Sunday, September 28, 2008

Several McClatchy newspapers carry discredited anti-McCain piece by Strobel and Landay, without corrections

The discredited post-debate piece by by McClatchy's Strobel and Landay was re-printed in the Miami Herald, the Centre Daily Times, and the Island Packet on Saturday.

To re-cap, Strobel and Landay wrote that in the first debate, McCain mischaracterized Obama's initial response when Russia invaded Georgia. Here is what Strobel and Landay wrote:

McCain clearly mischaracterized Obama's reaction to Russia's August invasion of its neighbor Georgia. "His first statement was, both sides ought to show restraint — again a little bit of naivete there," McCain said.


However, in a statement to reporters on Aug. 12, Obama condemned Russia's action and called for the attacks to stop...
That is a massive distortion and the evidence Strobel and Landay are not being honest is on McClatchy's own web site. You can read Obama's statement -- first made on August 8 -- on the McClatchy web site here:

“I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war...
The same squishy Obama quote from August 8 is still up on Obama's own web site here.

McCain was right -- Obama initially said both sides ought to show restraint.
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Exit question: are Strobel and Landay "journalists"? Or is it more accurate to call them "Obama Boosters"? (Photo credit: PBS)
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