THE ASSOCIATED PRESS IS GUILTY OF FALSE ADVERTISING

BY JOHN HINDERAKER IN MEDIA BIAS

Like other Democratic Party news outlets, the Associated Press is conducting a daily war against President Trump and his administration. This war is waged through biased news stories, which are legion, and through the AP’s purported “fact checks.” Today’s AP “fact check” is typical; if anything, better than average: AP FACT CHECK: Trump errs in describing Obama stimulus:

President Donald Trump disparaged his predecessor’s economic stimulus spending Tuesday as a windfall for social programs and said he’s unaware of anything built from the money steered to infrastructure.

That’s a mischaracterization of former President Barack Obama’s 2009 stimulus package, which had tax cuts as its largest component and plowed more than $100 billion into highway, transit and other “shovel-ready” infrastructure projects, to use the buzz phrase of that time.

That’s a little over 10% of the purported “stimulus,” which may be a high estimate. Three percent of the $800 billion stimulus went for roads and bridges, which Obama and his minions endlessly promoted as the main point of the legislation.

TRUMP, in remarks to CEOs Tuesday: “There was a very large infrastructure bill that was approved during the Obama administration, a trillion dollars. Nobody ever saw anything being built. I mean, to this day, I haven’t heard of anything that’s been built. They used most of that money — it went and they used it on social programs and we want this to be on infrastructure.”

This is a classic AP “fact check.” It starts with Trump hyperbole–“Nobody ever saw anything being built.” Trump’s point is that his own infrastructure bill is actually going to go for infrastructure, unlike Obama’s. His audience understood that he was exaggerating for humorous effect, and also understood that Trump was basically right. Obama’s stimulus plan was sold as a “shovel-ready” infrastructure building program, but that turned out to be an insignificant portion of the whole. The AP doggedly documents the fact that a tiny portion of Obama’s stimulus bill went for infrastructure, and therefore Trump is supposedly a liar.

The AP also quotes left-wing Buzzfeed to the effect that Trump praised Obama and his stimulus bill back in 2009. This apparently comes from the AP’s library of Trump opposition research. Did the AP similarly bring up Hillary Clinton’s past statements when she did a head-snapping 180 in 2016, abandoning not only her husband’s legacy of the 1990s, but also her own policy statements during the 2008 primary season? Of course not.

This kind of thing happens over and over. Often, it is worse. On Saturday, the AP accused President Trump of “false advertising,” even though it didn’t show that Trump said anything that was false. It merely quoted his statements on various issues and countered with the Democratic Party’s talking points.

Do you want to know what is really false advertising? The AP’s claim that its “fact checks” constitute “a look at the veracity of claims by political figures.” In reality, the AP “fact checks” only one political figure, President Trump, with occasional attacks on members of his administration. Here are the headlines for the last 25 AP “fact checks.” Judge for yourself:

AP FACT CHECK: Trump errs in describing Obama stimulus
AP FACT CHECK: Republicans thwarted high court picks, too
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s week of feints and false advertising
AP FACT CHECK: Trump didn’t get luxury-model Air Force One
AP FACT CHECK: Spicer says case closed on Russia. It’s not
AP FACT CHECK: Trump no factor in Social Security increase
AP FACT CHECK: Obama, Trump had role in Flint water relief
AP FACT CHECK: The week when Trump’s wiretap accusation died
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s promise on repealing health care law
AP FACT CHECK: Trump overlooks his Obamacare promise
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s truths can come from wisps of info
AP FACT CHECK: Willie Nelson not deathly ill, publicist says

So far, that is the only “fact check” on a Democrat

AP FACT CHECK: Trump and his unachieved achievements
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s claim of fleeing doctors rings false
AP FACT CHECK: Trump tweets vs. FBI testimony on Russia
AP FACT CHECK: A Washington week of bluster

Nine out of ten instances of “bluster” were either President Trump or members of his administration.

AP FACT CHECK: Fukushima radiation not cause for alarm in US
AP FACT CHECK: Who needs a wall? Trump says border is strong
AP FACT CHECK: Irish slavery a St. Patrick’s Day myth

Well, that’s a relief!

AP FACT CHECK: Both sides loose with facts in health debate

Seven instances of President Trump or his administration being “loose with facts,” one instance of Democrats

AP FACT CHECK: [Trump] Cabinet members go rogue on science, history
AP FACT CHECK: Some Trump boasts stumble, but jobs do grow
AP FACT CHECK: Trump, Carson Give Wrong Impression
AP FACT CHECK: How Trump’s Keystone XL story fell apart
AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s facts on Navy’s size don’t float

We could go on (and on), but you get the drift. The Associated Press was once a respected news service, but today it is just one more member of the Democratic Party’s press auxiliary. There is no reason why anyone should take anything from the AP seriously, if it relates to the Trump administration or to any subject of partisan controversy.

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2017/04/the-associated-press-is-guilty-of-false-advertising.php