I was in Crawford for most of August, and have now moved to the area. A filmmaker who was also here was interviewing a pro-Bush local and got a great quote that clearly displayed some displeasure with the fact that Bush does not come to church much during the significant time he spends in the area.
This fact about Bush's lack of regular church attendance, has, as most of you will know, been pretty well reported, even in a comotose media. So imagine my surprise when I heard on MSNBC this morning that "of course" he hauls his immoral butt to a place of worship every single week, wherever he may be.
I just sent this message to MSNBC:
To Whom It May Concern:
Just a few moments ago, a MSNBC reporter, Brian Moore (sp?) said, in the course of reporting on President Bush's visit to a Chinese state-sponsored church (STATE-sponsored!-now THAT might have been something worth noting or even, dare I suggest it -- exploring!!!!) said, and I quote "of course, President Bush attends church every Sunday".
I'd like MSNBC to back up that claim by your reporter, who seems to be presenting his uninformed assumptions as fact, and in the process, made sure to further claim that this knowledge was so obvious as to not need stating (therefore why do so, I wonder).
Well, I've got NEWS for you MSNBC: President Bush DOES NOT ATTEND CHURCH EVERY SUNDAY. Not only has this fact been widely reported in the mainstream media, but in McClennan County, Texas, where I live, and where, OF COURSE, President Bush spends a great deal of time, Crawford Baptists [DKos correction: Bush is a Methodist, see comments] who do attend church every Sunday, have voiced their dismay that their mega-"religious" president does not.
Would love to hear a retraction/correction about this error. Perhaps you could also ask your reporters to examine their assumptions before they go on air. Perhaps a fact-checker or editor might also care to get involved. Perhaps even a forum on blogger ethics is called for.