November 15, 2006

Proof of Spin! CNN RSS Feed Spins Same CNN Story Differently from Official CNN Article!

Here's the CNN RSS feed for this article:

But the spin the network put on the final published article is totally different!

Top general says Iraq status quo needs to change

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Under sharp questioning from senators, the top U.S. general in Iraq said Wednesday the status quo in the war there is not acceptable.

Gen. John Abizaid's comments came in response to persistent questioning from Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, about whether more U.S. troops are needed in Iraq.

When Abizaid, the head of U.S. Central Command, insisted that American and Iraqi troop strength is adequate for the mission, McCain responded, "I'm of course disappointed that basically you're advocating the status quo here today, which I think the American people in the last election said ... is not an acceptable position for the American people."

"Well, Senator, I agree with you, the status quo is not acceptable, and I don't believe what I'm saying here today is the status quo," Abizaid replied in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

The RSS feed shows the General asking Congress not to "handicap us," not to "hamper" us, but to give us "flexibility" that we can't have if there are "force caps and specific timetables."

But the article makes it sound like the same General is criticizing GWB, backing the Dems, and calling for the status quo to change!

The words "hamper" and "handicap" don't even appear in the article. The quote about "flexibility" isn't even in the article! 

Let me reiterate, this is two CNN headlines for the exact same CNN article. One headline is from the RSS feed, and one is from the published article.

This shows how hard the editors at CNN work to spin stories in an anti-GWB direction. The RSS feed, which simply seeks to sum up the gist of the story, puts a far more reasonable interpretation on the facts. In fact, the RSS feed's approach is in keeping with the Washington Post's report on this same event:

U.S. Commander Warns Against Iraq Cutoff

WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. commander in the Middle East warned Congress Wednesday against setting a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, saying it would impede commanders in managing U.S. and Iraqi forces.

The assertion by Gen. John Abizaid seemed to put him at odds with some Democrats pressing the Bush administration to begin pulling out of Iraq.

The CNN editors had to work hard to make it sound like the General was opposing GWB.

If you scroll to the bottom of the CNN web page showing the article, you can see this:

But clicking it links back to this exact same article -- which leaves out any mention of handicapping us, or setting timetables. 

(Click here for a definition of RSS.)

Update (within minutes of original post): CNN is correcting the discrepancies - they've already changed the "Top Story" link at the bottom of the article to this:

Don't be surprised if they correct the RSS feed too. But I've already made a copy of it, accessible at this link.

Update (again, moments later): They did - they changed the RSS feed! Here's what it says now:

You can still see traces of the original - the word "hamper" - a word which is missing from the CNN article it describes. 

Documenting that Al-Jazeera is Pro-Terrorist, Anti-Western Propaganda

If you had any doubt that Al-Jazeera was pro-terrorist, anti-Western propaganda, read this.

The channel quickly jumped to live feeds from correspondents in various regions - starting with the Gaza Strip in a spot that reflected the channel's promise to focus on Arab concerns in the Middle East.

The station reported on a rocket attack by Palestinian militants that killed an Israeli woman - then cut to its Gaza correspondent reporting on the aftermath of Israel's shelling of the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun that killed 18 Palestinians earlier this week.

The video showed pancaked apartment blocks and a scarred baby lying a hospital bed after being wounded in the Israeli attack. The correspondent did her standup in front of a destroyed home.

It was followed by a clip from an interview with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal. Later, the Jerusalem correspondent reported on Israel's growing anger over rocket attacks and fear among residents of towns near Gaza.

"Focus on Arab concerns" - showing the aftermath of Israeli attacks on military targets, but not the aftermath of Arabic attacks on civilian targets - showing "Israel's... fear", which of course is the goal of Arabs who attack civilian targets -- it's all a mouthpiece for terrorists.

Keep it off our airwaves in the U.S.

As David Horowitz recently said, whenever children are targeted for death, anywhere on earth, it is being done by Muslims. No one else does this.

Iran Rules Out Negotiations

"Iran vows to pursue atomic plans 'until the end'."And, not so coincidentally, Ahmadinejad frequently reiterates that "Israel will soon disappear."

Why Ahmadinejad thinks he can say these things and escape a first strike by Israel - and possibly the U.S. - is an open question. How can he possibly think he can go around saying out loud that he wants to destroy a nation, and is pursuing a nuclear program, and that he will be ignored?

Netanyahu: It's 1938 and Iran is Germany; Ahmadinejad is preparing another Holocaust

LOS ANGELES - Drawing a direct analogy between Iran and Nazi Germany, Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu asserted Monday that the Iranian nuclear program posed a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire western world. There was "still time," however, to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, he said.

"It's 1938 and Iran is Germany. And Iran is racing to arm itself with atomic bombs," Netanyahu told delegates to the annual United Jewish Communities General Assembly, repeating the line several times, like a chorus, during his address. "Believe him and stop him," the opposition leader said of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. "This is what we must do. Everything else pales before this."

While the Iranian president "denies the Holocaust," Netanyahu said, "he is preparing another Holocaust for the Jewish state."

Most likely he wants Israel to strike first, so as to make it easier for him to organize world support for a war by Iran and Syria against Israel.