AP Universe, domain of the flunky careerist--I've written it several times before, but it's rare that the name of the author of a wire piece ever gets named here...unless they lie, distort, or just act too-credulous (a problem with most mainstream journalists). OK, we all know that Larry Flynt posted a bounty of $1 million USD for any solid-leads that expose hypocritical national politicians, mostly in the GOP. But Larry isn't stopping there, and he doesn't seem to care if any of the guilty are Democrat or Republican, which speaks well for him. [Ed., 09.13.2008-Except that he was and is still Larry Flynt.]
We've got 20-some investigations that all look good," Flynt said during a news conference at his Beverly Hills office."We have got some high-ranking Republican and Democratic members of the Senate and the House," he told reporters. "If I get just a couple of those phonies out of there, maybe it will be a step forward."Flynt provided no names or details about the investigations. His comments conflicted with a press release issued by the magazine that put the number of investigations at "several." (AP, 07.12.2007)The name! The name! One Michael R. Blood[money]. It's hard to say how he was trying to spin this one. Most dictionaries cite "several" as meaning "three or more, but not many." So, is he saying the Flynt cited fewer-or-greater numbers of good leads? Is 20 several? I would say yes. One can assume that Blood was told by an editor to insert that particular angle into the story. Why? We can only speculate, but AP's inviting it.
It's just a strange article with a weird subtext--that Larry Flynt cannot be trusted on this, even though he's been right on this before, back in 1998. What they're saying is that Larry Flynt is contradicting himself. Why? We can guess why, but meditate on this: who does it serve? Is it several?
AP spoke earlier this week with Jeane Palfrey's civil attorney, Montgomery Blair Sibley and Flynt's primary investigator, Dan Moldea:
Sibley confirmed that author Dan Moldea, who is writing a book with Palfrey, discovered Vitter's number in Palfrey's phone records, which she has publicly released. In an interview Tuesday, Moldea said he called Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, for whom Moldea has done consulting work. Moldea said a Hustler editor called Vitter's office late Monday afternoon. Moldea was the lead investigator on Flynt's probe in 1998-99 of lawmakers who were investigating President Bill Clinton in the Monica Lewinsky scandal. They included Rep. Robert Livingston, a Louisiana Republican, who stepped aside days before he was expected to become House speaker replacing Newt Gingrich. Livingston, whose House seat was later filled by Vitter, revealed that he, too, had an extramarital affair. (AP, 07.10.2007)So what gives AP? I've caught you reporting rumors as fact before, such as the case of AG Gonzales's Law School Reunion where you claimed most of the alumni gathered for a group photo didn't see law school students dressed as Guantanamo inmates.
Insofar as the fact that Hustler is a porn magazine, they have a good batting-average--several--in downing corrupt politicians. Perhaps even better than you, AP. They've nailed several people who were hypocritical and corrupt before, and they're now poised to do it again-and-again. For some reason, you don't appear to like this fact on several-points.
The passage that stated "comments conflicted" is a journalist's weapon, just like "refused to comment." They love the latter the most, it implies a source is hiding something...whether they are-or-not. Journalistic objectivity? Don't be silly, editors nullify that every day. I've had a journalist tell me, "Sometimes a journalism degree comes-in-handy." Cheers go to those journalists who don't care anymore and run the truth (sometimes hidden within a news release) anyway. Without them, I and several others, wouldn't have much to analyze.
Michael R. Blood doing career gymnastics?:http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/07/12/ap3907393.html
[Ed., 09.13.2008-They're dead, they're all messed-up. Al Goldestein claims that Flynt used to brag about having-sex with a chicken, something I told Palfrey once. Maybe, it wouldn't surprise me. Moldea's reputation precedes him too.]
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