The Failed Pacifist

The AP's Subtle Slant

Read the second paragraph of this AP story about Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll's ill-advised appearance at a soldier's funeral.

Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll went to the July 19 funeral of Staff Sgt. Joseph Goodrich, passed out her business card and made a remark about the state government being against the war, family members said.

Two things about the story immediately caught my eye. First, why no context regarding the business card? Was it just a single card? Who was it given to? Maybe the family asked her for it. We don't know because no details are given. As it is, the story presents this as if she were doing "business" there. Maybe she was, or maybe she wasn't. We don't know because the report is incomplete.

Second, and more troubling, was the characterization that Lt. Gov. Knoll "made a remark about the state government being against the war", when in fact her remark was "It's not the business of state government to support the war, but our state supports the men and women who are fighting this war". Far from saying the state government is against the war, she said the state supported the men and women fighting the war even if it was not the business of the state to support the war itself.

The AP did cover itself by claiming that "family members" made the charges. But no effort was made by the reporter to clarify or correct these claims, leaving the casual reader with a false impression of what was said.

UPDATE: While this story from The Pittsburgh Channel mentions that the family claimed multiple business cards were distributed, it also reports that Pennsylvania's Gov. Rendell repeated Ms. Knoll's assertion "that the state does not have a position on the war, and it supports the men and women who are fighting", though it doesn't say if the family believes the Governor's remarks were also "against the war".

Lt. Gov. Knoll reportedly left a phone message offering her apology before issuing a written apology where she explains that she often attends the funeral of soldiers killed overseas, and offers her business card so the family can contact her if they need any help.

UPDATE 2: Michelle Pilecki at the HuffPost has weighed in, correctly asking "Was the incomplete, undersourced story really worth rushing into print on Saturday?" It also seems the "family member" who sourced the story to the AP is a Republican activist in Pennsylvania. This wasn't mentioned in the original story when using this person's characterization of the Lt. Governor's remarks.

posted by Doran @ 1:12 PM