A CUSTOM-MADE NEWS

Want some evidence that there is something fundamentally awry in the mainstream media? Looking for something to bolster your conspiratorial mindset, prone to magical thinking? Well, look no farther. Today, Monkey Trials will indulge that guilty pleasure.

Here's a news article from the Associated Press regarding President Obama's speech to Michigan graduates, of which I watched a goodly portion of live. It contains a passage on a speech by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in the same neck of the woods, as follows:

"Not 50 miles from where Obama spoke, the GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, denounced his policies as "big government" strategies being imposed on average Americans. "The fundamental transformation of America is not what we all bargained for," she told 2,000 activists at a forum in Clarkston, sponsored by the anti-tax Americans for Prosperity Foundation."

The same passage is quoted verbatim in other sites that picked up the AP story (by Pete Yost and Mark S. Smith), such as Yahoo! News, Newser or Salon.

But what do I find, pray, when I check out the same story at FOX News? The individual author's names are not shown, and the feature is credited blandly to 'Associated Press.' Much of the article has been cleverly recast. The above paragraph mentioning Palin has been chopped into two separate paragraphs embedded in different parts of the article, and there is a subtle attempt to recast the President as acting on partisan impulse. Compare! I have taken the liberty of italicizing key points of difference in the text.

Original AP story by Yost and Smith:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In a blunt caution to political friend and foe, President Barack Obama said Saturday that partisan rants and name-calling under the guise of legitimate discourse pose a serious danger to America's democracy, and may incite "extreme elements" to violence.

The comments, in a graduation speech at the University of Michigan's huge football stadium, were Obama's most direct take about the angry politics that have engulfed his young presidency. after long clashes over health care, taxes and the role of government.

Not 50 miles from where Obama spoke, the GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, denounced his policies as "big government" strategies being imposed on average Americans.

FOX News version:

President Obama took aim Saturday at the angry rhetoric of those who denigrate government as "inherently bad" and said their off-base line of attack ignores the fact that in a democracy, "government is us."

Obama used his commencement speech at the University of Michigan to respond to foes who portray government as oppressive and tyrannical -- and to warn that overheated language can signal extremists that "perhaps violence is ... justifiable."

Just 45 miles from the immense Michigan Stadium, capacity 106,201, the GOP's 2008 vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, told an anti-tax gathering Obama's policies are "big government" recipes that are "intrusive" in the lives of average Americans.

Original AP story:

Obama drew repeated cheers in Michigan Stadium from a friendly crowd that aides called the biggest audience of his presidency since the inauguration. The venue has a capacity of 106,201, and university officials distributed 80,000 tickets — before they ran out.

FOX News:

(does not appear...!)

Original AP story, following comments of the President's discussing the historical debate on the role of government:

But Obama was direct in urging both sides in the political debate to tone it down. "Throwing around phrases like 'socialists' and 'Soviet-style takeover,' 'fascists' and 'right-wing nut' — that may grab headlines," he said. But it also "closes the door to the possibility of compromise. It undermines democratic deliberation," he said.

"At its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a justifiable response."

FOX News, on the other hand, placed an edited version of the above passage following a sentence describing the views of Gov. Palin:

Obama urged both sides in the political debate to tone it down. "Throwing around phrases like 'socialists' and 'Soviet-style takeover,' 'fascists' and 'right-wing nut' -- that may grab headlines," he said. But it also "closes the door to the possibility of compromise...

(above italicized phrase omitted)

"At its worst, it can send signals to the most extreme elements of our society that perhaps violence is a justifiable response."

To me, when comparing the original with the edited version, the clear purpose of the latter was to remove the context of the President's remarks. They wanted to downplay the size of the President's audience, and the enthusiasm with which his remarks were received. They wanted to recast his commentary on the angry politics of our time as a largely partisan speech, aimed at Tea Party supporters and Sarah Palin.

In other words, they wanted a story that more closely melded with the narrative of FOX News, which trolls ceaselessly back-and-forth in search of controversy. Well, I actually watched the speech, and I can tell you that it was not in any meaningful sense critical of the President's foes, nor did he take any particular aim at conservatives. It was a commentary on the nature of political discourse in our country, fully aware of the rough-and-tumble nature of politics and the history of our republic. It was not in any way a shot across the bows toward conservatives, much less Sarah Palin. The cleverly-edited FOX News version would not persuade anyone who actually watched the speech that anything sinister was at work.