a small Montana newspaper inserted the word “allegedly” in the midst of an AP news story -- so that it read “Obama was allegedly born in Hawaii” -- caused a small furor Tuesday. But how should we read this latest commentary on the president’s birthright?

A) Proof that racism runs rampant in American society.

B) Evidence that "birthers" have infiltrated the ranks of the mainstream media.

C) An instance of precision from journalists, most of whom have been too willing to accept flimsy proof of President Obama’s birthplace.

D) As a window into how bored journalists amuse themselves on deadline.

It would be more fun to vote for one of the more nefarious conclusions, but in fact America can be almost certain that the scribes at the Helena Independent Record don’t really think Obama was reared on the Serengeti.

I’m voting for D).

And that would be the explanation offered in an editor’s note Tuesday — that a copy editor inserted the offending modifier into an otherwise accurate account from Associated Press, “thinking the other copy editor would catch it, [but] he didn’t.” The note added: “It was a poor attempt at humor and a poor decision, but was not intended to be printed in the paper.”

CONTINUED HERE: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics...,4246044.story

View the complete Birther Report presentation at:

http://obamareleaseyourrecords.blogs...orn-in-us.html