Howard Kurtz of CNN is not a reliable source

If you think Howard Kurtz of CNN and the Washington Post is credible, please see the following. On yesterday's "Reliable Sources" program, he said the following (video attached):

Is it responsible for (Lou Dobbs) and others to go on the air, talk about these claims, demand proof, when we have seen a copy of the birth certificate? When Hawaii officials say that Barack Obama was born there in 1961?

If Kurtz is credible, you should be able to find direct quotes from Hawaiian officials confirming Obama was born there, right?

So, where are those quotes?

If Howard Kurtz is telling the truth, then you should be able to find clear, direct statements from Hawaiian officials like, "Obama was born here." Right? Can anyone find any clear, direct statements from Hawaiian officials that would back up what Kurts says?

In fact, Howard Kurtz is misleading you. No Hawaiian official will confirm that Obama was born there, because it's against the law to reveal private information.

The only possible thing Kurtz can hang his hat on is a quote from a spokeswoman who isn't credible (Janice Okubo), who admits she isn't qualified to discuss this matter, and who now won't confirm the quote. That's it.

Despite what Kitty Pilgrim of CNN says, Hawaii's governor Linda Lingle has never said Obama was born there. A form letter Lingle's office sends out can be seen at that link. In the letter, her office points out that it would be a violation of Hawaiian law to disclose such information. If she said Obama was born there, then she's broken Hawaiian law. Would Kurtz like to accuse Hawaii's governor of breaking the law?

Lingle hasn't confirmed he was born there, and neither has any other Hawaiian official.

In fact, Hawaiian officials have repeatedly stressed that it would be against the law for them to reveal personal information. That includes verifying whether Obama was born there; see the Pilgrim link above for the form letter.

The bottom line is that Howard Kurtz is not a reliable source.

He says Hawaiian officials have confirmed that Obama was born there, when they have not.
In fact, they've repeatedly said they can't confirm whether he was born there because it would be illegal.

No matter whether you support Obama or not and no matter your position on this issue, it's clear that Howard Kurtz misled his viewers.

Howard Kurtz needs to print and broadcast a correction, but he's probably not going to do it unless enough people write him and let him know he's wrong.

Please take action now by sending him and his editors polite and brief emails focused only on the specific issue raised in this post.

Please send polite emails that are only about this specific issue to rick.davis *at* turner.com and ombudsman *at* washpost.com. You can also contact Kurtz at twitter.com/HowardKurtz and using this form. Please don't just read this and move on. Take a few minutes and at the least send emails linking to this post. And, send this post to all your friends and urge them to take action.

Mon, 07/27/2009 - 12:59 · Importance: 8