FINDING 1: HuffPost has used false/misleading "news" reporting to unfairly smear and incite hatred of Tea Party leaders and event attendees

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Continued from:

HuffPost vs. the Tea Party: Introduction

FINDING 1: HuffPost has used false/misleading "news" reporting to unfairly smear and incite hatred of Tea Party leaders and event attendees

The following are five examples of HuffPost's ongoing assault on the Tea Party, presented in chronological order. The original article upon which each example is based is linked just beneath the title, and again at the end.

Note that after each example is a list of user comments that were incited by HuffPost's actions, which contain misconception-based hatred, and even open calls for violence. As documented in Section 3b, despite HuffPost's statements to the contrary:

• The only reason that these and other comments appeared is because it reviewed, approved and decided to publish them.
  
  
• Many of these calls for violence came not from new users (as HuffPost claims, "anonymous, trouble-making trolls"), but from long-term users, with 20 or more "fans," indicated in bold.

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EXAMPLE 1, November 17, 2009: HuffPost headline claims Tea Party event "turned violent" --- implying they initiated it --- even though the evidence clearly shows that militant leftists physically assaulted peaceful Tea Party demonstrators.

This incident is documented in detail here. In summary:

• Tea Party demonstrators were peacefully assembled in South Florida in mid-November, 2009.
  
  
• Militant leftists (from Int'l ANSWER, a revolutionary communist, Stalinist front group) physically assaulted them --- as they'd urged their members to do, via an email sent out earlier.
  
  
• Rather than being an isolated incident, this was representative of the far larger pattern of radical leftist violence, as documented in a recent report by the Media Research Center.
  
  
• This assault was captured on video:

Instead of running this as a story of unprovoked violence against peaceful demonstrators, HuffPost chose to run this story under the headline, "Tea Party Protest Turns Violent."

The first two sentences in HuffPost "reporter" Dawn Teo's report clearly implied that the peaceful Tea Party demonstrators had initiated this physical clash:

Tea Partiers tussled with counter protesters during at least two of the nationwide anti-immigration Tea Party rallies on Saturday.

In Ft. Lauderdale, several Tea Partiers brawled in the street with counter protesters from the Florida Chapter of Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER).

The story generated more than 1,000 user comments. The following is a sampling of the hateful, violence-inducing ones that were incited by HuffPost's depiction of this attack --- which appeared only because it reviewed, approved and decided to publish them (see Section 3b):

bluntobject 31 fans permalink
This is all these redneck, ignorant republicans are about -- brawling. I am only sorry that more of this teabag-trash weren't popped in the face. He deserved it, and more!
Posted 11:28 AM on 11/17/2009

mcthfg 21 fans permalink
I'm all for beating the crap out of tea baggers. [...] They need to be shown that there are consequences to their actions.
Posted 11:22 AM on 11/17/2009

Genep34 39 fans permalink
It is about time someone stood up to these ignorant white power cowards.
Posted 10:35 AM on 11/17/2009

See the full documentation of this incident here.


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EXAMPLE 2, March 7, 2010: HuffPost disguises smear-filled activist rant as a "news" story; falsely claims that the Tea Party is racist, has an "anti-immigrant agenda," and are "teabaggers."

This incident is documented in detail here. In summary:

• From its 2005 debut to the present day, HuffPost's front page design has consisted of opinion pieces (blog articles) placed along the left column, and news stories in the center and right columns. This is the design approach Ms. Huffington defined in 2005, so readers can distinguish the types of content on the site.
  
  
• On March 7, HuffPost published in its news section a story with the headline, "The Tea Party's Anti-Immigration Agenda," which linked to a story page entitled: "Mexicans Are Filthy Stinking Animals - Teabaggers: That's Really Not Racism."
  
  
• The story, written by an anti-Tea Party activist, consisted of a continuous smear, alleging that because one attendee at one Tea Party event was caught on video making an inflammatory statement, the entire Tea Party movement is "racist" and "anti-immigrant."
  
  
• It turns out that the video was produced by the article writer.

This inflammatory smear against the Tea Party --- which HuffPost disguised to appear as a "news" article --- incited nearly 1,000 user comments, many of them filled with hate and libels, which it then reviewed, approved and decided to publish (see Section 3b).

See the full documentation of this incident here.


