Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	2/23/2005

In the News / CAFTA reporting update

Hey, I see that my first LTE under the new N&R blogesqe format allowing comments was posted today. Don't comment here though. Go there.

Unfortunately however, neither my compadres nor I made today's London Financial Times report on the CAFTA road show in Raleigh/Potemkin last Friday. The four of us were all within a few seats of Mr. Chesnutt who was reported as the lone "heckler" at the event even though he was FOR the agreement.

More than bias, I would call it intentionally untruthful reporting when half of the 12 questions taken in the forum were from our polite anti-CAFTA/pro US sovereignty crowd (4 people of 90 in the room). Even including the possibly impressionable College of Textile students who made up a third of the room, I don' think there was any thawing of the cool reception to another trade deal as was also wistfully reported.

I also don't recall any reporter named Christopher Swann based in London being in the room. But, I suppose I could have easily missed him. Maybe he was just working off the video feed from the site. Then again, perhaps he doesn't even exist or maybe he is just a British Jeff Gannon.

Not so naive to think complaining will work with the FT but we went ahead and tossed our complaint into the void across the pond anyway. Why not? It worked with the N&O. Editor Allen Torrey did respond to us and agreed to run our 800-word op-Ed piece against CAFTA. (Will advise when it actually is published.)

Of course I already knew this is hardly an exception, but it is still rather shocking to experience first hand a blatant false reporting of the facts by a press organ that many people consider serious and dependable --- the Financial Times of London no less.

If you are reading corporate news you might as well be reading the company newsletter.

9:48:46 PM

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