# James O'Keefe vs. CNN **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 23, 2017, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552 "2017-02-23T14:38:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/21 "2017-02-23T17:34:22Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Second, the fact is that many on the right are \*\*still \*\*being punked by this bit of misinformation by O’keefe is also telling us the inadequacies of relying on right wing sources of information, because while that cite comes from the NYT, it is an \*\*opinion \*\*piece that has been still pointed at by many right wing media sources and that they have not made any corrections to their original reporting. Meaning that the misinformation and chicanery of many sources on the right will continue. It’s “opinion” in the same sense that any assessment of the facts is ultimately opinion. It’s an independent arbiter whose job it is to assess the validity of reporting, who reviewed all the known facts and came to a conclusion. And his conclusion was that while there were misleading aspects to it, it also contained valid parts as well. And that conclusion was apparently shared by the former MA AG, who was hired by ACORN itself to review the facts. In any event, my impression is that the latest CNN expose has not produced anything sensational at all. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/22 "2017-02-23T17:47:54Z")
[Updated AP story: > [@](#): > > Conservative activist James O’Keefe has released what he says are 119 hours of raw audio secretly recorded inside CNN’s Atlanta headquarters in 2009. > > The audio was recorded by what O’Keefe’s website, Project Veritas, describes as an anonymous source identified only as “Miss X.” > > O’Keefe says the tapes show that CNN did not include a particular poll in its reporting; however, it is common for news organizations to be discerning about which polls they choose to report on. ]([http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US\_CNN\_RECORDINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-02-23-11-24-47](http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_CNN_RECORDINGS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-02-23-11-24-47))Seems much ado about nothing so far, but that’s not really a big surprise to me. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/23 "2017-02-23T17:50:05Z")
From Politico: > [@](#): > > Instead, what O’Keefe released on Thursday landed with a dud in the media world. Though not all of the hours of tapes have been made available for review and damning recordings could still come out, O’Keefe made clear the audio he obtained is from 2009 and for the most part features lower-level staffers at the network. > > \ > > What got the most attention on social media though was the unusual highlighting of a well-known journalism quote about how journalism is about ‘aiding the afflicted and afflicting the comforted.’ But Project Veritas portrayed the situation as Richard Griffiths, now Vice President and Senior Editorial Director, being “caught explaining” the role of a journalist. > > SOURCE: [http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/02/project-veritas-cnn-leaks-fall-flat-235307](http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/02/project-veritas-cnn-leaks-fall-flat-235307) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/24 "2017-02-23T17:58:44Z")
“Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable”. - Finley Peter Dunne ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/25 "2017-02-23T18:11:17Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > It’s “opinion” in the same sense that any assessment of the facts is ultimately opinion. It’s an independent arbiter whose job it is to assess the validity of reporting, who reviewed all the known facts and came to a conclusion. And his conclusion was that while there were misleading aspects to it, it also contained valid parts as well. And that conclusion was apparently shared by the former MA AG, who was hired by ACORN itself to review the facts. Still thinking that it was a valid opinion it seems. That opinion came before all the other items about the fakery from O’keefe were reported, so the point here is that you are also pushing outdated info; as pointed already the links show that that arbiter you linked was an incompetent one by mostly concentrating on the presentation of O’keefe presentation that in reality had very little to do with what O’Keefe pretended to find. > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > In any event, my impression is that the latest CNN expose has not produced anything sensational at all. As I also expected, a leopard cannot change its spots. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/26 "2017-02-23T18:11:33Z")
Note of snotty pedantry: The quote originated in one of his pieces written in Chicago Irish dialect, as follows: > [@](#): > > “Th newspaper does ivrything f’r us. It runs th’ polis foorce an’ th’ banks, commands th’ milishy, controls th’ ligislachure, baptizes th’ young, marries th’ foolish, comforts th’ afflicted, afflicts th’ comfortable, buries th’ dead an’ roasts thim aftherward”. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/27 "2017-02-23T18:20:35Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > Still thinking that it was a valid opinion it seems. That opinion came before all the other items about the fakery from O’keefe were reported, so the point here is that you are also pushing outdated info; as pointed already the links show that that arbiter you linked was an incompetent one by mostly concentrating on the presentation of O’keefe presentation that in reality had very little to do with what O’Keefe pretended to find. This is apparently all incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/28 "2017-02-23T18:27:50Z")
Well, that certainly settles _that!_ ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/29 "2017-02-23T18:29:56Z")
Pretty much all that needs to be said. I link to an article by a qualified guy who reviewed all the evidence. A poster comes along and simply asserts that that guy was incompetent etc. I don’t see that I need to add anything further. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/30 "2017-02-23T18:32:45Z")
If that’s all that needs to be said I guess we won’t be hearing from you any more. Shame. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/31 "2017-02-23T18:40:20Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > This is apparently all incorrect. Again, that opinion does not mention at all what I linked to, and your latest reply then shows that what you are doing here is just to willfully ignore the further developments that showed what a weasel O’Keefe was and is. I call that opinion maker incompetent because he did not bother to add a correction when in this day and age it is not a hard thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/32 "2017-02-23T18:44:29Z")
Nothing that you linked to would change anything in the article, and certainly not require any sort of correction. His point was that the bottom line remains that some ACORN people said some pretty bad - if not illegal - stuff. You’ve not linked to anything that changes that. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/33 "2017-02-23T18:50:16Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Nothing that you linked to would change anything in the article, and certainly not require any sort of correction. His point was that the bottom line remains that some ACORN people said some pretty bad - if not illegal - stuff. You’ve not linked to anything that changes that. The fact was that no, \*\*that was not their _intention at all_ and O’keefe had to settle and was demonstrated that he was made a fool and many on the right fell for the edited foolishness; again, linking to an article with no corrections in light of what was found later is key to understand how guys like you are punked and willing to continue to believe that ACORN was an evil thing as it continues to be the gospel among the right wing. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/34 "2017-02-23T19:00:45Z")
OK, I see you just intend to keep on repeating your assertions again and again and again and again. Go ahead. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/35 "2017-02-23T19:06:44Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > OK, I see you just intend to keep on repeating your assertions again and again and again and again. Go ahead. You really want to pretend that you do not know what \*intention \*means to the law and the courts? That figures. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/36 "2017-02-23T19:07:15Z")
OK ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/37 "2017-02-23T19:24:08Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > OK Again, it is even clear that he did not review all the evidence, or to be more precise, \*\*the failure is yours \*\*for not noticing that time wise he was not aware of what happened later. In any case, the information you linked to was grossly out of date and no, he did not see all the evidence. You linked to an incomplete opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/38 "2017-02-23T19:26:22Z")
OK. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/39 "2017-02-23T19:35:29Z")
What I love about these threads is the rare opportunity for all of us to come together for a moment, however brief. O’Keefe is such a consummate slimeball, so morally bankrupt, so transparent, and so unassailably deserving of scorn and ridicule that no one, regardless of political affiliation feels compelled to debase himself by > [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > O’Keefe has undermined himself by some of his over-the-top antics, but his reporting is onto something. Oh. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552/40 "2017-02-23T19:40:35Z")
Hmm … I seem to have offended somehow. Very unusual, but it does happen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/james-okeefe-vs-cnn/780552.md?page=3)