The New York Times, thanks in large part to FAIR activists, printed an ACORN correction today (3/23/10):
Several articles since September about the troubles of the community organizing group ACORN referred incorrectly or imprecisely to one aspect of videotaped encounters between ACORN workers and two conservative activists that contributed to the group’s problems.
In the encounters, the activists posed as a prostitute and a pimp and discussed prostitution with the workers. But while footage shot away from the offices shows one activist, James O’Keefe, in a flamboyant pimp costume, there is no indication that he was wearing the costume while talking to the ACORN workers.
The errors occurred in articles on September 16 and September 19, 2009, and on January 31 of this year. Because of an editing error, the mistake was repeated in an article in some copies on Saturday.
Well, that’s better than nothing. But as FAIR has pointed out, it’s not entirely clear that O’Keefe ever posed as a pimp in any of the actual meetings at ACORN offices. In many cases, he seems to be telling ACORN workers that he is the boyfriend of Hannah Giles (the “prostitute”).
The Times‘ correction comes as little comfort given the news that ACORN is shutting down, in large part thanks to these hoax videos. The paper covered that news, and managed to continue to misreport the story:
ACORN has been battered by criticism from the right and has lost federal money and private donations since a video sting was publicized last fall. ACORN employees were shown in the videos advising two young conservative activists–posing as a pimp and a prostitute–how to conceal their criminal activities.
Again, O’Keefe does not appear to be “posing as a pimp” in many of the encounters; he’s claiming that he’s trying to protect Giles from a pimp. From O’Keefe’s transcript of his visit to ACORN’s Brooklyn office (cited by Brad Blog, 3/22/10):
I know nothing about her business, I am just trying to be here to be professional because, ya know, she walks in and–but now we have this pimp discriminating against us.
And it’s a stretch to suggest that the advice was about “how to conceal their criminal activities.” The duo were trying to get advice on how to get a mortgage; the gist of the advice in the somewhat rambling meetings was about the need to file tax returns in order to be able to even apply for a mortgage.
The Times added:
While the videos gave the impression that one of the two activists, James E. O’Keefe III, was dressed as a pimp when he entered the offices, later inspection seemed to indicate that he had manipulated that part of the footage and showed no evidence that he wore the costume when talking to ACORN workers.
The transcript of several stings, however, indicate that Mr. O’Keefe clearly presented himself as a pimp and that ACORN workers in some offices told him how to hide prostitution activities from the authorities.
This is the New York Times grasping at straws, strenuously attempting to justify their sorry record on this story.
Peter, I asked this earlier off the action alert, but haven’t gotten any response.
It’s my understanding that ACORN fired some of the folks who gave advice to these bastards. If that’s the case, it would seem to be for one of two reasons – either they did act unethically in some way, or ACORN management is scapegoating them in response to the shit they’ve had showered on them.
Can you shed any light on this matter?
Much obliged
These guys gave the ACORN people a sob story about Giles being a prostitute who was a victim of a violent pimp. There’s a human impulse to offer advice in such a situation, and chances are you would not imagine that the most helpful advice would be to oneself into the authorities–though of course that’s what you should have said if it turns out that the “victim” was actually secretly taping you in an effort to embarrass your employer.
Jim, that really doesn’t answer my question, does it?
Why would you fire someone for exhibiting a “human impulse”? I have to imagine these people need these jobs, that they’re not rolling in dough. If some sort of retraining needs to occur, fine, but don’t kick them to the curb to cover your ass, as it appears may have been the case with ACORN management.
If you see a flaw in that logic, please point it out. I’m just trying to get at the reality here. I assume you want to do the same.
Here’s a piece worth checking out:
Why ACORN Fell: The Times, Lies, and Videotape
by John Atlas and Peter Dreier
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/03/24-4
It clears up the question I posed about whether folks were fired, but it doesn’t explain precisely what they did that precipitated that action, does it?
And it’s curious that the NYT and the corpress in general are said to have “unwittingly” aided the smear campaign, isn’t it?
Because in normal human life we acknowledge compromises with the law that an institution can’t be on record as officially endorsing.
Still don’t get what you’re trying to say.
Are you saying that you should fire someone, destroy their livelihood, over an honest error in judgment, as you’ve described it?
That may fly at Walmart, but should it be SOP at an org like ACORN?
Would you feel that way if you were the person issued the pink slip?
I retract that last comment. Upon further review, it seems you just aren’t getting what I’m trying to say.
