ASSOCIATED PRESS
AP: A Little Context, Please? [Kevin D. Williamson]
A reader writes in with another observation on the Associated Press, because apparently it's AP day here on Media Blog:
AP reports today:
WASHINGTON - Vice President Dick Cheney's office pushed for major deletions in congressional testimony on the public health consequences of climate change, fearing the presentation by a leading health official might make it harder to avoid regulating greenhouse gases, a former EPA officials maintains.
... Jason K. Burnett, until last month the senior adviser on climate change to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, says that Cheney's office was deeply involved in getting nearly half of the CDC's original draft testimony removed.
Okay, so who is this Jason Burnett guy, and why did he leave the EPA last month? The AP report won't tell you — at least not in the first 20 paragraphs. It takes a lot to get beat by the LA Times, but here's the news:
Now Burnett is talking with his checkbook, too. After submitting his resignation last month, he donated $3,600 to Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign. That came on top of a $1,000 contribution he made to Obama before rejoining the EPA last year.
A Stanford-trained economist and a Democrat, Burnett, 31, said in an interview that he was moving back to Northern California to campaign for Obama and Rep. Sam Farr (D-Carmel).
That doesn't make him a liar, and it doesn't make his claims untrue. But it's good to know who the guy is politically, right? The AP doesn't seem to think so. And, chances are, the 21st paragraph won't make it into your hometown newspaper, which relies on the AP for its political news. But as lame as the AP's version is, it still beats Reuters, which doesn't mention the Obama tie at all.
Thanks to reader Mike R for the observation!
Parting questions: Why is an economist the senior adviser on climate change to the EPA boss? And does Obama really need extra help in northern California? Is Berkeley in play?
07/08 04:27 PM
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