The AP Changes "Boos" to "Ooohs" in Report on Bush and Clinton

[LauraK]

NEW YORK The Associated Press changed "boos" to "ooohhs" Friday afternoon in reporting on President George Bush's first statement to supporters on the heart ailment that has befallen former President Bill Clinton.

In a dispatch sent to subscribers in early afternoon, the AP reported that when Bush, at a campaign rally in West Allis, Wisconsin, told the crowd that he wished to send Clinton his "best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery," the audience "of thousands booed. Bush did nothing to stop them."

Pretty damning, except that AP soon changed its story, only after the original appeared on many Web sites.

Several Web sites revealed that AP "retracted" the report "citing uncertainties about how to characterize the crowd's reaction."

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000624935

[Kinkistyle]

1. Stupid.

This kind of crap is why the Repugs always are yelling about a "liberal bias" in the media. No they are not liberally biased. JUST STUPID AND LAZY.

[Skuk]

2. and don't forget

very, very evil.

[Nambe]

3. Truth is bias for some. Guess who.

Journalists and editors are people. This may well have been intentional. Maybe somebody got tired of being repressed.

[LTR]

4. Wanna know how it happened?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=742089&mesg_id=742089

[Longhorn79]

19. I read that a freeper got pissed

from your link, but it doesn't say how the whole boo story got started. The AP obviously had that story out before, as that is why the freeper got pissed.

also, I listened and watched the tape, and there aren't boos, unless it was doctored or something.

[RevCheesehead]

5. No, this one's legit

In the newscasts here in WI, what I heard (me=proud liberal!) was a group of people saying Oh.. Now you have to know our accent to understand how others might hear it.

I've said it before...the Freeps here in WI are pretty decent folk.. misguided, but still decent.

And, we save our Boos for the Vikings.

:toast:

[Catt03]

6. I heard boo

sorry. That's what I heard.

[Longhorn79]

18. I listened, I heard no boo

[Robbien]

13. Again it is always the new names who say there were no boos

Forums all over the web have been invaded by unfamiliar posters posting "NO Definitely there were no BOOS. Believe me I am one of you, there were no boos."

[nosmokes]

7. listen and decide for yourself.

http://tinyurl.com/6yfug



but i had a plumber over at my house today, he listened, and he heard it the way i heard it. and i'm still looking for the compassion.

[RevCheesehead]

8. Sorry, I don't agree.

I'm a pastor here in WI. Sometimes I have to make announcements in prayer time that someone is sick or has died...and these people in West Allis sound just like many of my congregations do.

It's the accent. It's a cultural thing. When we here surprising news, we all say "oh" (Long vowel, very closed).

Trust me, WI folks just aren't that rude. Except to the Vikings.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. It is all well and good to defend your flocks, Rev

But this was not suprising news at the time * said it. It was all over the place already.

Those are evil, evil boos from evil, hard-hearted people. Some day they will realize the errors of their ways and delight in His will, but for now, they follow *.

[RevCheesehead]

15. It probably was a surprise...

These people were at State Fair Park...

Today I was at the Edwards rally in Green Bay. Gates opened at 11, and I didn't hear the news until I got home at 5 pm. When you wait in line all day, and you're pumped to see your candidate, you just don't listen to the news.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

22. Okay, that is a good point. I accept that.

I will listen to it again.

Thank you.

[Longhorn79]

21. If you have a link that you can hear boos on, please post

The ones I've heard are identical and do not have jeers. If this is some sort of doctored tape, I will raise hell, but I haven't heard an alternative.

[Voltaire99]

17. I can't tell. And yet. . .

I live in the Midwest and have been to Wisconsin many times without ever hearing the "oooh" that our Wisconsite is claiming as his crowd's native emission. Then again, maybe I just haven't listened to enough right wing Wisconsin crowds receive somber news about one of their hated political opponents. . .

[RevCheesehead]

20. Uh, that should be "her" flock.

No right wing nut job here...I'm a liberal Methodist

[GCP]

24. I listened to the link and heard no boos

And I've been on this board for years.

[foo_bar]

9. I heard Boourns

</obvious>

[Zomby Woof]

11. sounded like "oohs!" to me too

Very muted, and not disrespectful at all. Like another poster said, locale is important when it comes to accents and the general good-naturedness of the people.

Now if Bush had made that announcement in PHX or Orange County... well... :nuke:

But I have no problem believing this crowd was respectful.

Sometimes I wonder if the level of rancor and bitterness in this country is what the media sells us as... considering how they believed the worst when they reported this story.