People were fired. Was that justified? If they acted on “an human impulse”, as you say, then the answer’s no, isn’t it, for the reasons stated above.
So what does that say about ACORN’s motives for firing them?
I can’t say it any plainer than that.
My Daughter went to the caucus here in MN. When she got to the site, she found it was surrounded by ACORN members, replete w/shirts and signs supporting Obama. They were yelling and screaming and blocking the entrance. She is a young woman, and was determined to vote. She had to literally fight her way to get inside. After voting, there were to be meetings and discussions, but she said there was so much yelling and noise from the Obama/ACORN supporters, that she just wanted to leave and go home. Daughter told me that as she was leaving, she noticed that several elderly persons looked at the mob outside the entrance, and just turned around and left w/o trying to fight their way inside. I wonder at how many places this occurred????
This was her second ACORN experience. While walking on her way to work several weeks before this, she was surrounded by persons dressed in ACORN shirts and waving Obama signs. They demanded to know “Why she had that Edwards button on her coat” and “Why was she going to vote for that WHITE MAN”? The campus police saw what was happening, and came over and told them to get away from her.
MORE ABOUT ACORN
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/obama-hid-800k-payment-to-acorn
Obama to amend report on $800,000 in spending
By David M. Brown
Friday, August 22, 2008
U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat’s campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports.
An Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be amended to show Citizens Services Inc. â┚¬” a subsidiary of ACORN â┚¬” worked in â┚¬Ã…“get-out-the-voteâ┚¬Ã‚ projects, instead of activities such as polling, advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports filed during the primary….
Barb, maybe your daughter was sincere when she told you this, but there are laws prohibiting partisan demonstrations within a certain distance of polling places in all 50 states, if I’m not mistaken. I have a lot of trouble believing this story as being completely factual. Perhaps since you heard it secondhand, and perhaps because both you and your daughter had a very emotional response to what you both perceived, first or second hand, you can be forgiven for distorting the facts. I cannot say what the facts actually were since I was not there, but then it sounds like the same can be said for yourself.
ACORN’s primary mission has been to get people out to vote. ALL people. However, the right-wing FAUX-NEWS folks and Hate-Radio have done a fantastic job at smearing any person or group who disagrees with them. This has been to the complete detriment of civil political discourse. Given the climate they have fostered, though, as well as the fact that you’d probably defend your daughter until death (no matter what she said, true or not, and I’ll never blame any parent for holding that sentiment), I’m sure that you, Barb, now have steam coming out of your ears simply because I’ve posted this comment questioning the veracity of your daughter’s account.
I will repeat, though, that ACORN wants MORE people to vote, not less. Their mission, however, is an affront to the right wing scream-machine. And FAUX + their allies get plenty of corporate dollars to help them drown out reasonable folks. It’s a sad state of public discourse today, indeed!
On the NYTimes part of the story: perhaps, since they failed in their mission (“All the news that’s fit to print”) they should be financing ACORN’s revival or reconstitution. After all, if Blackwater can become “Xe” (or whatever they call themselves now), cannot a group that actually tries to work for social justice do the same? Or are the right-wing Crusaders with tons of military hardware and tons of blood on their hands the only ones who can manage to do so?
I think the NYTimes has much to answer for. Judith Miller circled the Bush 43 spin into “facts” that turned out to be completely untrue. (Thanks for the dead U.S. soldiers, Judith!) The Fourth Estate is supposed to speak Truth to Power, not collude with them! Where is the accountability?!
If a couple of left-wing wanna-be journalists did a false sting operation like this to a corporation or right-wing group, I can guarantee you that it would either be totally ignored by the media, or they would check into it more thoroughly before publishing anything. I can also guarantee you that the Republicans would never turn on their own supporters like the Democrats turned on ACORN, especially on such flimsy evidence. Even though it is despicable, I understand the Republicans voting to defund ACORN – they thought it would help them in future elections. But I can’t think of any rational reason why a single Democrat would vote to defund ACORN. That makes it even more despicable, because it was not just an act of evil, it was an act of stupidity on the part of those Democrats who voted this way.
You can get the names of those who voted to defund ACORN here: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2009/roll718.xml If your representative voted for this, please contact him/her and demand to know why.
In the San Bernardino chapter, the woman was fired because the whole flap caused the group to lose funding and ACORN could no longer keep her on staff. And I totally agree with BrianF. The Dems, again, allowed the reeps to frame the debate. I don’t know who’s worse, evil reeps or wussy dems? (OK, I guess the evil reeps are worse.)