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EXAMPLE 3, March 20, 2010: HuffPost falsely "reports," as fact, an evidence-less rumor about Tea Party demonstrators calling black Congressmen "the 'n' word."

This incident is documented in detail here. In summary:

• In preparation to vote for a healthcare takeover bill that 55% of Americans opposed at the time, several black Democratic Congressmen decided to walk directly through the tens of thousands of Tea Party protesters.
  
  
• Several of these Congressmen later alleged to HuffPost and other "news" organizations that they were called the "n" word, spat on, called homophobic slurs, etc. --- for which there was no proof whatsoever.
  
  
• Instead of posting this "news" story under a headline indicating it was based on allegations, and not facts, HuffPost's headline indicated the account was factual: "Members Of Congress Called 'Ni**er,' 'Fa**ot,' Spat On By Tea Party Protesters."
  
  
• Turns out that the HuffPost "reporter" who wrote this story, Sam Stein, is a graduate of the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. This prompted us to ask, in our coverage of this incident: "Does not basic journalistic ethics demand that if one is going to smear an individual or group with a charge as incendiary as having used the 'n' word, that the reporter provide one iota, one shred, one kernel of tangible proof? In normal "news" rooms, the answer is yes."

As in earlier incidents, HuffPost's incitement led to more than 10,000 user comments, many of which were filled with hatred, and some containing calls for violence, which it then reviewed, approved and decided to publish (see Section 3b). A sampling:

imright59 4 fans permalink
the time is right for fighting in the streets!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted 09:31 PM on 3/20/2010

nicole473 541 fans permalink Yeah, let's hear all you baggers claiming that you aren't r@cist again. This makes me want to kick all of their ugly_butts out of the country!!
Posted 08:49 PM on 3/20/2010

zee12 10 fans permalink
Bring out the dogs. Round them up. [...] throw them into jail. Include the editors, publishers, radio and TV persons at Fox news for inciting hate crimes, riots and treason. [...]
Posted 05:22 PM on 3/20/2010

See the full documentation of this incident here.


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EXAMPLE 4, March 24, 2010: HuffPost triples-down on reporting as "news" false smears against the Tea Party --- even though video evidence shows none of it occurred.

This incident is documented in detail here. In summary:

• HuffPost published another original "news" story that claimed --- without any proof whatsoever --- that black Democratic Congressmen were called racial slurs by Tea Party activists.
  
  
• HuffPost cited in the article the "activist" who wrote the March 7 smear (which it disguised as a news article), asking readers watch a video which (according to HuffPost) "shows Republican lawmakers waving signs from a balcony and applauding the crowd of Tea Party protesters as they shout racial and homophobic slurs." The video showed no such thing --- and HuffPost failed to note its prior relationship with the "activist."
  
  
• Numerous videos (included in our blog article, here) clearly show that none of what HuffPost or its "activist" allies allege occurred; in fact, the evidence shows that even the Congressmen in question and their aides were videotaping the incident, as if they anticipated something would occur. Yet none of their videotapes show anyone called them racial slurs.
  
  
• Photographic evidence shows how many other people in the crowd were videotaping the event. Noted blogger Andrew Breitbart has offered a $100,000 reward for anyone who can show that anyone called any Congressman a racial slur. He even offered this money if any of the Congressmen could pass a lie detector test regarding their allegations. No proof has come forward --- and none of the Congressmen have, either.

HuffPost's incitement led to more than 2,000 user comments, many of which were filled with hatred, and some calls for violence, which it reviewed, approved and decided to publish (see Section 3b). A sampling:

lumpy gravy 5 fans permalink
yeah, no need to censor them. it would be better if people started kicking their teeth in.
Posted 01:47 PM on 3/24/2010

Obamas Spine permalink
Believe me, we're ready. We're going to start taking an arm for an arm, tooth for tooth [...] threatening the lives of your representatives children (and we don't just "threaten"). We're ready 4 u!
Posted 02:11 PM on 3/24/2010

mltmama 4 fans permalink
The Rethugs want these people to do their dirty work. They want someone killed. Period. [...]
Posted 01:05 PM on 3/24/2010

chiodo08 24 fans permalink
[...].from my experience a bully a hole won't let up until you beat them down....let's get on with it...I think they will be VERY VERY surprised in the amount of weight progressives can "bring"....
Posted 12:53 PM on 3/24/2010

See the full documentation of this incident here.


