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Time's laughable "correction"

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Tue Nov 27, 2007 at 03:51:08 PM PST

Check out this hilarious "correction" Time just posted:

In the original version of this story, Joe Klein wrote that the House Democratic version of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) would allow a court review of individual foreign surveillance targets. Republicans believe the bill can be interpreted that way, but Democrats don't.

Ahh, the old "Republicans say" versus what "Democrats say". But what does the legislation say?

'CLARIFICATION OF ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE OF NON-UNITED STATES PERSONS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES'
Sec. 105A. (a) Foreign to Foreign Communications-

(1) IN GENERAL - Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act, a court order is not required for electronic surveillance directed at the acquisition of the contents of any communication between persons that are not known to be United States persons and are reasonably believed to be located outside the United States for the purpose of collecting foreign intelligence information, without respect to whether the communication passes through the United States or the surveillance device is located within the United States.

It's not just Joe Klein who can't read. Apparently, the entire corps of editors and journalists at Time are incapable of it as well. They are now all complicit in Joe Klein's screw up, lest they speak up and demand a stronger correction from Klein. Every single last one of them.

Update: And what's with the setup line of the "correction"? Klein didn't say the legislation would "allow" a court to review targets. He said it would "require" it. They're dishonest from top to bottom, a rotten organization at its core.

Update II: Glenn:

So to Time, Klein's so-called "reporting" error" wasn't that he falsely described the bill. No; describing the bill accurately isn't the role of a journalist. Klein's only "reporting error" was that he only wrote down what one side said (the Republicans). He "forgot" to write down what the Democrats said. Now that the Editors noted in passing that the Democrats disagree, everything is fixed. Their job is done. That's what they just said about explicitly as it can be said. And they don't even realize that saying this is a profound indictment on what they do. They think that's what they're supposed to do.

I can't recall a recent incident that has shone as much bright light on the ugly, vapid, propagandistic practices of our national media. The more they speak, the more they reveal what they are.

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Tags: Time, media, Joe Klein, FISA (all tags) :: Previous Tag Versions

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