Washington Times Apologizes For ‘Not Including Mr. Dingell’s Complete Answer’
Washington Times Apologizes For ‘Not Including Mr. Dingell’s Complete Answer’
Yesterday, ThinkProgress noted that a Washington Times editorial falsely claimed Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) refused to “condemn Hezbollah.” The editorial used a chopped transcript of a July 30 television interview, which originated on the right-wing blog Powerline, as evidence. In fact, immediately after the transcript was abruptly cut off, Dingell says “I condemn Hezbollah…”
We encouraged ThinkProgress readers to contact the Washington Times and tell editor Tony Blankley to stop misleading his readers and publish Dingell’s full response. You spoke and the Washington Times listened:
Yesterday’s editorial, “Rep. Dingell and Hezbollah,” unintentionally omitted Mr. Dingell’s full answer to an interviewer’s question asking if he was against Hezbollah. Here are Mr. Dingell’s complete comments:…[Transcript of Dingell’s complete response]
We regret not having been aware of and thus not including Mr. Dingell’s complete answer in yesterday’s editorial.
The Washington Times is still criticizing Dingell. They still maintain that he refused to “denounce Hezbollah.” That’s their prerogative. But at least their criticisms are made side-by-side with Dingell’s actual remarks and not a dishonest caricature.
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38 Responses to “Washington Times Apologizes For ‘Not Including Mr. Dingell’s Complete Answer’”
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So The Washington Times gets it’s news from powerline? I thought that the Reverend had made it clear to his staff that they are to make up their own original misinformation. They must be getting tired over there in the newsroom.
Peace
August 3rd, 2006 at 9:59 amdid Tony’s love-hanky get a little too messy?
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:07 amGood result. Now hopefully, all those ludicrously insisting Dingell said what he clearly didn’t will also apologize, here on TP, for wasting everyones time with a non event.
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:07 amFor example, one who condemned the Nazi party in the 1930s for its violent acts without attributing those acts to the Nazis’ larger ideological agenda would have been guilty of the same moral blindness which allowed the Nazis to rise to power in the first place.
When your fascist propaganda machine doesn’t work, call the other side Nazis.
Similarly, Hezbollah’s stated ideological agenda is the destruction of Israel. Mr. Dingell cannot deny this
Not unlike Israel’s official call for the destruction of Hezbollah. Which side has the moral high ground?
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:09 amNow hopefully, all those ludicrously insisting Dingell said what he clearly didn’t will also apologize, here on TP, for wasting everyones time with a non event.
Comment by Brian Coughlan
I didn’t know you were funny, Brian…
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:19 amI sent the Washington Times an email; good result. Now, how about an email to CNN with a question for Condi Rice who is on Larry King tonight. Let’s bombard his inbox.
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?12
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:43 amThe Washington Times is still criticizing Dingell. They still maintain that he refused to “denounce Hezbollah.â€
DINGELL: I condemn Hezbollah
What do you expect from conservatives? Too stupid to tell a blastocyst from a human being, stupid enough to think Saddam blew up the WTC, dumb enough to vote for chimpy … twice. It’s the trailer-park party.
August 3rd, 2006 at 10:56 am.
The WaTimes is just doing damage control. They want to paper over their appalling carelessness with the argument that “Ok, we were completely wrong on the facts, but we’re still right on the larger issue.” Like most face-saving attempts, this one comes across as pretty lame.
Still, the most telling thing in the new editorial is the admission (some would say “claim”) that they were unaware of Dingell’s full statement. That’s like saying “We regret that we were caught being spoonfed…”
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:04 amYes after they trashed Rep. Dingell they then apologize > lol.
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:10 amI noticed their editorial criticizes Hitler while failing to denounce Hitler’s enemy, Stalin. Obviously the Moonie Times is a hotbed of communism.
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:20 amHow difficult can it be to fact check a televised interview?
Obviously, it must be a major undertaking for such a busy editorial board.
Unless you really don’t care about “facts”. They have such a liberal bias, you know.
Their mission was accomplished. The inital report will be all that is implanted in peoples minds. It is a tried and proven technique and they know it.
August 3rd, 2006 at 11:39 amI guess the apology was on the back page after the crosswords?
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:06 pmThat’s something about the media I’ve always had a problem with. Corrections should get equal footing as the original article. Front page, top half story? That’s where the correction goes. In addition, they should still have to keep the “corrections” section so you have a central place to look it up.
Maybe if it were a little more exposed and obvious, they would be a little more diligent…
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:18 pmIn this vein, we have introduced a feature — as long as we can stand to read Power Line — called The Daily Power Li … e.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:23 pmWant to send more of a signal to the Washington Times? Email John McLaughlin and ask him to stop inviting Tony Blankley on to The McLaughlin Group.
