Associated Press false reports about U.S. history

Associated Press errors about the history of the United States of America, and demands to the AP for that organization to correct itself

January 11, 2015 | By Greg Fisher

In 2014, in multiple reports, the Associated Press (AP) news agency published false information about U.S. history.

True: Throughout 2014, Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was the minority leader of the U.S. Senate.

False: "'Please pick up that pen you've been talking so much about and make this happen,' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky." - Nedra Pickler and Josh Lederman (AP writer Matthew Daly also contributed), 2/1/14

False: "In Kentucky, where it appeared Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, 72, might be vulnerable after three decades in Washington, his campaign opened up a lead after blitzing his tea party opponent, Matt Bevin, with ads citing his 2008 remarks praising the federal Wall Street bailout." - AP, 3/9/14

False: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced plans to support the president. 'What the administration is doing is correct,' he said this week." - AP, 9/18/14

Syndicated errors

False: "'Please pick up that pen you've been talking so much about and make this happen,' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. - AP item (see above) republished by the Huffington Post, 2/1/14

False: "'Please pick up that pen you’ve been talking so much about and make this happen,' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky." - AP item (see above) republished by the Flathead Beacon, 2/2/14

San Jose Mercury News URLs

False: "'Please pick up that pen you've been talking so much about and make this happen,' said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky." - AP item (see above) republished by the San Jose Mercury News, 1/31/14

False, then corrected: "'Please pick up that pen you've been talking so much about and make this happen,' said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky." - A January, 2015 San Jose Mercury News correction to the AP item, after contact by telephone

Demands to correct errors

@AP @JoshLedermanAP @NedraPickler Correct your error of my country's history today. GOP is MINORITY. http://t.co/JxtPcRLEbq @MatthewDalyWDC
— Greg Fisher (@creditscoring) April 15, 2014

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2015 7:18 PM
To: [Steve Trousdale, San Jose Mercury News]
Subject: FW: U.S. history, Associated Press

http://www.mercurynews.co...

--
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342
937-681-3224

[attached:]

From: Greg Fisher [mailto:greg@creditscoring.com]
Sent: Friday, January 09, 2015 4:42 PM
To: Associated Press (info@ap.org)
Subject: U.S. history, Associated Press

Your story is false. See it at http://bigstory.ap.org/artic....

Mitch McConnell was not "Majority Leader" of the United States Senate last year as you indicate. I looked into it. I tried to tell you.

Correct that item today, or state the reason that you will not do so in your reply to this email message. I just called your office and asked for the top person of your organization. The person to whom I was connected said that the best way to tell you about an error is to send it to you at info@ap.org.

Are you there? Reply to this message today and, in your message, confirm that you received it, please. It is important. This is about the history of my country, the United States of America.

--
Greg Fisher
The Credit Scoring Site
creditscoring.com
PO Box 342
Dayton, Ohio 45409-0342
937-681-3224

Follow this with #1501c.

Also, see "Two and Two: Credit scores fall, AP, Part II."