Little-Acorn
04-06-2010, 03:58 PM
from http://opinionjournal.com
Accountability Journalism
by James Taranto
This is a story of absolutely no consequence, but nonetheless an instructive comparison. Here's how the Associated Press reported President Obama's throwing out the first pitch at yesterday's Montreal Expos game:
In front of thousands of fans, President Barack Obama strolled to the pitcher's mound and tossed a baseball to Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, officially launching the team's baseball season.
The setting - freshly cut grass, a brilliant sun and clear skies - was a picture-postcard quality introduction to a new Major League Baseball season. And the lanky Obama, appearing in khakis and a Washington Nationals warmup jacket, was the star attraction for a moment.
Here's how the AP reported the same story two years ago:
President Bush had enough to worry about--like not flubbing the first pitch in front of a crowd that might not exactly be his biggest fans anyway.
So before the game, when a couple of Atlanta Braves gave him a team jersey and suggested he wear it to throw out the first pitch at Nationals Park, Bush laughed. Uh, no thanks, guys. Might as well put on a sign that says "Boo me."
We suppose we should count our blessings: The AP makes it so easy to spot its bias. On the other hand, think of how much better its journalism would be if the bias were limited to fluff stories like this one.
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BTW, Bush's pitch was a strike, right down the pipe. Obama's pitch was high and outside, so much so that the man catching it had to jump up and lunge to his right to keep it from bouncing all the way to the backstop.
Accountability Journalism
by James Taranto
This is a story of absolutely no consequence, but nonetheless an instructive comparison. Here's how the Associated Press reported President Obama's throwing out the first pitch at yesterday's Montreal Expos game:
In front of thousands of fans, President Barack Obama strolled to the pitcher's mound and tossed a baseball to Washington Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman, officially launching the team's baseball season.
The setting - freshly cut grass, a brilliant sun and clear skies - was a picture-postcard quality introduction to a new Major League Baseball season. And the lanky Obama, appearing in khakis and a Washington Nationals warmup jacket, was the star attraction for a moment.
Here's how the AP reported the same story two years ago:
President Bush had enough to worry about--like not flubbing the first pitch in front of a crowd that might not exactly be his biggest fans anyway.
So before the game, when a couple of Atlanta Braves gave him a team jersey and suggested he wear it to throw out the first pitch at Nationals Park, Bush laughed. Uh, no thanks, guys. Might as well put on a sign that says "Boo me."
We suppose we should count our blessings: The AP makes it so easy to spot its bias. On the other hand, think of how much better its journalism would be if the bias were limited to fluff stories like this one.
-------------------------------
BTW, Bush's pitch was a strike, right down the pipe. Obama's pitch was high and outside, so much so that the man catching it had to jump up and lunge to his right to keep it from bouncing all the way to the backstop.