It’s one thing to be a right-wing nutjob. It’s another thing entirely to be deliberately, maliciously involved in the editing of quotes in such a way as to try to make the person appear to say the exact opposite of what they said.
Put some extra pressure on dipshit Blankley.
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:39 pmToday’s news:
So, yes, please keep wringing your hands over the fact that Dingell said no, or didn’t say no. Oh, and Hezbollah is not a genocidal group of fanatics, but a political organization that “builds hospitals and schools.” So too did Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin. C’mon folks, are you this dense?
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:55 pmJudd committed the same ethical violation in is comments on the Dingell interview, with far less transparency than the WT. Where is Judd’s correction and apology for misleading his readers?
August 3rd, 2006 at 12:58 pmFor an interesting critique of Dingell’s moral obtuseness, see http://www.lileks.com/screedblog/index.html
August 3rd, 2006 at 1:00 pmWe’ve missed you, BSR!!! I think TP should adopt the SAME policy as the Washington Times - a meeting of the minds - who knew??? NOW i’m just waiting for the moonbats to inform us ad nauseum that Israel actions are “disproportionate”. “President” Ach-ma-IhateIsrael should just bow down and thank Allah, I’m not in charge,,,,,(I’m sure the Prezs’ friends here at TP are, too!!)
August 3rd, 2006 at 2:56 pmIranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was right when he said that Israel “is an illegitimate regime, there is no legal basis for its existence” becasue it’s an occupation of Palestine. How would it feel if someone stole US lands, forced americans to leave their lands and then started a so called “country”?! Not just that, but also demanded the whole world to acknowledge its existence, calling everyone who refuses to do so anti-this and anti-that. Tell me how would that make you feel?
August 3rd, 2006 at 3:55 pmPlease observer, enlighten me about the STATE of Palestine and the Palestinian People….
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:00 pmObserver - How would you feel if people thought YOU weren’t fit to live? Apologists like you are pathetic prog specimens….. (Notice I did not ask you to think - I realize “feeling” is the progs’ forte…)
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:09 pmThey are the rightful owners of the lands occupied by the Israelis, they are the most courageous people in this world as they face the injustice everyday and never break. I would say this is a fair description. Tell me if U need more ..
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:15 pmPlease produce a map where I can reference the STATE of Palestine. Please share with us the names of Palestinian towns in Palestine…. Jerusalem? Bethlehem? Nazareth? The Palestinians who were kiled andkicked out of Jordan - were they Jordanians or Palestinians? What is the capital of Palestine??
In short - Too many Palestinians care more about killing Jews than they do their own children - what a shame….
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:22 pmmighty aphrodite
Palestine is the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Jordan River. The same cities that you’ve mentioned are palestinian twons. The capital is Jerusalem. The jews of Israel are doing the samething to the palestinians that once was done to them by the nazis. Now they tell the palestinians that they are not fit to live.
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:31 pmThe Washington Times was designed by Moon to prop up / push right wing propaganda, give Moon face around the world, and drive our nation to rightwing hell while Moon funded and promoted the theocrats within the Republican Party. The WT has done everything Moon ever asked of it. He could sell it tomorrow, it’s done its job.
Amazingly, wingnuts bitch and moan about a few million for liberal causes from U.S. citizen Soros, while non citizen and North Korean financial backer, Moon, has literally spent BILLIONS funding and guided the right into control of our government. Without their savior Moon’s money and guidance the right, as it is moonized today, is still a bunch of Birchers, racists and fascists sitting on the sidelines yapping their insane views to few. To top that off, Moon did this with cash much of which he swindled from the Japanese.
I got your “indendent” WT right here:
http://cellwhitman.blogspot.com/ 2004/ 10/ independent-washington-times.html
The “conservative” takeover of our government has nothing to with the free market of ideas, it was paid for by Moon for a reaosn, his desire to turn America into a right wing and increasingly theocratic nation. With ocnservatives working with him, he did it. You proud conservatives?
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:34 pmmighty aphrodite
I thought we were talking about how the WT was a deceptive propaganda unit of the right?
Oh, you’d rather cloud that over, wouldn’t you?
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:37 pmn short - Too many Palestinians care more about killing Jews than they do their own children - what a shame….
Shorter Afro:
“Nice children you got there. I’d really hate to see something happen to ‘em.”
August 3rd, 2006 at 4:39 pmDear Clueless observar - When did the Palestinians found the ancient town of Jerusalem? Who was the last Palestinian leader of the STATE of Palestine? Your Nazi analogy is stupid and baseless. Jews typically have a “live and Let live attitude toward all - but as Golda Meir said - “We’ll have peace when the Arabs love their children more than they hate us.” Radical Islamo-wacks have a “convert or kill” attitude….but I don’t expect someone with your limited world view to understand the difference.
