Is it possible to defend the indefensible? Erik Wemple in The Washington Post reports that Politico reporter Dave Catanese has attempted to do just that, in several tweets:
Ok, I'm gonna (ask for it) & defend @toddakin for argument's sake.We all know what he was trying to say . . .
— davecatanese (@davecatanese) August 20, 2012
Then this:
Poor phrasing, but if you watch the intv @toddakin meant to convey that there's less chance of getting pregnant if raped.
— davecatanese (@davecatanese) August 20, 2012
Why would a reporter do this? Why would a reporter attempt to aid Akin and defend the indefensible and bring on a flood of angry tweets in response?
Erik Wemple of the Washington Post speculates: "Catanese’s open-air riffing appears to stem from a sense that everything in the political realm welcomes a point-counterpoint exchange. That perhaps some more expertly chosen words would resolve this mess."
But not in this case, Wemple rightly concludes.
That a reporter would even attempt to, in effect, perform PR work for Akin is a new low for Politico.
They should be ashamed.