Like with every speech at the two conventions over the past couple weeks, Bill Clinton's was subject to fact-checking. However, the Associated Press has received some criticism for one particular fact-check of the former president.
In his speech last Wednesday night, Clinton said that a Romney pollster stated their campaign would not be "dictated by fact-checkers". He continued on by saying, "Now that is true. I couldn't have said it better myself -- I just hope you remember that every time you see the ad."
The AP responded to this as follows: "Clinton, who famously finger-wagged a denial on national television about his sexual relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky and was subsequently impeached in the House on a perjury charge, has had his own uncomfortable moments over telling the truth. 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,' Clinton told television viewers. Later, after he was forced to testify to a grand jury, Clinton said his statements were 'legally accurate' but also allowed that he 'misled people, including even my wife'."
The senior managing editor at the AP, Mike Oreskes, responded to the criticism with this - "The reference was not about that woman, Miss Lewinsky. It was about facts. Clinton challenged the Republicans for their attitude toward facts. We were simply pointing out that as president Clinton had his own challenges in this area."
I'm sorry, but that isn't fact-checking. If a person by the name of Jebediah witnesses a friend's wife with another man, making out with him and he relays this factual information onto his friend (with video evidence - thanks smartphone!), does it mean the claim isn't accurate since Jebediah himself had once cheated on a girlfriend? Instead of the statement/evidence in question being checked for its/their validity, the source's past is being questioned, with little to no attention paid to the fact-check worthy statement that was made by him.
Clinton made the claim that a Romney pollster said their campaign wouldn't be dictated by facts and then added some humor. Let me do the AP's job and fact-check that statement.
It's been documented that Romney pollster, Neil Newhouse, recently stated, "We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers."
In other words, Clinton's claim on the matter is true. Just because he has lied in the past is of no relevance to the statement being accurate. Just because I've lied before doesn't mean that if I tell a person that the capital of Iowa is Des Moines, it suddenly becomes an inaccurate claim.
Maybe the AP is trying to do away with fact-checking all together. If they start "fact-checking" by just claiming that the source of the statement(s) isn't credible due to past lies told - since everyone has lied at one point or another, no source will be deemed credible and fact-checking will no longer be necessary. They're off to a grand start on that front, as this "fact-check" of Clinton obviously showcases - they don't believe fact-checking is necessary in the present, let alone the future.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/ap-defends-bill-clinton-fact-check-lewinsky_n_1862014.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/mitt-romney-_n_1836139.html
In his speech last Wednesday night, Clinton said that a Romney pollster stated their campaign would not be "dictated by fact-checkers". He continued on by saying, "Now that is true. I couldn't have said it better myself -- I just hope you remember that every time you see the ad."
The AP responded to this as follows: "Clinton, who famously finger-wagged a denial on national television about his sexual relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky and was subsequently impeached in the House on a perjury charge, has had his own uncomfortable moments over telling the truth. 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky,' Clinton told television viewers. Later, after he was forced to testify to a grand jury, Clinton said his statements were 'legally accurate' but also allowed that he 'misled people, including even my wife'."
The senior managing editor at the AP, Mike Oreskes, responded to the criticism with this - "The reference was not about that woman, Miss Lewinsky. It was about facts. Clinton challenged the Republicans for their attitude toward facts. We were simply pointing out that as president Clinton had his own challenges in this area."
I'm sorry, but that isn't fact-checking. If a person by the name of Jebediah witnesses a friend's wife with another man, making out with him and he relays this factual information onto his friend (with video evidence - thanks smartphone!), does it mean the claim isn't accurate since Jebediah himself had once cheated on a girlfriend? Instead of the statement/evidence in question being checked for its/their validity, the source's past is being questioned, with little to no attention paid to the fact-check worthy statement that was made by him.
Clinton made the claim that a Romney pollster said their campaign wouldn't be dictated by facts and then added some humor. Let me do the AP's job and fact-check that statement.
It's been documented that Romney pollster, Neil Newhouse, recently stated, "We're not going to let our campaign be dictated by fact-checkers."
In other words, Clinton's claim on the matter is true. Just because he has lied in the past is of no relevance to the statement being accurate. Just because I've lied before doesn't mean that if I tell a person that the capital of Iowa is Des Moines, it suddenly becomes an inaccurate claim.
Maybe the AP is trying to do away with fact-checking all together. If they start "fact-checking" by just claiming that the source of the statement(s) isn't credible due to past lies told - since everyone has lied at one point or another, no source will be deemed credible and fact-checking will no longer be necessary. They're off to a grand start on that front, as this "fact-check" of Clinton obviously showcases - they don't believe fact-checking is necessary in the present, let alone the future.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/06/ap-defends-bill-clinton-fact-check-lewinsky_n_1862014.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/mitt-romney-_n_1836139.html
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