My email correspondence with Glenn Kessler
An email correspondence between Glenn Kessler and me yesterday afternoon and evening, which I’m publishing here in full, speaks adequately for itself, I think. But first, this, because I think it’s relevant:
NEW YORK – Mitt Romney on Friday denounced an anti-Muslim film that is stirring unrest in the Middle East, even as he stood by his condemnation of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo for its implied denunciation of the film.
— Romney denounces film aimed at Muslims, Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times
Here’s the email exchange:
Sure, feel free to post the exchange. If you read my column consistently, you will see that I simply look at things on a case by case basis, and let the chips fall where they may. I also welcome criticism and critique, since it keeps me sharper–and I often learn something too.
Glenn
PS: thanks for the kind words on the photo!
————————–
Glenn Kessler
Columnist, “The Fact Checker”
The Washington Post
cell phone: (202) 439 0113
www.washingtonpost.com/factchecker
Sent using BlackBerry, hence the typos
From: Beverly Mann
Sent: 09/14/2012 04:41 PM MST
To: Glenn Kessler
Cc: Ombudsman Internet DropBox
Subject: Re: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
To: Glenn Kessler
Cc: Ombudsman Internet DropBox
Subject: Re: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
Thanks for responding. Truth be told, I’m feeling a little guilty about having written what I wrote. After I posted it, while googling something, I happened upon the recent Breitbart.com article, “Wapo’s Glenn Kessler has Fact Checker Tantrum Over ‘You Didn’t Build That’,” athttp://www.breitbart.com/Big-Journalism/2012/08/29/Wapo-Fact-Checker-You-Didnt-Buuild-That-Tantrum. I guess you’re used for target practice by both sides.
I’d like to post this email exchange as a follow-up to my blog post Would that be okay with you?
Btw, in your photo you sorta look like a nice guy.
Beverly Mann
From: Glenn Kessler <kesslerg@washpost.com>
To: Beverly Mann
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
To: Beverly Mann
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 6:19 PM
Subject: Re: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
Thanks, I had read your column. I didn’t think it was opinion, but rather explanatory. You seem to have focused on a small part of the overall column too.
————————–
Glenn Kessler
Columnist, “The Fact Checker”
The Washington Post
cell phone: (202) 439 0113
www.washingtonpost.com/factchecker
————————–
Glenn Kessler
Columnist, “The Fact Checker”
The Washington Post
cell phone: (202) 439 0113
www.washingtonpost.com/factchecker
Sent using BlackBerry, hence the typos
From: Beverly Mann
Sent: 09/14/2012 02:53 PM MST
To: Glenn Kessler
Subject: Fw: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
Sent: 09/14/2012 02:53 PM MST
To: Glenn Kessler
Subject: Fw: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
Dear Mr. Kessler,
I would have cc’d you on this originally but I couldn’t find your email address. I just found it on your Twitter feed.
Beverly Mann
—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Beverly Mann
To: “ombudsman@washpost.com”
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 11:40 AM
Subject: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
From: Beverly Mann
To: “ombudsman@washpost.com”
Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 11:40 AM
Subject: “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts”
Dear Mr. Pexton,
I am a contributing writer for a blog called Angry Bear, and just posted a piece there called “Glenn Kessler, the Washington Post’s Fact Checker, Should Stick to Checking Facts,” athttp://www.angrybearblog.com/2012/09/glenn-kessler-washington-posts-fact.html. The blog is picked up by several aggregators, including Business Insider, so I thought you might be interested in reading the post.
Thanks.
Beverly Mann
I’d just like to add that, for me, the bottom line is that I don’t understand the pejorative characterization of the Cairo embassy’s statements as an apology, much less do I think it is helpful to this country’s interests to have official Washington appear to sympathize with the sentiments of a communication whose sole purpose is to cause the reactions that the homemade film clip at issue did this week. And apparently Romney’s internal polls are showing that a majority of voters agree; thus Romney’s own apology (borrowing his term) yesterday for the sentiments in that film.
But Glenn Kessler’s obviously no wingnut. He’s a journalist with a difficult and worthwhile assignment, trying not to fall off a tightrope.
As for Mitt Romney’s stupefyingly robotic and simpleminded take on even the most serious foreign policy issues, I suggest a comparison of his statements (and those of his loopy foreign policy advisors) with this column by Washington Post foreign policy columnist David Ignatius published late Wednesday.
More and more, Romney comes off as not just craven but ignorant and stupid. I reiterate my characterization of him in earlier posts as a truly dangerous bull in a china shop.
Beverly
no doubt Kessler is an honorable, well meaning, and good looking guy.
Nevertheless his piece on the embassy reaction to the film was egregious literary criticism. Definitely not “fact checking.” If he can’t tell the difference, he is dangerous, however well meaning.
I guess, for me, what matters, in thinking more about it, is that people can decide for themselves whether a characterization of something as an apology is opinion or fact, but that the Washington Post’s, and Kessler’s, effort to research and report on claims of facts in this campaign is really important.
Too many “news” reports, days after the events, link the Libya attack which was most likely a terrorist strike, to Muslim youths protesting a slur on their Prophet.
To link the two is to sell the propaganda that Al Qaeda is Islam. Which might be good for perpetual war and destroying the US economy, but is not linked to reality or any thing to accomplish a positive result outside of military industry complex profits.
Then there are the reports which call the Bengazi consulate an embassy, this misinformation leads to question securiy of US embassies. Again making an issue out of securing consulates is good for the perpetual war millstone on the body politic, which alredy squanders more than 5% of GDP annually.
The US is not an empire except when run by neocons, who ignore the constitution.
ilsm
Beverly
i’ll stand by my earlier comment: “fact checking” is just another political lie.
whether the fact checkers know it or not, they are not capable of checking material facts. no doubt they could tell us if a politician said 1775 instead of 1776, but not about anything much deeper than that. the non partisan experts are experts at speaking only facts while lying with the intent to mislead the listener to his harm. the basic technique of good liars since the father of lies told Eve she would come to know good and evil.
btw
in answer to your earlier question, “is romney a liar or god awful stupid.”
the answer is both, both a candy mint and a breath mint. he tells stupid lies because the last two administrations have taught him that it doesn’t matter. tell the people the lies they want to hear and they will elect you President.
it’s one thing to try to “elect” puppet governments in the middle east, we have been doing it since we took over management of the empire from the brits.
but it’s another thing to say so in public when the arabs….who already knew… are listening.