The challenge now is that Bai’s post about the quote is but a lone item. It will take a persistent approach to debunking to stop making Plouffe queasy. It won’t be easy. Twenty-four hours before Bai’s post was published, The Christian Science Monitor published an article, “Election 101: Ten facts about Jon Huntsman and his presidential campaign.” Fact number four in the online version included the misquote. (The queasy quote was part of fact number seven in print.)
The same day as Bai’s post went live, an artcle in The Daily Telegraph repeated it again:
The White House views Mr Huntsman as one of the most formidable potential opponents in a general election. David Plouffe, Mr Obama’s campaign manager, has stated that running against Mr Huntsman made him feel “a wee bit queasy”.
As of this writing, neither piece has been corrected.
Correction of the Week
The article “Game on in Dickson’s twilight zone” (June 23, p4) incorrectly reported the 2011 Canberra Roleplaying and Games Festival Triptych theme as “immorality.”
The theme was “immortality”. - The Canberra Times
think article glosses over that if he says he didn't say it he looks overly defensive, like a fool running scared and the other side will exploit it. better to let it linger
#1 Posted by Repurt, CJR on Fri 24 Jun 2011 at 01:43 PM
Mr. Silverman,
I puzzled for a moment over a line in your third paragraph, "In fact, as Bai revealed, a journalist with U.S. News & World Report wrote those words. Plouffe never said it. But the writer’s line was soon attributed to Huntsman. . . ."
Did you mean to say, "attributed to Plouffe"?
#2 Posted by Kathryn, CJR on Sat 25 Jun 2011 at 01:30 PM
For current, spectacular examples of misquoting, we might examine the chaotic media coverage of Conrad Black's statement at his resentencing hearing Friday:
Conrad Black's statement (National Post, June 25, 2011): "And I believe that even if a reasonable person still concludes that I am guilty of these two surviving, resurrected, counts, tortuously arrived at and threadbare though their evidentiary basis now is, that the same reasonable person would conclude that I have been adequately punished."
Black sent back to jail for 13 months PAUL WALDIE CHICAGO— From Saturday's Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Jun. 24, 2011
Lord Black said he had some regrets, such as over-trusting his former business partner, David Radler, who ended up testifying against him. He also offered little remorse, telling the judge that a “reasonable person” would conclude he was guilty but that a reasonable person would not find it just for him to return to prison.
Globe and Mail comment:
Pibworth Score 5.
9:30 AM on June 25, 2011
I cannot believe the pomposity of this arrogant twit..."telling the judge that a “reasonable person” would conclude he was guilty but that a reasonable person would not find it just for him to return to prison"...thank you Judge St. Eve for standing your ground to this elitist. CB, do your time, move on, and spare us the drama...
Conrad Black to return to jail, Barbara Amiel collapses
By Mitch Potter Washington Bureau
The Toronto Star
But earlier, Black had his say in a blistering 25-minute soliloquy to the court that cast the vast majority of blame for his downfall elsewhere. It was only the second time in eight years that Black spoke directly to his accusers.
This time, however, the tone was different — not merely lashing out, but also acknowledging he could accept that “a reasonable person” would believe him guilty on the two counts that stuck: one involving mail fraud, a second involving obstruction of justice.
Former media mogul Conrad Black sent back to prison for 13 months
By Ameet Sachdev Chicago Tribune
Saturday, June 25, 2011
The closest he came to accepting responsibility for his actions was when he said, "I accept that a reasonable person could conclude that I am guilty." He quickly added that he also believed the same reasonable person could conclude he had been "adequately punished."
In his statement, Black makes reference to how when he was a candidate psychoanalyst "many years ago" he concluded that "it is practically impossible to repress conscientious remorse." In Ex-media mogul Conrad Black sent back to prison By Andrew Stern CHICAGO Friday June 24, 2011 (Reuters):
He quoted Mark Twain, Rudyard Kipling and other notables, and said he had become a patient in psychoanalysis since his release in July, learning that "it is practically impossible to suppress conscientious remorse."
It all would make a good case study for journalism students.
#3 Posted by Clayton Burns, CJR on Mon 27 Jun 2011 at 08:40 PM
At least one business journalist knows how to treat the public. When I tried to discuss my comment with Fortune man Duff McDonald, this is what I got in return:
[The author of this article on Conrad Black is incompetent. He has also sent me an abusive e-mail:]
from Duff McDonald duffmcd@mac.com
to Clayton Burns
date Mon, Jun 27, 2011 at 2:49 PM
subject Re: Matthew McClearn--Black.
mailed-by mac.com
hide details 2:49 PM (2 hours ago)
Enough, sir. You're incoherent. You won't hear back from me again. This is gibberish.
[This man is foolish. I have a doctorate in English. I asked him to discuss my comment at this site, and he had a breakdown.]
At least partial proof of the collapse of American culture. Duff just cannot read. Nor does he intend to try.
#4 Posted by Clayton Burns, CJR on Mon 27 Jun 2011 at 08:48 PM
And Al Gore sure as hell never claimed to have invented the internet. This one owes it's longevity to the perversity and willingness to dissemble of his political opponents, rather than to wayward journalists.
#5 Posted by aprilglaspie, CJR on Tue 26 Jul 2011 at 03:36 PM