Rec'd. Done. Fournier is a steaming pile of ...

Okay. It's important to write. But at this point I am ready to go after these guys with phasers, set on stun of course, just to shock them into having some decency.

Perhaps if they realized that the Federation will arrive soon and be able to reveal all of their tainted moves with incredible technology, they might be more careful.

"Obama, Spock, and the New Star Trek Nation"
http://msa4.wordpress.com/

Also worth a look, especially the updates.

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/08/23/aps-ron-fournier-strikes-again-writes-hit-piece-on-obamas-vp-pick/

Thank you TPM and MoveOn for providing the links to Michael Oreskes at the AP!

I have been upset at the AP's slant and bias for several years now. It has become insidious! You don't even have to "read" their spin in print; all you have to do is to listen to some radio announcer unknowingly read a line or two from the AP's wire services during the radio show's three or four minute news segment. The wire service is filled with Republican spin! The sad thing is that these announcers have no idea what they are reading or how they are being used.

Anyway, thanks to your links, I sat down tonight (like others here) and FINALLY wrote the following email--which I have been meaning to write for a long time now:

Dear Micahel Oreskes:

I am writing to urge you to remove Ron Fournier from your staff as an AP Reporter and Washington DC Bureau Chief. Under Mr. Fournier, the Associated Press appears no longer to be interested in producing Journalism, but instead is quickly becoming nothing more than a mouthpiece for the Republican Party. Mr. Fournier, in specific, makes no attempt to report the news in an unbiased and objective manner, but rather focuses on creating hit pieces on Democrats that the AP in turn masks as "Reporting" and "News Analysis."

I majored in Journalism in the early 1970s. Never could I have imagined back then that the Associated Press would devolve and degenerate into becoming a source of such disgraceful and biased writing--coupled with endless down-right lies. Sadly, Mr. Fournier is destroying the credibility and reputation of all other members of your staff.

The Associated Press is turning into the Fox News of the written word--in other words a tragic joke. Like Fox, you offer lies, spin and propaganda to your readers that you masquerade as Journalism. I would suggest that one way to begin reversing this trend is by removing Ron Fournier from your staff.

Thank you.

Here's mine:

Mr. Fournier-
Imagine my disappointment at seeing Barack Obama's historical selection of Joe Biden as his running mate described in the above terms. Had Obama picked a running mate who is not a distinguished legislator, I am quite certain the headline would have read: "Analysis: pick shows lack of judgment." These sorts of value statements are not "analysis", they are advocacy. As such, they have no place on the AP newswire.

The Associated Press, as a venerable and well-nigh indispensable part of our civic landscape has an obligation to tell the story straight. Even in these media-saturated times, the AP's reporting is still a primary source of news and information for many Americans. When the AP dissembles, people are misled. When people are misled, our national conversation suffers. In these circumstances, neither John McCain nor Barack Obama is capable of presenting his case to the nation free from misinformation and prejudice. Though the particular story to which I refer clearly favors the tallking points of the McCain campaign, your choice to report this story tendentiously harms Republicans and Democrats alike. You may think that you aid John McCain when you write this way. But the nation to whose highest office he aspires will be both weaker and sadder for your covert advocacy.

I urge you to dig deep and find some professional integrity. Barring that, I urge you to find a job to which you are better suited.

I just sent a quick comment. I suggested they reassign him to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Here's my email to mOreskes@ap.org

Mr. Oreskes,

When you were in journalism school you must have had some great mentors who inspired you to put in the time and effort that has resulted in your current position as managing editor of a major news organization. You must have had a deep-seated respect for the art and science of journalism and the pivotal role it plays in our democracy. You must have developed a strong sense of wright and wrong and the basic tenets of journalistic responsibility and integrity.

Imagine what your best professors and mentors would say if they could see what’s become of the revered Associated Press under your watch. They surely showed you the line between news and opinion and explained in no uncertain terms why you mustn’t step over it.

Ron Fournier is doing for the AP what George Bush has done for lobbyists and the Republican party – he’s killing the brand. It’s taken decades for the AP to earn the trust and respect of Americans such as myself, and it’s only taking a single presidential cycle to destroy it, and your personal integrity in the bargain.

Suggest we call him

" Mr. Fourniercation"

From this day forward.