Michelle Malkin has a fascinating behind the scenes look at a NY Times story on the 2,000th military death in Iraq. They chose to publish an excerpt from a letter written home by a fallen soldier, Cpl. Jeffrey B. Starr,
”I kind of predicted this,” Corporal Starr wrote of his own death. ”A third time just seemed like I’m pushing my chances.”
The soldiers uncle wrote Michelle to let her know that,
Unfortunately they did not tell Jeffrey’s story.
They chose to use a single sentence that was taken from this paragraph,
“Obviously if you are reading this then I have died in Iraq. I kind of predicted this, that is why I’m writing this in November. A third time just seemed like I’m pushing my chances. I don’t regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it’s not to me. I’m here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark.”
As Michelle said, “Now you know what the Times left out. Now you know the rest of Corporal Starr’s story.”
The NY Times Motto: All the news that fits our agenda.
Condi Demonized By USA Today: I’m sure by now you have seen Condi’s “demon eyes” photoshop hachet job by USA Today.
Red State is questioning the breakdown of a CNN poll.
The choice of phrasing was totally at the discretion of the reporter and the editors. A slight plurality of adults, when choosing between a conservative, moderate, or liberal, prefer a conservative. That fact cannot be gleaned from CNN’s article, and the impression given is precisely the opposite