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:09 pmmighty aphrodite
We are not in a history lesson, if UR so interested in knowing all these facts look them up, I ain’t gonna do UR HW for U.
This attitude u talk about barely exists in Israel and the ones who adopt it are considered outcasts in their communities.
If you don’t pay enough time to understand people around u with their different beliefs and backgrounds, U won’t be able to communicate with them.
Finally, find someone with better credibility to quote.
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:18 pmPat - I mentioned the WT “correction” - and when TP (Huff n’ Puff, the BBC, Indy-media, etc ) adopts the same journalistic standards while relating a story, th world will be a better place….HA! Seriously, George Soros can throw as much money as he WANTS propping up dead air time and backing loser liberals and socialists. (He’s yet to back a winner politically and I don’t see any sign of him starting now…) He can even turn in his American citizenship if that will make him happy. (The poor thing - he does extremely well for himself and HATES the system which allowed his success. Is that self-hating thing prevalent among progs - or just the rich ones who enjoy feeling guilty??)
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:21 pmObserverNOT - Am I to take your attack on me and NO evidence of your claims as, “I give up Aphrodite - there NEVER was a modern Palestine, a Palestinian head of state - and observer is simply a tool of Islamo-wacks.” (No, Islamo-wack is not the new term for pinatas here in San Diego…). Wouldn’t it just be simpler to say, “Gosh Mighty, Our fellow ARAbs don’t want to help us, have persecuted us, but USE us when they need a cause to whip up the masses still besotted with a culture entrenched in the 7th Century.” Pathetic…)
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:29 pmYou are neglecting a very important point here mighty aphrodite, the arabs weren’t the ones who bailed off from every treaty that they signed with Israel.
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:37 pm“Gosh Mighty, Our fellow ARAbs don’t want to help us, have persecuted us, but USE us when they need a cause to whip up the masses still besotted with a culture entrenched in the 7th Century.â€
Comment by mighty aphrodite — August 3, 2006 @ 5:29 pm
August 3rd, 2006 at 5:38 pm“Unintentionally”? Thank God, er… Moon, WT readers are dumber’n dirt clods.
“We regret not having been aware of…”? Deceit is SOP.
August 3rd, 2006 at 6:49 pmI don’t read these comments often enough to know the customs here, but is this how it usually goes? This thread started out on the issue of the WT editorial’s misleading portrayal of Dingell’s remarks. Then somewhere around comment #16 Joel derailed it with a post that — to me — just says “Don’t pay any attention to whether the WT was spreading lies, that doesn’t matter because Hezbollah is evil.” And, boom, just like that, the main point is all but forgotten and we are off into diatribe land.
I try to keep focused by chanting “Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire!” Works for me, anyway…
August 3rd, 2006 at 8:26 pmAs for Mr. Dingell’s letter, in which he very correctly calls Hezbollah “terrorists pure and simple” and calls upon the “world community” to “work together to eradicate their presence,” we completely agree. At the same time, we find his moral astuteness utterly inconsistent with his earlier insistence that he doesn’t “take sides for or against Hezbollah or for or against Israel.”
No, his statements are not inconsistent at all. They are only inconsistent if you assume Israel is blameless in this war, which it is definitely not. Israelis have no more right to their land than the Palestinians do. Both sides have held the land at some point in history, so why give it to the Jews?
August 4th, 2006 at 7:25 pmAfter reading the posts on this site for several months there seems to be some consistency as to the feelings of the “bloggers …..let me summarize……because somewhere in my following list you (yes, you the wacko “progressiveâ€) will find an answer to ALL of the problems that America faces today….or at least the person/persons that are responsible for such a miserable existence that we must trudge through in America…..America the damned!!! Each of the items below are just a snippet of what “think progress†stands for….so…in your words….
Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate…
Fox News is Hitler’s SS version of propaganda…
The Democrats are waayyy too conservative and right-leaning….
The Republicans (gulp…I said the word Republicans) work for the Devil…
Lieberman is a Bush crony that never accomplished anything for the state of Connecticut…
Did I mention that Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate?
The War in Iraq was certainly for the oil and making rich people richer!!!
Halliburton? Planning the war(s) for years before 9/11…
9/11? Bush not only knew exactly what/where/when/how…..he helped to plan it…..
9/11? The towers were not taken down by airplanes…American C-4 explosives were strategically placed to “take ‘em downâ€â€¦.
Bush planted the C4…along with the help of Cheney and Rumsfield…
The War in Iraq was certainly a follow-up to papa Bush….and his “failure†in removing Saddam…..
Terrorism is not that big of a deal…it should be monitored and controlled by our police agencies….not the government….
OBL is not that bad….hell, America created him!!
Saddam is not the bad…hell, America created him!!
Did I mention that Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate?
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is not that bad….he does not want nukes for weapons…its all about the fuel baby!!!
