Washington Post: America's finest source for bad reporting (Palin "slashed" funds story)

The Washington Post recently published a blog post about Sarah Palin (in their words) "slash[ing]" funds to a non-profit group. Except, what they got from the state of Alaska alone was over three times what they got from all government sources combined in 2006. Let's take a look at the WaPo's "downstream", the three-eyed fish who gobble up what the WaPo sludges out.

First, there are several digg posts on the story. These link to the WaPo article; looking at the histories of who posted them is left as an exercise:

digg.com/political_opinion/Palin_Slashed_Funding_for_Teen_Moms (UPDATE: now has 1771 diggs, but is also marked as "May be Inaccurate")
digg.com/2008_us_elections/Palin_Slashed_Funding_for_Teen_Moms_That_s_gotta_hurt
digg.com/2008_us_elections/Palin_Slashed_Funding_for_Teen_Moms_2

Oddly enough, the last two were submitted in the same minute. These posts link to other sites:

digg.com/2008_us_elections/Palin_Slashed_Funding_to_Help_Teen_Moms
digg.com/2008_us_elections/Palin_cut_1_1_million_in_assistance_for_teen_moms_in_need
digg.com/politics/Palin_personally_cut_funding_that_gave_unwed_mothers_a_place
digg.com/political_opinion/The_Issue_IS_Sarah_Palin_She_Cut_Support_for_Pregnant_Girls
digg.com/2008_us_elections/Palin_Opposes_Funding_for_Teen_Moms_ToTheCenter

Those last five link to:

dailykos.com/story/2008/9/2/19220/39740/973/583820 (typical airhead DK "reporting" that puts an even more partisan spin on the WaPo's spin)

rawstory.com/news/2008/Palin_cut_1.1_million_from_funding_0902.html (a bare rewrite of the WaPo story from Nick Langewis)

americablog.com/2008/09/palin-personally-cut-funding-that-gave.html (Joe Sudbay simply wraps the WaPo story with his brief commnets, such as "Sarah Palin apparently wants those unwed mothers out on the street.")

allspinzone.com/wp/2008/09/02/heres-where-the-issue-is-sarah-palin-cuts-support-for-pregnant-girls/ (braindead attempt at breezy commentary that discusses the WaPo story in a couple paragraphs but takes the WaPo's word for it)

tothecenter.com/news.php?readmore=6991 (just a sploggish rewrite of the WaPo story)

Others discussing this include:

mahablog.com/2008/09/02/what-did-i-miss (mentions it in passing but completely takes WaPo's word for it)

slog.thestranger.com/2008/09/palin_to_teen_moms_drop_dead
(Dan Savage simply intros a WaPo excerpt with his own vile spin; post is titled "Palin to Teen Moms: Drop Dead")

UPDATE: These others are just as bad or worse than the ones above and all, of course, simply take the WaPo's word and none do any thinking or reporting:

salon.com/mwt/broadsheet/2008/09/03/
palin_slashed_teen_mom_funding (from Lynn Harris)

blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_plank/archive/2008/09/03/palin-s-handling-of-other-people-s-pregnant-teens.aspx (from Michelle Cottle)

thinkprogress.org/2008/09/03/palin-mccain-mothers (from "Amanda")

truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20080902_palin_cut_funds_for_teen_moms

washingtonmonthly. com/archives/individual/2008_09/014534.php (Steve Benen; links to Cottle instead of the WaPo)

jezebel.com/5044818/
ask-not-what-bristol-palin-can-do-for-you-ask-what-sarah-palin-can-do-for-your-pregnant-daughter (from "Jessica")

motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/09/9554_palin_veto_teen_moms.html (from Jonathan Stein)

UPDATE 2: Isaac Fitzgerald and Tana Ganeva from AlterNet offer "8 More Shocking Revelations About Sarah Palin" (alternet.org/election08/97350). One of those "shocking" items is as bad as the posts above. It's got over 2600 diggs here, but it's also marked as "May be Inaccurate":
digg.com/politics/8_More_Shocking_Revelations_About_Sarah_Palin_2

