FactCheck.org points out that an anti-Alito ad isn't accurate when it claims that Alito violated a pledge made to the U. S. Senate because Alito "may" not have actually been involved in one of the three cases cited in the ad.
FactCheck.org verified the accuracy of the information in the anti-Alito ad and found it wanting. But, with the pro-Alito ad, FactCheck.org only verified Stuart Taylor was accurately quoted, but never bothered to investigate the accuracy of Stuart Taylor's accusations.
In part, here's what Fact.Check.org said about the pro Alito ad:
An Accurate Quote
The ad opens with an image of a dripping faucet as an announcer says that "everyday, desperate liberals make up a steady drip of attacks against Judge Samuel Alito. Want the truth?" It then quotes a Dec. 10 article by Stuart Taylor, a writer for the National Journal. The quotation used by the PFA ad is accurate and in context. Taylor's article flayed general news accounts of the Alito fight for adopting the line of what he called "liberal ideologues." Here is the quote in broader context:
FactCheck.org does point out that Stuart Taylor may not be as "respected" nor his publication as "non-partisan" as the ad claims. But, FactCheck.org:Taylor: The systematic slanting -- conscious or unconscious -- of this and many other news reports has helped fuel a disingenuous campaign by liberal groups and senators to caricature Alito as a conservative ideologue. In fact, this is a judge who – while surely too conservative for the taste of liberal ideologues – is widely admired by liberals, moderates, and conservatives who know him well as fair-minded, committed to apolitical judging, and wedded to no ideological agenda other than restraint in the exercise of judicial power.
- Lists the "liberal" groups behind the anti-Alito ad
- Fails to meniton the "conservative" groups behind the pro-Alito ad
- Fails to verify the accuracy of Stuart Taylor's attack on anti-Alito forces. Even though the thrust of the ad is that "everyday, desperate liberals make up a
steady drip of attacks against Judge Samuel Alito.", the accusations made by Taylor are not investigated.
Let's have a little bit of fun at the expense of James Ficaro, who wrote the analysis for FactCheck.org:
Assume that Geoff Staples (yes, that's me) wrote a news article about James Ficaro.
Then, a group wanting to discredit Mr. Ficaro created an ad which contained the following statement:
Then the website "BullCrapDetectors.org" did an anaylsis of the anti-Ficaro ad. Here's what "BullCrapDetectors.org" wrote about the James Ficaro ad:
The ad opens with an image of a man with a shovel walking through a graveyard as an announcer says, "everyday, more alarming facts about James Ficaro come to light. Want the truth?" It then quotes a Dec. 10 article by journalist Geoff Staples. The quotation used in the ad is accurate and in context. Staples' article detailed the sex crimes of Mr. Ficaro. Here is the quote in broader context:
Please note, that nothing is mentioned about the truth or falsity of the accusations written by Geoff Staples. It is simply stated that the ad accurately quotes Geoff Staples in context.Staples: James Ficaro is a necophilic pedophile, according to neighbors who say that Mr. Ficaro searches the obituaries for young girls aged 9 to 12, digs up their graves and has sex with them.
Apparently, the accuracy of the accusations against Judge Alito's enemies or James Ficaro are of no importance as long as Stuart Taylor and Geoff Staples were accurately quoted.
Here's a link to the full analysis at FactCheck.org.
I'd be happy to hear from anyone who thinks I have unfairly distorted FactCheck.org's irresponsible and inexcusable attempt to discredit Samuel Alito's critics.
