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Anyone remember the âKerryâs Choiceâ headline splashed on the front page of the New York Post back in July, 2004? At the time, The Post ran with the scoop that John Kerry, who was about to announce his choice for vice presidential running mate, had given the nod to congressman Richard Gephardt. They were first on the story–only problem was, it wasnât true.
Not only was it not true, (for those who canât remember back that far, John Edwards pulled the short straw for the Dems), but the story generated some controversy, since it didnât include either a byline or a source for attribution, and rumors swirled that the paperâs owner, Rupert Murdoch, forced the story down his editorâs throats.
Thatâs where we stood until today, when Michael Cooper reported on the New York Timesâ âThe Caucusâ blog that Ian Spiegelman, a former gossip reporter at the Post, is claiming that âthe paper was duped by Democrats,â and that the tip was actually given to Rupertâs son, Lachlan Murdoch, who was at the time the publisher of the paper. âEveryone at The Post,â Spiegelman said, âincluding Col Allan and his top deputies, knew the story had been planted with Lachlan by the Democratic National Committee to make him, and The Post, appear foolish on a national level.â
Mission accomplished!
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