CNN: Obama: Constitution Stained by 'sin of slavery'

EDIT:  It looks like CNN has already fixed their headline.  I'm guessing that it was before they could have received much feedback about it, and thus it must have been clear that it was a stark mischaracterization of his speech.  While I'm thankful it was fixed, it should have never gone up in the first place.

CNN has an absolutely dreadful headline up on their front page about Obama's speech today.  

Instead of focusing on the message of his speech, they instead take a passage out of context and suggest Obama is blaming the Constitution, and by extension - America.  The headline up now is "Obama: Constitution 'stained by slavery'.  This is an unacceptable editoralization of the speech and action is required immediately.

Use this form: http://www.cnn.com/...

Let CNN know that they must change their despicable headline immediately!

People will be turning to CNN.com all day to find out about the speech and the last thing we want is for them to see a headline that grossly distorts his message.  We have to act now.

EDIT #2:  MSNBC.com has another bad headline.  Use [e-mail] to complain and be sure to make your subject "To the Editors"

MSNBC also has a poll up about the speech.  Access it here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/...

•  If anyone

  If anyone has an email address or a better link with which we can offer immediate feedback, please post it and I'll include it in the diary.

  Thanks.  

  by patagonia on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:54:47 AM PDT

•  Agreed

  Completely distorts the spirit of the speech.

  by DowneastDem on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:57:10 AM PDT

•  What the fuck?

  Honestly... what the fuck.  That's all I've got.  After that speech, that's the line they think best sums it up?

  by Pegasus on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:57:20 AM PDT

  •  yes wtf is right.

    I read the whole speech....very moving and elequant,

    and it went a long way to resovling my doubts about Obama.

    Regardless of the personal effect it had on me, the headline is a distortion of the whole speech.

    Why not " striving fpr a more perfect union?" or a dozen other memorable lines.

    btw the only part I didnt care for was th eAshely 'mustard and relish" story,  a bit non sensical imho.

    I am sure others found it down to earth and heartwarming.

    by Osiris on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:03:15 AM PDT

•  Well I Am Watching MSNBC

  and was pretty worried that Joe Scarborough was going to be leading the conversation on Obama's speech. But all in all his coverage has been pretty darn fair. 100 times better then the stuff he has been saying on "Morning Joe."

  by webranding on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:57:40 AM PDT

•  And MSNBC brings us...

  "Obama: Racial Anger Is 'Real'"

  The MSM really needs to stop the crush they have on Obama. /snark

  by An American In on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:58:51 AM PDT

  •  I should say...

    ...the MSNBC.com front page.

    by An American In on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:59:32 AM PDT

•  Thought I saw

  an odd bias with regards to the lowerthirds I saw during the speech. Those phrases taken out of context do not at all summarize anything about the speech.

  by pd1969 on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 08:59:22 AM PDT

•  At least...

  on CNN.com, the headline has been changed.

  by profmatt on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:00:21 AM PDT

  •  Yes, I just checked

    and it now says:

    Obama: We can move beyond racial wounds

    which is what the actual story used to say when you clicked on it. Congratulations -- might be your complaints that worked!

    by MarkC on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:05:20 AM PDT

•  agreed - what is wrong with them........grrrrrrrr

  by etara on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:00:30 AM PDT

•  Already fixed.

  Darn, wish I had gotten a screen shot of the old version...

  by SarekOfVulcan on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:00:39 AM PDT

•  I went to your link, and filled out the form...

  ...but then I realized, hey he did say it so it's a perfectly legitimate quote to use as a headline...

  by m4gill4 on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:00:48 AM PDT

  •  Sure it's legitimate...

    ... but it's not really an accurate representation of the content of the speech, IMO.

    And fortunately, the headline's been changed, rendering the discussion completely moot.

    by An American In on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:02:47 AM PDT

  •  that's plausible deniability and cheap

    by ngoswami on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:03:21 AM PDT

•  It has been changed

  by vesuvius on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:02:08 AM PDT

  •  And they changed the picture too...

