[NYTr] More Media Conspiracy: Fox News Caught Editing Al Franken's
 
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:58:59 -0400


Via NY Transfer News Collective  *  All the News that Doesn't Fit
 
Open Left via Alternet - Aug 15, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/bloggers//59794/


Fox News Caught Editing Al Franken's Wikipedia Entry

By Matt Stoller

[This post originally appeared on Open Left]

There's a new tool out there that lets you search the destination IP 
addresses for people editing wikipedia entries. Arthur Bergman found 
that folks at Fox News's IP address were editing Al Franken's entry. 
Apparently, Fox News propagandists deleted Franken's statement that Fox 
News's legal case against Franken was ""literally laughed out of court" 
and that "wholly (holy) without merit" is a good characterization of
Fox News itself." The Fox News users also added a 'liberal' adjective
when characterizing the NPR show 'Fresh Air'.

There are two takeaways here. One, though I'm sure that bloggers and
the internet generically will somehow be blamed for vitriol and this
very episode, let's remember that unethical stuff done on the internet
can be done by journalists or propagandists at media organs like Fox
News as easily as it can be done by bloggers. We got a lot of shit for
'hacking' Lieberman's web site the day of the primary, simply because
we write for a web-only audience. That's beyond stupid. And two, Fox is
an advocacy organization that works against Democrats and seeks
undermines legitimate news outlets.

Both of these points should be, but somehow aren't, obvious to most 
media executives and a whole lot of establishment people. I write on
the internet. Boo! Call me cyberhawk, or something.


[Matt Stoller is a political activist/blogger in DC, and was an editor
at MyDD from November 2005 until June 2007. He also consults for the 
Sunlight Foundation, FreePress.net, and Working Assets as well as 
proactively networking other progressive bloggers/internet activists
and progressive professionals.]

 
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