# Does Paul Harvey always get it wrong?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [November 25, 2002, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652 "2002-11-25T14:03:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Petey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petey)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2002, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/21 "2002-11-25T19:35:58Z")
From the Simpsons:
“And that little boy that noone liked grew up to be… Roy Cohn”
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### Author:  [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2002, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/22 "2002-11-25T19:42:00Z")
Please don’t Pit me for this. It’s been verified.
This Paul Harvey strategy has been used intentionally by many politicians, most famously by Ronald Reagan. Many times, the politician gets caught, having made up the story or inflated its details, and replies along the lines of “Well, it’s just an illustration.” In one such case (I can’t remember which politician or which story), the fellow’s press secretary said “But it’s still a good story, isn’t it?” (Clearly indicating that he had missed the point.)
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### Author:  [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2002, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/23 "2002-11-25T19:54:43Z")
_His fans believe it, so they’re not going to call him on it, and his non-fans generally are not listening to the show anyway. So why bother with making sure the story is absolutely factually correct?_
Yeah, I can see where he has no incentive to be factual. Too bad his fans aren’t aware of this, though, as it’s sometimes a real pain trying to talk sense with someone who unquestioningly believes him.
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### Author:  [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/24 "2002-11-25T20:57:33Z")
Tamex wrote:
> [@](#):
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> Nothing you can do to convince a rabid PH fan that those stories are not 100% fact.
You’re probably right about that. I rode back and forth to work with two guys for a couple of years. They were both fans. If I said anything about his show they turned on me like two mother wolves protecting their young.
Sampiro wrote:
> [@](#):
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> “things were wonderful in 1957 but have gone to hell since”
The two guys mentioned above where both a bit older than me. In 1957 they were in their 30’s and probably looked back on that as the prime of their lives. Which makes their defense of what they probably saw as an attack by me on their values rather to be expected.
My original question was not intended to call “Paul Harvey is a stupid old fuckfoon.” as Derleth rather colorfully put it but, looking back on it, a fairly poorly pharsed desire to know if others had caught him in mistakes.
I don’t think this makes Paul Harvey a particularly bad person, he’s only making a living and probably doing the best he can.
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### Author:  [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2002, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/25 "2002-11-25T21:08:59Z")
> [@](#):
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> What’s your input?
This is a IMHO not a GQ.
That’s my input for what it’s worth (IANA Mod).
As for PH - I find his segments very entertaining. I don’t put his accuracy anywhere near Rush or Sean Hannity but I put his entertainment higher then both.
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### Author:  [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)
#### Post date: [November 25, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/26 "2002-11-25T21:33:27Z")
I think you’re right about where this belongs. I’m new at this.
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### Author:  [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2002, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/27 "2002-11-26T00:00:47Z")
Well, the original question (‘does he always get it wrong?’) was a GQ, but it’s been answered (no.).
So I’ll shoot this over to IMHO for more thoughts.
Good day.
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### Author:  [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2002, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/28 "2002-11-26T02:08:26Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Nametag \*
> \*\*This Paul Harvey strategy has been used intentionally by many politicians, most famously by Ronald Reagan. Many times, the politician gets caught, having made up the story or inflated its details, and replies along the lines of “Well, it’s just an illustration.” In one such case (I can’t remember which politician or which story), the fellow’s press secretary said “But it’s still a good story, isn’t it?” (Clearly indicating that he had missed the point.) \*\*
Ahh yes, senile old Ron.
Here’s the deal: Ron was addressing a group of veterans and told a story that went something like this: “A B-24 was badly shot up and was going down so the crew members started bailing out. Unfortunately, the ball turret gunner was trapped and couldn’t get out of his capsule and he began to cry and cream in terror at his looming death. The last thing the last guy to jump out of the plane saw was the pilot sitting on the floor of the plane taking the gunners hand and saying, '_It’s okay, we’ll ride this one down together.’_ Congressional Medal of Honor posthumously awarded.”
Reagan repeated the same story at least 2 more times, and a reporter did some digging and guess what: Reagan LIED. The whole story was BS. When told that no such Medal of Honor recipient existed or had ever existed, Reagan Press Secretary Larry Speakes said, “ **If you tell the same story three times, it becomes true.** ”
The mind boggles.
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### Author:  [@drpepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drpepper)
#### Post date: [November 26, 2002, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-paul-harvey-always-get-it-wrong/138652/29 "2002-11-26T04:01:55Z")
> [@](#):
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> …couldn’t get out of his capsule and he began to cry and cream in terror
That’s certainly a vivid picture.
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