KC Star Caught Pushing Griffin's "Splitsville" Whopper

*
McClatchy Watch catches The Kansas City Star promoting Jesse Griffin's discredited Big Lies:

"Reporter Lisa Gutierrez, who authored this piece, writes for 'Star Gazing' which is some kind of celebrity gossip section in the Star. But Gutierrez is a journalist (award-winning?!) and has a professional obligation to not to print smears like this."

This wouldn't be the first time that a McClatchy newspaper helped to elevate a made-up smear of Sarah Palin from the nutroots left to the msm:

ADN editor Pat Dougherty published an email exchange between him and the governor on his blog after the "There you go again" release was issued. In the exchange, he explains “I finally decided, after watching this go on unabated for months, to let a reporter try to do a story about the ‘conspiracy theory that would not die’ and, possibly, report the facts of Trig's birth once and for all.” Dougherty calls the rumor "nutty nonsense," and says that he wanted his reporter, Lisa Demer, to "report the facts of Trig's birth thoroughly enough to kill the nonsense once and for all."

"That’s a disingenuous response," Palin tells the Press. "I've said from day one, no, you guys are off-base in chasing this lie. Of course Trig's my son. My doctor's said the same thing. My medical summary that was released was the same information. We stated the truth, and Pat knows that."

McClatchy newspapers smell of stink even before the fish are wrapped.

- JP

McClatchy: IN event marks Palin's national return

Surprise! Here's McClatchy Sarah Palin coverage that doesn't kneecap her, for a change. In fact, the article is remarkably fair to the governor. It was written by Erika Bolstad and must have been sneaked past her editor. Or perhaps McClatchy is trying to maintain a ratio of one positive Palin story for every fifty hit pieces.

Whatever, here's an excerpt:

Palin's attendance at an anti-abortion event — her first major public event outside of Alaska since the presidential campaign — sends a laser-like message to the conservative potential voters who Palin must court if her political future includes a bid for the presidency in 2012.

Palin is playing it safe by attending an event where "dissenting voices are likely to be far and few between," said Neil Newhouse, a Republican strategist and pollster for Public Opinion Strategies in Alexandria, Va.

"But Palin's foray into the Midwest also sends a pretty clear signal to the GOP faithful that she intends to build on her conservative credentials rather than 'move to the middle,' " Newhouse said. "While we shouldn't read too much into a single event, it sure looks like she has her eyes set on GOP primary voters."

Read the entire article, but prop up your lower jaw first, so it doesn't hit the floor in amazement. Fair treatment from McClatchy - who woulda thunk it?

McClatchy Headline: 'Those Crazy Palins' (Updated)

by special guest blogger Warner Todd Huston

OK, before we even get into the latest banal attack on Governor Palin's extended family perpetrated by the McClatchy newspaper chain, I would like to ask a few questions about "Those crazy Palins: Todd's half sister indicted in break-ins."

Has McClatchy ever had any headlines like this: "Those Crazy Kennedys"? After all, there is a wealth of craziness with that demented clan. Or since we recently had Obama's half brother denied a visa to England over his rape charges -- not to mention his illegal immigrant aunt -- how about a headline like this: "Those Crazy Obamas"? Did we ever see a headline about "Those Crazy Clintons" when we discovered all the financial misdeeds and drug busts of Hillary and Bill's extended family? How about Carter? Did good ol' Billy Carter ever cause McClatchy to say "Those Crazy Carters"?

Or, as is more likely the case, did we see the errors of family members in the above clans from pols of the Democratic Party treated in matter-of-fact ways so as not to cause direct derision, so that a certain vague amount of respect was maintained?

But, not so with Governor Palin's family. Nope, for the Old Media, it is open season to ridicule her as much as possible. And just before the 2010 midterm elections, too! Imagine that?

So, I wonder if McClatchy thought it was all "crazy" and stuff when a certain Senator drove off a bridge with his gal pal in the car with him? Wasn't that "crazy" enough for McClatchy?

Or is this attack only on the family of Republicans part of McClatchy's "speaking truth to power" conceit?

Oh, and as to the story itself, I can only say is... mehh.

(H/T NewsBuster reader Videmus Omnia)

(logo courtesy of MediaBistro.com)

Update: McClatchy Changes Headline**

At 9AM, McClatchy changed its headline to drop the “Crazy Palins” bit from it.

Cross-posted at NewsBusters.org. WTH is the publisher of Publius' Forum and is a RedState.com contributor.

- JP