Never Trust the Associated Press…

…or the Huffington Post.

The press will almost always make mistakes but in some cases, print outright rumors or information that was not their business to have in the first place. However, seeing as the press carried water for a certain presidential candidate in 2008, one must consider that real journalism has died. AP has not corrected their article as requested so we’ll have to make corrections here.

This Associated Press (AP) article which is syndicated everywhere was written by Steve Peoples and April Castro. It states that the NHTPC distributed an email to its supporters citing information about the record of Texas Governor Rick Perry. (This implies that it was sent from this domain, as only official emails are sent from this domain)

Here is the full quote: “The organization also distributed a series of emails to supporters, including one obtained by The Associated Press warning, “We should be aware there is more to him than meets the eye.” Of course this is simply NOT TRUE. He was referring instead to a PRIVATE email among friends that contained a link about TSA legislation that was being considered in the Texas legislature — not an official email sent from this domain.

No info about candidates EVER gets sent to supporters ‘from the organization’ either in our eBlasts, which are sent out ONLY for the purpose of informing our members of issues and events, nor on our private lists. The email AP says it has seen was actually a private email between two people, which they likely obtained from the Union Leader, and which that paper had NO permission to reprint, especially not with the sender’s name on it.

The mention of this private email was unethical enough. But then the AP took further license to EMBELLISH the facts and state WRONGLY that the email was distributed to our supporters officially from the “organization”.

No organizer is allowed to stay on the team if they are working for a candidate. If they decide to go to work for a candidate they must send a different person to the group to represent their group. So neither the sender nor the recipient of above-mentioned email were promoting any particular candidate, and certainly not officially, while discussing Rick Perry’s record.

People in our coalition discussing information on the records of the candidates among themselves should not be considered unusual and always should be private. We do not endorse, but we examine all the issues as they pertain to the records of all the candidates. This is what the tea party is for isn’t it? In any case, no official email went to any of our members as the AP article stated.

So we have to ask. Why is the press in such a tizzy over Rick Perry’s record and not any of the others?
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Review of facts:

1) NHTPC is a coalition, not a PAC, nor tax exempt organization and does not raise money. Thus they will not endorse a candidate in the primary or general election but may examine the records of all candidates. After all, we want to see what they did back then as opposed to what they are saying now. Each group does their own thing. Some are merely welcoming committees for candidates others do not deal with candidates at all. We will set up a meeting for candidates with the tea party organizers if asked.

2) NHTPC sends eBlasts to those who sign up which contain listings of events and information on issues and nothing about candidates. EVER. We do not try to influence anyone in our informational mailings. Check your past eBlasts and you’ll see.

3) No reporter should make assumptions about who is ‘favored’ by the tea party since no candidate is favored or endorsed despite what some candidates might like to state about themselves. No candidate is being ‘attacked’ either. It is mind-boggling to think that printing a verifiable record on the issues would cause such a stir and cause anyone to think they are being ‘attacked’ as was stated in this article.

4) Emails that are private among friends are not to be forwarded to anyone else. This is basic internet etiquette. If one should get into the hands of a reporter, that reporter has no business printing it without permission. Reporters are not exempt from this basic rule. However, it should at the very least have been proof that it was NOT an official email coming from NHTPC as the AP stated.

5) If a representative from one of the supporting groups decides to work for a presidential campaign, he or she will send a different representative to the NHTPC. This is something that was decided on early in 2009 when the group was formed.

Update: NH Journal and other gossip sites have chosen to repeat this statement which AP has been asked to correct but hasn’t.