Citing no evidence, Christian Post claims Palin accepted debate invitation (Updated)

What announcement?
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The Christian Post has published an article on its website which claims that:

Amid much speculation about whether or not Sarah Palin will choose to run in the 2012 presidential election, the former Alaskan governor has announced she will participate in a nationally televised Tea Party Republican Debate.

That would be the Sept 12 debate co-sponsored by CNN, and we reported Thursday night that an invitation to participate in the event has indeed been extended to Gov. Palin. But we know of no announcement by Sarah Palin or SarahPAC, her political action committee, indicating that she has accepted the invitation. Nor or we aware of any CNN report or TEA Party Express news release indicating that she intends to take part in the debate.

The Christian Post cites no source, nor does it provide any link to back up its claim. Is the magazine just making things up? You don't have to be from Missouri to to demand, "Show me." Yes, it is possible that that the Post and Christine Thomasos, who wrote the article, are privy to some exclusive information that the Palin team has chosen not to make public. It is also possible that neither CNN nor TEA Party Express have moved to break what would be an important story, perhaps due to some embargo. By what means, then, would The Christian Post get hold of such a story and fail to back it up in any way in its article?

If the Post can offer no evidence of an announcement by Gov. Palin that she will participate in this debate, then it calls into question the magazine's motives in making such a claim. If the intent was cast Gov. Palin in an unfavorable light should she later decline the invitation from CNN and the TEA Party, then it is more than irresponsible for The Christian Post to publish this article -- it is reprehensible. Then there's the matter of God's Commandment which deals with bearing false witness, which for a magazine claiming to offer "Unequivocal Vision, Voice & Veracity" to Christians, would be the height of hypocrisy.

If we're wrong, then we will apologize for our suspicions, and our presence will be required at Confession. But if we're right, then it's The Christian Post which owes Sarah Palin an apology and a full retraction.

Update: The Christian Post has now appended a rather unsatisfactory correction to its article:

An article on Friday, September 2, 2011, about an upcoming Tea Party debate incorrectly stated that 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, would be a participant. While the former governor of Alaska was invited to attend the debate, her camp has yet to confirm her participation. Instead, CNN confirmed that Palin will participate in the upcoming Tea Party Rally that will take place in Iowa on Saturday.

We still have problems with The Christian Post. It tries to shift the blame for its mistake to CNN. This is Journalism 101 stuff, folks.

- JP