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Today's Top News
Code Pink Punks 'Politico' in Blackwater Hoax
NEW YORK - With all of the news about Blackwater USA's problems, it wasn't a surprise that a fake story about the company creating a "Department of Corporate Integrity" would make it on to several valid news sites.
CBS News and Politico.com were among the victims of the fraud, reportedly perpetuated by Code Pink, according to Politico, which posted a correction today. CBS reprinted a Politico story on its site.
"In this business, you sometimes come across news items and think, 'You couldn't make that stuff up.' Well, sometimes you can," Politico reported in its note. "Code Pink today pulled off a hoax that pulled in Politico and a number of other news outlets when it ginned up a fake release, saying that Blackwater USA was creating a new 'Department of Corporate Integrity' that would put the 'mercy back in mercenary.' That should have been a tip off."
"We do some silly things, but we didn't do that," Anne Tyrrell, a spokesperson for Blackwater USA, told Politico.
The full original story read as follows.
Not to worry... Blackwater USA's got the whole oversight thing taken care of.
Responding to rising criticism of its Iraq operations, the security contractor will announce this morning that it is forming a new "Department of Corporate Integrity."
A statement the company put out is frank about the urgency of the new department. "Blackwater has felt a need to defend its corporate name and clear up its public image," it reads.
"Just as in warfare, a good offense is the best defense," said Eric Prince, chairman and CEO of the Prince Group and Blackwater, USA. "So, we are going on the offense to defend the image of our great company."
The money line from the release: Blackwater plans "to put the mercy back in mercenary."
© 2007 Editor & Publisher
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6 Comments so far
Show Allsomewhere abbie hoffman is smiling.
the bastards may have 24 inches of armor plate up front, but it's no use against laughter.
Thousands of Blackwater macho men bristling with weaponry just got their asses kicked by a few pink ladies. You go girls!
This was funny, but it also demonstrates that the MSM will readily publish anything that appears to come from respected sources without any checking of facts. Yep, that's MSM.
I wonder if FEMA created its own Department of Corporate Integrity? After all, FEMA is known for giving fake news reports, right??
Funny how the MSM was so eager to run this one (and obviously without making even a phone call to confirm it with Blackwater first), when back in 2004 they wouldn't touch the story of the massive "irregularities" in the Ohio election, even when many of us wrote to ask them to. But sure, that was just a story going round on the Internet, not real news...
" Outside " has it correct. NO validation by the MSM whatsoever. Deskjockey journalism at its best. CodePink did no wrong. When did codepink get press credentials? MSM Can you answer that one? They can not, due to laziness of the MSM staffs. And YES there is a war on. A war ON for our minds, by the MSM. The past six years is validating this, in an astronomical amount of deafing silence by the MSM. The questions and drilling which should be done is being put by the wayside. Why? Why? The news agencies which are not part of Britney Spears family knows whether or not she is unfit to be a mother,,, CAN, DID, and make many final judgements as truth. Truth! Why no judgements concerning our corrupt government. 40 million dollars on why Clinto can not keep his penis in his pants, but 250K on 9/11. Wow, that is a real story! 3.2 Trillion dollars missing and not a peep! That is even a bigger ONE! And many stories we will never get any follow up on whatsoever,,,,,,, We had episode and episode of follup on OJ, but not a word on the Anthrax mailings after it was revealed,,, that the trail was leading back to our own government. And the MSM thinks we are all blind. America is waking up, cause the part that everyone is waking up to are the stories that are either not making it, or the roaring of deaf silence. That last part is so TRUE, due to the eventuality of certain stories are followed by certain people which piqued their interest, and the fact we are all different. 6 years of this,,,, and this type of conversation is becoming more commonplce in American society today. The story of silence.
Coffeelover,,,,,,,,