Bay's Incomplete Diagnosis Of AP

As Allah rather graciously points out, there is no shame in an apology when one thinks it warranted.

There’s no shame in apologizing here; I did it myself and was even quoted on it by E&P, as you’ll see if you follow the very first link in this post.

At the same time, more than a few Internet eyebrows may have been raised when the respected Col Austin Bay went so far as to pronounce the AP the backbone of truth while also apologizing for something he wrote regarding the as yet unresolved issue of AP source Jamil Hussein.

The AP and other wire services are the backbone of truth on this planet. “New media” such as blogs still lack the reporting capacity of the wire services and major news operations. I am delighted to apologize to the Associated Press and congratulate the AP’s Baghdad bureau for standing by their sources. — Austin Bay

Not wanting to quibble with the Colonel over opinions, as opposed to facts, I did some digging and, sure enough, came up with a few x-rays of the backbone of truth for our little planet. If you're older, or have ever played contact sports, you know one backbone isn't always as solid as another. So, I sent them off to my chiropractor, perhaps you know him, Dr. Vinnie BoomBatz. He was kind enough to send back the following illustrated report.

Yes, that's definitely something of a compression fracture (A) between C-6 and C-7, commonly referred to as the Jamil Hussein curve in the increasingly unstable backbone of truth. You'll also note the application of a device manufactured by E&P MSM medical, designed to shore up obvious weaknesses in the neck of the backbone of truth. Given the cervical location, were the real injury ever to be fully exposed, heads might roll at AP given the sudden onset of instability in the upper region of the backbone of truth.

Moving down into the torso, x-rays show the serious deterioration of at least two or three disks in the Lumbar region of the planets backbone of truth.

The damage is said to have most likely occurred when AP Editor Kathleen Carroll bent over backwards to praise a reporter who phoned in the scoop from the Superdome in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Unfortunately for Carroll, the reporting turned out to be so far from the truth, it was later discovered by bloggers that Carroll had been engaged in precisely the type of foolish over-reaching which often results in this very thing. No wonder the Liberals want Universal Healthcare.

Not that everything is bad, mind you. As the next x-ray shows, the coccyx, or tail bone on the backbone of truth looks to be in fine shape, according to Dr. BoomBatz. That's important as AP seems to be pulling an ever increasing amount of its war coverage out of its ... well, lower region.

Dr. Vinnie was also kind enough to send along a few recommendations geared toward preserving whatever health is left in the planets backbone of truth:

No heavy lifting, particularly in combat zones where a reliance on unknown stringers may not provide enough support given the weight of your coverage

A little bed rest might be in order as attempting to keep up with pace of an ever quickening news cycle could result in you being buried before your time, eventually by blogs.

And for heaven's sakes no dancing, particularly if it involves striptease poles. Not only might it cause irreparable damage to the backbone of truth, the damage to computers from people regurgitating their coffee at such stupidity is reason enough to cease and desist.

As this last item requires something of a content warning, I have decided to place it below the fold.

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I had no idea what this bizarre image was, it was discovered while searching out x-rays for the backbone of truth. So I sent it off to Dr. Vinnie for his professional opinion. Fortunately, he was familiar with the image.

Apparently the x-ray belongs to Editor and Publisher editor Greg Mitchell. It was taken in the emergency room immediately after Mitchell was exposed by blogs for having manufactured a story out of whole cloth, having still gotten the dates wrong by two years - and was then suspected of trying to hide his faux paux with some quick editorial decision making.

That's some boner for an editor judging by any impartial journalistic standard.

In summary, yes, Col. Bay, there certainly is a backbone of truth in the world, that much is correct. But if it is the AP, by not suggesting said backbone has suffered some serious injuries over the years, certain readers might feel your portrayal wasn't quite as accurate as it could have been, perhaps not up to the usually high standards of accuracy your many admiring readers have come to expect.

Comments

[sglover]

Check out the thread called "Think Positively". It's a thread that begins on a charming, whimsical note, with Riehl wishing for the death of Americans whom he dislikes. You can find it here:

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2007/01/think_positivel.html#comment-28324580

In it, you'll find Riehl claiming that he's a vet, and then, after much shucking 'n' jiving, finally revealing that he was NEVER in the military.

What sort of pathetic worm feels the need to lie like this?

If any of you right-wingers take this lickspittle seriously, you're welcome to watch Riehl kill whatever "reputation" he might have, with his own two hands.

[sglover]

Gotta retract that last. I misread a passage.