Columbia Journalism Review blasts WP's John Solomon for bogus stories

[DeepModem Mom]

Feb. 27, 2007
John Solomon Gives Us Less Than Meets the Eye -- Again
Paul McLeary

....Solomon was raked over the coals last October for a series of articles he wrote for the AP about Democratic Leader Harry Reid, which turned out to be much ado about very little. In the stories, Solomon tried to tie Reid to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, suggest that a land deal in Nevada was shady, and made a big deal over Reid's accepting passes to a boxing match from the Nevada Gaming Commission. These stories omitted critical details that directly affected how seriously the charges should be taken, and in the end none were serious enough for Reid to be admonished by the Senate ethics committee.

Since then, Solomon has moved on to the Post, where in January he penned a non-starter of a page 1 piece about the sale of presidential candidate John Edwards' home, in which he tried to make it look like something was amiss....On February 11, Solomon was at it again -- on page 1 -- this time taking John McCain to the cleaners in a piece headlined, "McCain Taps Cash He Sought To Limit: Onetime Reformer Calls on Big Donors," that outlined McCain's efforts to raise money for a presidential run. Like the Edwards and Reid pieces, there was no fire beneath Solomon's smoke -- no malfeasance or misdeed to expose, and no real hook that warranted its inexplicable front page placement....

***

This morning, Solomon and Matthew Mosk did much the same thing with Hillary Clinton -- yet again on page 1 -- reporting that "Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former president Bill Clinton have operated a family charity since 2001, but she failed to list it on annual Senate financial disclosure reports on five occasions."

Is there more to the story? Have the Clinton's been hiding money? Making shady deals or investments and keeping it from the Senate? Not quite.

Solomon reports that:

"Clinton's spokesman said her failure to report the existence of the family foundation and the senator's position as an officer was an oversight. Her office immediately amended her Senate ethics reports to add that information late yesterday after receiving inquiries from The Washington Post."

And that's that. Another John Solomon special, and another instance when the Post is made to look the fool by publishing what amounts to a back-page brief on the front page, masquerading as serious news.

http://www.cjrdaily.org/politics/john_solomon_gives_us_less_tha.php

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Rightwingers are a fascinating species, aren't they?

Just make shit up and publish it while simultaneously beating your chest about your high level of Christian moral decency and family values.

Solomon, Coulter, Hannity, O'Lielly, Limbaugh, Swiftboaters, that bogus new "think tank" that tried to nail Gore (Tennessee something or other), Dobson, Falwell, Robertson, and so many others...

Just make shit up, and call it "truth". And then, when someone shows you the truth, just yell "Liberal media! Liberal media!" or "Taking God out of schools!" or "Gay Marriage!!"

:eyes:

[KoKo]

2. Josh Marshall was all over Solomon, too for bogus reporting

and pointing out about the WaPo hiring him. Aparently most of his fellow "journalists" don't think much of Solomon.

I remember even here on DU awhile back that folks were starting to pick up that anything posted by Solomon/AP posted on DU was to be questioned.

Glad Columbia Journalism Review is after him. We need to weed out these folks. Bad enough that WaPo has Malkin Apologist Howie Kurtz whose wife is a Repug Operative (which he doesn't disclose.)