    Fucking CNN.  The previous headline was divisive and it showed a picture that made Obama look angry.  I wish someone got a screenshot.  Media bias for Obama indeed.

    by RichM on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:05:13 AM PDT

•  I think most people would agree

  Slavery was a horrible stain on the constitution. Just say it! It's true. What American would deny it?

  We fought a bloody civil war because of it and are still trying to recover from the sin of slavery.

  What's Fox News going to do, defend slavery? Let them.

  by Oddball on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:02:13 AM PDT

  •  Only problem is

    that libruls aren't allowed to say anything bad about the Constitution.  Conservatives, on the other hand, are allowed to use it as toilet paper.

    by corvo on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:05:31 AM PDT

    •  Conservative honor killings of the Constitution:

      "How dare you insult our founding document and claim to have intimate knowledge!  To restore our good name I will have to destroy it!"

      by NotablyZen on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:14:43 AM PDT

      •  "We had to destroy

        the village Constitution in order to save it" . . .

        by corvo on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:22:28 AM PDT

•  Recommended...

  This is appalling.  I'm at work and my wife just called me.  She is a strong women and in the 20 years I've known her, she has only cried a handful of times.  Once was at her Dad's funeral.  And she said that she cried twice during this speech.  My mother-in-law, who was raised in the segregated south, is a lifelong Republican and voted for Dubya twice, just said, "This speech should be required viewing for every kid in High School."  For me, it is the most compelling speech I have heard in my lifetime, and I'm 43.  So CNN is just disgusting.  I wrote to them:

  I just watched one of the most moving political speech of my lifetime.  I am 43.  And the best headline you can come up with is: "Obama: Constitution stained by 'sin of slavery'" - the most divisive headline that you could possibly come up with.  I think you just insulted the intelligence of your readership.  Your actions are reprehensible.

  by RichM on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:02:53 AM PDT

  •  We need to do a full scale assault on the MSM

    Not this time is right!

    by ngoswami on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:04:40 AM PDT

•  They fixed it

  Much better now.  It must have worked! :)

  by AndyMo42 on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:04:13 AM PDT

•  CNN is fixed - now take on MSNBC!

  and their "Obama: Racial Anger Is 'Real'"

  by yuppers on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:05:37 AM PDT

  •  I was going to complain...

    ...but decided against it. After all, if you don't admit that the anger exists, you can't deal with it.

    by SarekOfVulcan on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:08:30 AM PDT

•  Done! Thanks for the link.

  Whoever writes their headlines just picked something out of the written text. That person did not listen to the speech or understand anything about it.

  I wrote them just now. Let them know, so they can get it right next time!

  by Don Enrique on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:06:06 AM PDT

•  Looks like the headline has been changed.

  I was already filling out the form when I thought I ought to look at it.. I'm still sending in the complaint but I'm going to use less "divisive" language..

  by Blue Texas on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:09:18 AM PDT

•  Now it's time to fix MSNBC's headline

  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/

  I don't know where their feedback form is though.

  by AndyMo42 on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:09:35 AM PDT

•  The MSM is stacked against Obama. No news there.

  by DFutureIsNow on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:19:09 AM PDT

•  Saturday Night Live scolded them...

  ...with some weak-ass satire and they fell right in line going to extremes in the other direction, trying to prove they're not "pro-Obama."

  It's the same game the rightwing has pulled for years - claim the media is "liberal" and they'll turn hard-core conservative in defense, trying to prove their critics wrong.  They're idiots.

  by shadetree mortician on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:22:13 AM PDT

•  CNN's web site

  Their web site is almost blatently a right wing propaganda outlet and is certainly a drudge-like garbage collection site.  The network itself isn't that bad, but the web site is just trash.  I look at it just to see how distorted their articles will be.

  by Nathan in MN on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:22:27 AM PDT

•  at least CNN got something factually correct

  for a change. now that they've moved beyond elementary school american history, perhaps they can take that grasp of the obvious and apply it to the economy, or iraq.

  by wu ming on Tue Mar 18, 2008 at 09:40:49 AM PDT