And so did many DUers.

[RevCheesehead]

12. Thank you

That's the consensus of the folk around here. It's the same kind of "oh" when someone sacks Brett, or a good pass was dropped.

Don't you people watch the Packers?

The only difference: this was quiet.
When we Boo, we're loud.

[Zomby Woof]

14. no go on the Packers

;-)

But I am fair and truthful, even as I much prefer the Chicago Bears in your division. :evilgrin:

[RevCheesehead]

16. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Bears!

That's how Cheeseheads Boo.
:evilgrin: back at ya.

[tibbiit]

23. The real QUESTION

Is-- How come they rushed to CORRECT this for Bush almost EMEDIATELY?
Where were the corrections about the Swifties or thousands of other lies made on any other subject?

I dont give a shit if it was ooohs or baaa's-- let them correct other "mistakes" that end up hurting our candidates before we go rushing to correct this one. Its a freebie.
tib

[RevCheesehead]

27. You're absolutely right.

After getting a good night's sleep, I began thinking about this topic again. My conclusion:

This was simply sloppy journalism on the part of AP. Someone made an honest mistake in reporting what they thought were boos. I can accept that.

But when the conservative media in WI got ahold of the story, they began their spin of the liberal media and asked "do you want the liberal New York media mis-representing the good people of WI?"

AND, the AP must accept responsibility. When someone contacted the AP about the story, they were at first ignored, then put off. The media guy was furious that his complaints were not listened to, and told his listeners to call the AP. Their lines were flooded with phone calls.

I believe this snafu could have been avoided if the AP had said "we'll look into this...it could have been an honest mistake."

BUT NOBODY WANTED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR IT!!!

Now the AP has both liberals and conservatives mad at them, and people divided about the character of Wisconsinites.

SLOPPY, SLOPPY JOURNALISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[DoYouEverWonder]

26. I hear both

and I wouldn't be surprised that a crowd of Bu$h supporters wouldn't react both ways.

I tend to believe the first report, because they've made such a big deal since, to change the story. Obviously, the original report is very embarrassing for the president, and we couldn't have that now, could we?

By the way, anybody can buy sound editing software, and pull down the boos and bring up the claps very easily. There is enough background noise and crap computer speak quality, that you would never know that some of the highs and lows had been pulled.

[VolcanoJen]

28. Josh Marshall has the goods on Karen Hughes and the AP flap!!

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/


(September 04, 2004 -- 12:48 PM EDT


Karen gets results!

A little more on the boo-a-rama, from a reporter on the scene ...

Karen Hughes went totally apesh-t at the AP when that dispatch hit the wire.
She stormed up the bleachers and starting screaming at the AP writer (who took it in stride). "They didn't boo! Were you and I in the same rally! What is this crap?" or something along those lines (it was loud in there). The AP writer then canvassed his colleagues, who all said they hadn't heard any boos.

Say what you want about McClellan ("dreadful briefer," "talking points only"), I don't think he's ever screamed at a reporter.

The innards of a campaign ...

[paulk]

30. more from Josh Marshall

I take this as a final, definitive word on the back and forth about whether there was booing at the Bush rally.

"This comes from a reporter on the scene whose judgment and honesty I completely trust ...

They didn't boo. More accurately, the overwhelming number of people didn't boo (I heard maybe one or two, and even those died with "hospitalized.") AP got it wrong.
When Bush said "En route here we just received news that President Clinton has been hospitalized in New York," there was a big intake of breath and some loud "oohs" in the crowd. It was unmistakably shock. No boos.

Bush then followed up, and the official transcript has it right: "He is in our thoughts and prayers. We send him our best wishes for a swift and speedy recovery. (Applause.)"



End of story. I give Bush and the crowd their due. "

[rocktivity]

29. I've got just two words for them--roll tape

Is the video online? Let's listen to it and decide for ourselves.

:headbang:
rocknation

[miss_kitty]

31. Media Fouls Up and We All Call 'Foul' on a Fouled Up Story

In My Humble O, it is very important for this side to be scrupulously honest and quick to refute bad reporting–about the other side, as well. It does us no good to plaster an inaccurate story up on the site, get all het up about it, then pull an NYT and say in a very tiny voice, buried on the back page, "Ooops! My bad." when we find out it was wrong.

“Audience boos as Bush offers best wishes for Clinton's recovery” was a sadly believable but inaccurate description of what happened at the rally, and this thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x799724 made it to the DU front page. Without explanation or qualification.

It seemed like a good story, be we were all HAD.