UPDATE 3: As anyone familiar with his blogging could have been expecting, Matt Yglesias fell for the WaPo's tale too:
yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/09/life_begins_at_conception_and_ends_at_death.php
(The link here before was to another post where MattY got things wrong:
yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives/2008/09/palin_and_special_needs_children.php

UPDATE 4: NPR also fell for the WaPo's tale, but at least they printed a correction: npr.org/blogs/politics/2008/09/lineitem_irony.html

UPDATE 5: Somewhat surprisingly, ThinkProgress offered somewhat of a correction, noting in an update to their post that the executive director of the non-profit disagreed with the WaPo's assessment. This is similiar to past TP "corrections" in which they just slip something in at the end without making a big deal about it. But, it's at least better than most of the others above.

Comments

well yes! the washington post needs Obama in power! not that i love this Palin woman but i would like her in office for my own reasons!

Mary she may stop McCain from mass murder of the usa by mass political and race amnesty! but that is only a hope and she will do as she is told to do in the end game.

I lik eher too, Maybe she will have some influence...at best if McCain can't fulfill his duties she would be President , and I like the way she thinks... By the way she already HAS GUNS!!!

I hope so Mary I really do, I will be forced to vote for this guy McCain only on the hope she can stop the coming WAR HERE. and mary if she becomes our next president she will have power of the Gods with the military.

_...at best if McCain can't fulfill his duties she would be President..._ Do you really see Sarah Palin being PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES as some sort of best case scenario??

I forgot, forget about your job when obama or mcCain become our next ruler and mass Amnesty become the law of the dead land and 150 million family members show up over night all will need work and your job will disappear over night and with 180 million and more population from other ideals of nation show up and new laws that are not part of our idea of nation will rule you like some 2 dollar bitch in china. so have fun in the coming hell.

eh | 09.05.08 - 11:14 am | # Eh, I don't see her as a worst case scenario either, that part having already been claimed by Obama. Have always admired your insights, so expand, please. I'm hoping for the best, but fear she is just the icing on the amnesty cake McCain plans to feed us after the election.

I think McCain will suffer a huge backlash and fight if he tries to pass an amnesty...Most of us have NOT given up.

When I think PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, I don't think Sarah Palin. Who is, IMO, and to be fair, even kind, rather undistinguished (not to mention a woman, something I also have some problems with, TBH). Before her nomination, I'd never heard of her. It's as simple as that.

McCain has made very clear that he is committed to amnesty aka a path to citizenship with token penalties etc. He's also said he believes this to be compatible with the traditions and in the best interest of America. And he's enough of an establishmentarian to think little of arrogantly defying public opinion to push something he personally feels is right. So I fully expect a 'bipartisan' push for amnesty if McCain gets elected. Which at this point would be a huge upset.

The Republican Party position appears to now state the "discovery" that the borders need protection. That's the only reason, except for Sara , that I will vote for McCain. Sara has a great rep in Alaska--80% approval rating and she booted out the Republican incumbent. Frankly one of the reasons I like her is she is not a beltway insider, nor a lobbyists friend. I like the way she thinks...and having 5 kids and common sense I see her on the side of the average American. I see tremendous approval from people I talk to about her. She has inspired hope in this elitist party finally and many wish she were on the TOP of the ticket!(including me!)

Thanks Eh. Agree. Lets see if team McCain/Palin is serious about lobbyists, starting with LaRaza. Lets see if they are serious about getting rid of the economy crushing trillion dollar earmark spent subsidizing the burdens illegals place on society. Lets see if they are serious about national security lapses that leave 16 dead Americans everyday at the hands of God's children. Children of the Corn is more like it. Still better than what big O has planned.

John McCain and Sarah Palin are liars. They lie, lie, lie. It really says something when they come out of the gate lying. They didn't even wait to start getting beat before they resorted to lying. They went right to it. Liars all.