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WMUR Fact Checks NHJournal's Shea-Porter Fable

by: Dean Barker

Wed Dec 29, 2010 at 19:37:35 PM EST
The made-up story NHJournal put out on Carol Shea-Porter continues to backfire badly on the fledging publication and its credibility.

This is how NHJournal's Shawn Millerick presented the ABC interview:

Shea-Porter implies Chinese cost her election, helped Guinta

Outgoing Congresswoman Carol Shea-Porter implied the Chinese cost her re-election in November and secretly funneled money to help her Republican opponent Frank Guinta during a post-election interview with ABC News.

Here's what WMUR has to say about that:
News 9 watched the roundtable interview, and the host's question and Shea-Porter's lead-up to that statement never mentioned her election loss or her opponent, Frank Guinta.

But bloggers used that quote and others from different parts of the interview to claim Shea-Porter was blaming anonymous Chinese donations to Guinta for her loss.

Before WMUR's news team did their fact checking, the NHJournal story managed to fool a number of national media outlets who uncritically stenographed this false story.

The Hill, the Wall St. Journal, Politics Daily, and Real Clear Politics have all since altered their headlines or contents of this upon learning the truth.

Had they taken some very simple steps in standard practice journalism, or exhibited basic critical thinking for that matter, such as watching the short interview for themselves, or contacting the Congresswoman to confirm, these allegedly reputable news sources would not have egg on their faces right now.
Dean Barker :: WMUR Fact Checks NHJournal's Shea-Porter Fable
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WMUR Fact Checks NHJournal's Shea-Porter Fable | 5 comments
It's them damn bloggers. (4.00 / 1)
"Bloggers used that quote."

"Newspapers and magazines fucked up." No need to get specific, eh?

This may be why a satirist/comedian (4.00 / 1)
is seen as taking on Murrow's mantle, rather than a "serious" journalist.
Good for WMUR! n/t (4.00 / 3)


Have you told a stranger today about Bill O'Brien and his Tea Party agenda? The people of NH deserve to hear about O'Brien  and his majority committed to destroying New Hampshire and remaking it into a armed survivalist preserve.  
WMUR is mainstream media NH (0.00 / 0)
for the record Hearst is the #1. ABC affiliate owner nationwide with the most stations, the #2. NBC affiliate owner, and also own two CBS stations. They are a huge factor in televised media, as the statement of their ownerships shows, nationwide. They have to consider the media environment and their credibility. By being non partisan and fact based they gain stature as the only credible statewide news gathering organization, while the UL continues to sink like a heavy load of crap.

note to close readers: this might be sarcastic so think twice before reading to candidates for use in their attacks on each other
[ Parent ]
Hate to say it, (4.00 / 2)
but this has become
standard practice journalism

I fear mightily for the future of professional (responsible) journalism anywhere in the world.

Even the best of what we have now isn't too good, and nobody wants to (or can afford to) pay for "good" anymore, "good enough" is good enough.

Still, kudos to WMUR for elementary-level fact checking.

And don't even get me started on the issue of critical thinking, I'm liable to blow a gasket.

They. Don't. Care.
We do.
Rinse, repeat.

WMUR Fact Checks NHJournal's Shea-Porter Fable | 5 comments

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