Terry, if you’re referring to my question, you’re missing my point.
ACORN fired folks specifically for their actions in this affair, didn’t they? It wasn’t a matter of lack of funding in those cases. So my question is, if they didn’t do anything wrong, why would you take their livelihood away from them, for that’s what happens when you lose your job, isn’t it?
Now, it’s my understanding that some workers at ACORN are former clients. It’d be a hell of a thing if any of these persons were in that category. To have a group that helped you out of a hellhole of a life turn around and toss you right back in it as a way of mollifying the baying hounds of the right and corpress would be far more than bitter irony, wouldn’t it?
For the sake of argument, if they were trying to help this “abused” woman, and simply went about it in the wrong way – and although I earlier alluded to “an honest error in judgment”, I’m really not at all clear as to whether such occurred – then that would seem to indicate a lapse in training, wouldn’t it? Certainly situations like this occur, and staff should know how to handle them in the best way.
So why should anyone lose their job for trying to do the right thing, whether or not they did so the right way?
I try to look at shit from the bottom up, from the perspective of those catching that shit. So if I were one of these folks, I don’t think I’d be persuaded by talk of “political necessity”.
Would you?
I have never been to this site, but I have to say, I found it interesting. Liz-m’s posts were very squed to the left, as is much of this site I think. But I enjoy hearing all side of an issue so thank you. The Mother that posted the story about her daughter was trashed by Liz and she is right about the law, but many people don’t care about law, but look at the black panthers standing with clubs at a poleing place. If Obuma’s justice dept. hadn’t let them go they would be behide bars.
ACORN has come out as wrong and folded.. But they didn’t fold but changed the name. Yes they did good things but also they were a terr group. Filling bank lobbies with followers so they couldn’t do bussness if they wouldn’t contribute, how many people voted for obuma that were made up, many ACORN people went to jail over that.
I’m just saying wake up, open your eyes and learn for your self.
Paul first of all please spell check before submitting. It seems like most of the far right are misinformed because of their lack to have an open mind and research UNBIASED FACTS! I’m in college and one thing they teach you in College is when you research information YOU MUST CITE your work from REPUTABLE UNBIASED PLACES…lots of these far right NUT CASES lack even one iota of intelligence to ask themselves 1. Who wrote this? 2. What are they trying to gain 3. Is this a well known and reputable site or news station? AND for all those FOX news fans who believe O’Rielly (the sexual harrasement guy) or Rush Limburgh (the pill poping addict) or Glen Beck (the constantly admitting Alcoholic to get attention). You fans of these guys need to see them for who there are NOT Journalist!! these are fake Journalist trying to use Fear to get there ratings up! That’s it! wake up and use your Brain gissh!
Well, it’s clear Acorn did nothing to deserve the trashing by sick republicans. Further, The republican fouled the vote twice for George W. Bush and family. Nothing was ever done to arrest Bush, Cheney and the rest of the Klan. Republicans have always resorted to purely sick tactics because they have no dignity, no self respect, and the american people being the uneducated, uninformed unsophisticated trash they are never stop them. The republicans well represented on Wall Street, are not interested in people except in terms of bilking them for money. Their crimes cannot be numbered, and when you think about it, EVERY FINANCIAL CATASTROPHE OF THE LAST CENTURY AND THIS ONE HAS BEEN PRESIDED OVER BY A REPUBLICAN. Their only interest is in acquiring money. These filth will continue to breath air as long as the more mentally prepared allow them to do so. This country is currently in the WORST socio-economic catastrophe of it’s short sordid history. These republican pigs were aided and abetted by democrats like hillary clinton, Joe Lieberman, and other democrats. It should be clear to most by now that none of these roaches has done one thing for the American people. Shipped jobs overseas, destroyed the manufacturing infrastructure of this country, terrorized nations world wide, supported rabid jews, and the former Palestine, and are responsible for millions of dead innocent people. They have robbed the american people blind, stolen pensions, put drugs in the water and air american’s breathe, experiment with mind control, and tried to kill democrat congress people with weapons grade anthrax. We know Dr. Hatfill didn’t do and we know Dr. Ivins didn’t either, nor did he commit suicide by tylenol. Takes days to kill you liver with APAP. This government lies each time it makes a sound. It needs to be DESTROYED BY ANY AND ALL MEANS AVAILABLE. But, americans are too big as cowards.