Problems in the Middle East…Americas fault…
Darfur? Bush and Cheney are not fully responsible for the genocide—but at least 78%….
Did I mention that Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate?
Try to resolve the problems in the Middle East??—Why does America feel it should stick its nose in others business…
Israel…America’s puppet….
Israel is the cause of most of the problems in the Middle East….Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization—they were “elected†into a position of power in a democratic government!!!
America did the worse job of evacuating its citizens from Lebanon…Denmark did the best…Denmark is #1!!! Denmark is #1!!!….
Did I mention that Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate?
American flags are made for one purpose….to burn!!!!!!!!
The primary run off in Ct proves that the American people want an immediate withdrawal from Iraq….
AIDS in Africa killing scores? Bush’s Fault….well, maybe 82% responsible…
Socialism #1…Communism #2….Dictatorship #3…Democracy #4…as ranked by the bloggers on “Think Progress†as best form of govt….
Global Warming is a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……
The short-comings of American schools…a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……
The short-comings of Health-care….a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……
Oil?….ever since man has been able to process it into a usable fuel….all the problems have been…..a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……
Wal-mart=Capitalism=Bush cronies=Conservatives=devil
Did I mention that Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate?
Mexican Immigration problem? No problemo…
Katrina?….a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……not the response—the actual cause of the hurricane…a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive
Katrina…response to it?….Bush hates blacks…..it’s that simple……did I mention Bush hates Mexicans, Canadians, French, Italians, Spaniards, Russians, Irish, Germans, Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos, Aussies, Swedes, New Zealanders, anybody that might be of south American persuasion, anybody that might be a mix bred, anybody from Africa-even if they “look†white, and of course…all Muslims….
Did I mention that according to this site that Bush hates gays? And wants them dead?
The economy—-the worse it’s been in the history of America—-….is a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……
International relations? well—before Bush we were loved from china to south America…but now—America is hated all around the world and we need to kowtow to the Europeans and Islam so they like us…..we want other people to like us…we really want other people to like us………please like us…..please?
Homeless problem in a city/town near you?…a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive…
Abortion is good (million+ innocents a year)…Death penalty is Bad (handful of convicted criminals a year)….
(Did I mention that Bush and the Republicans are the devil reincarnate?
Lines at the super-market….. a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive…
Howard Stern being fined for foul behavior/language…. a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive….
Katrina “evacuees†in Houston or other cities committing hideous crimes?… a direct cause of Bush being the Chief-executive……
Christian groups are bigots and things such as “faith day†(at a ball park after the game) are nothing more than the radical rights attempt at “christian-izing†us….
America’s military is weak and the Draft is right around the corner…
“God†should not be in the Pledge….
“God†should not be on our currency…
“God†should not be……….
Cindy Sheehan should not be questioned nor debated…..her son died for her right to hang out in Crawford dam it!!!
America went to war unprepared….look at the hummers!! They have absolutely no armor….and its Bush’s fault…
Democrats and Republicans are all the same…evil…out for themselves…slave-masters (its in their family history)…sex addicts…and of course out to kill Americans in a fake war that was based on purposely fraudulent intelligence…
The (mass) media is covering up everything!!!
Good policing and investigative work is called—racial profiling!!!
“Minimum Wage should be at least $18.00 a hourâ€
“Progressive†reporters get kick out of all the neo-cons news briefings…
“My phones have been taped because I went to an anti-war rally!â€
“My cable has been on the blink and my phone has been making weird noises since I went to a anti-war Rallyâ€
Anybody that makes money and lives a successful life MUST be doing something that hurts the poor or crippled….
Taxes and more taxes are good for the economy…tax cuts/breaks only help the millionaires…
SUV’s were created by conservatives that wanted to help out their “oil buddiesâ€â€¦
People should not be expected to take care of themselves!!! That’s the role of government…
People should not be able to invest their social security account as they wish!! That’s the role of the government…
If I forgot a topic or an issue please just fill it in with the following…
“BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- WAA-WAA WAA-WAA WAA-WAA WAA-WAA..BUSH IS THE DEVIL BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA…REPUBLICANS ARE THE DEVIL… WAA-WAA WAA-WAA WAA-WAA WAA-WAA…AMERICA IS THE CAUSE OF ALL THE PROBLEMS IN THE WORLD…-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA- BLAH-DA-DOO-DAA…â€
IN CONLUSION::::::
I have posted this because it addresses nearly all the issues that “think progress†and its bloggers believe/state/dream about….in other words, this post can be placed on any of your blogs and it will make sense……thanks “think progress†bloggers for making this so easy….if you think my post is foolish….please remember—these are your words (with some editing liberties taken…oh I forgot—I should not mention anything about taking liberties)….dam America!!!
August 15th, 2006 at 2:05 pm