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EXAMPLE 5, March 28, 2010: HuffPost falsely claims in blaring news headline that "many" Tea Party activists are "on the dole, turning to government for help."

This incident is documented in detail here. In summary:

• This HuffPost "news" story was based on an article published by the New York Times.
  
  
• The Times article did not have any indication that "many" Tea Party activists are seeking or obtaining financial assistance --- in the form of unemployment, into which all U.S. workers are forced to pay, just for such situations. Thus, these individuals are not "on the dole" (receiving charity), as it is their own money, which was forcibly taken from them for this purpose, that they are getting back.
  
  
• Rather than discussing "many" of the estimated 1.5 million Tea Party activists, the Times article focuses on a few individuals, some of whom have decided to volunteer for the Tea Party while they're out of work. Yet HuffPost crafted a blaring headline that its own source demonstrated was untrue.
  

HuffPost's incitement led to more than 8,000 user comments, many of which were filled with hatred, and some calls for violence, which it then reviewed, approved and decided to publish (see Section 3b). A sampling:

NoSillyName I'm a fan of this user 100 fans permalink
Tea Partiers and their leader, Spalin, are nothing but nasty, violent hypocrites. [...]
Posted 01:15 AM on 3/28/2010

lizr 296 fans permalink
I think part of the point of the article is that they are BROKE and DISPOSSESSED nasty violent hypocrites. [...]
Posted 01:56 AM on 3/28/2010

jessikins permalink
With one hand, holding a picket sign, the other outstretched for government assistance pooled from fellow American taxpayers of all ilks. Way to go, teabaggers--bite the hand that literally feeds you. [...]
Posted 01:13 AM on 3/28/2010

RichInSeattle 58 fans permalink
I don't like it when these people use the American Flag. It reminds me of the hate and intollerance of Germany in 1930's. [...]
Posted 01:33 AM on 3/28/2010

lisakaz2 I'm a fan of this user 268 fans permalink
All, the land of not-making-sense. Let's take government benefits but complain about 'em at the same time. "We deserve 'em but no one else," I guess.
Posted 01:32 AM on 3/28/2010

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Additional notes on these five examples of HuffPost's "news" reporting on the Tea Party:

• All of the physical evidence that emerged since HuffPost began its smears against the Tea Party over the March 20 rally in Washington indicate that the alleged events never took place. This fact was covered by three of the most popular conservative blogs --- Gateway Pundit (1, 2, 3, 4), Big Journalism (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), and Powerline (1, 2, 3, 4).
  
  
• See "Timeline: Anatomy of a Tea Party Smear by the Democrat-Media Complex," by Doug Ross (cited at Gateway Pundit) for a detailed analysis of how HuffPost's false reporting on March 20 incident in Washington, DC was picked up by the mainstream media --- setting in motion a series of stories that reported unproven allegations as facts.
  
  
• Instead of "walking back" its false allegations against the Tea Party, in the days after contradictory evidence began emerging, HuffPost escalated its unfounded smears.
  
  
• Even after additional stories like this emerged --- proof, in leftist-anarchists' own words, of their plans to "crash" and disrupt the Tea Parties --- HuffPost refused to "ferret out the truth" of the matter, which Ms. Huffington claims is the "highest calling of journalists."
  

Taken in total, these examples demonstrate HuffPost's pattern of malicious, incendiary smears against the Tea Party, its leaders and event attendees, based on allegations that it knew, or should have known, are false.



Proceed to: .

FINDING 2: HuffPost's smearing of the Tea Party is part of its continuing pattern of smearing and unfairly inciting hatred against others

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You are here:

HuffPost vs. the Tea Party: Introduction

FINDING 1: HuffPost has used false/misleading "news" reporting to unfairly smear and incite hatred of Tea Party leaders and event attendees

FINDING 2: HuffPost's smearing of the Tea Party is part of its continuing pattern of smearing and unfairly inciting hatred against others

FINDING 3: HuffPost is far guiltier than Tea Party leaders of tolerating and protecting members who engage in hate speech and calls for violence

CONCLUSION: A theory on HuffPost's motivation for its "racist" smear against the Tea Party; how to make your voice known


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