NYT incorrectly reported protesters at military funerals were "anti-war activists"

Astonishingly, this was the second instance in which the New York Times falsely labeled members of the ultra right-wing Westboro Baptist Church, who protest at military funerals, as anti-war activists, when they are actually 'anti-gay activists'.  This time it was done at the expense of Barack Obama.  Editor and Publisher was all over this story:

New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleney took a decidedly wrong turn inreferring to one statement.

Zeleney wrote that Obama "said it was wrong foranti-war activists to protest at military funerals, declaring: ‘Itneeds to stop'."

The quote at the end was accurate but nowhere didObama refer to the protesters as "anti-war activists." In fact, theprotesters who have caused much outrage have been anti-gay activists.

As E&P explained, the New York Times apologized last year after doing the exact same thing:

Last year, on June 17, the Times ran a correction after an op-ed also referred to antiwar protesters at funerals:
"AnOp-Ed article on Monday, about demonstrations at military funerals,hospitals and memorial services, incorrectly described the protestersat the military funerals discussed in the article. In some cases, theprotesters were members of an anti-gay group, not people opposed to theIraq war; in others, the families of the dead service members wereunable to determine the affiliation of the protesters."

If you got it wrong, then pay attention next time so it never happens again.  No progressive would be cold enough to protest at a military funeral.  The New York Times needs to apologize once again for being so careless.

Comments

[Margie Phelps]

This is great! You cry babies -- who carp and cavil over words while you sprawl all over the airwaves with your undisciplined, ungodly, unthankful, unworthy words -- are spreading our message far and wide.

Every time some pandering politician -- like that freak Obama -- whines about protesters at soldiers' funerals, all the hearers and readers have ringing in their ears the words, "God hates Doomed america," and "Thank God for dead soldiers." You perverts in this Godless doomed nation KNOW that God is fighting against you. You KNOW you can't wave enough bloody fag doomed american flags or say enough rotten words out of your hell-bound pie holes to change the fact that you have disobeyed God one time too many, and now He is your terrorist and enemy.

God is a Man of War. You have the Scriptures telling you so. He has a standard, and YOU KNOW THAT STANDARD. You proudly blatantly vulgarly disobey it. You have institutionalized your filthy sin, landing on the lowest rung of the ladder of depravity by embracing feces-eating fags (to justify your various other proud sins). You KNOW if you disobey God He'll curse you. NOW HE'S KICKING YOUR ASS ALL OVER THIS LAND, FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA.

So keep up the good work ladies. Keep squalling to the New York Times and everyone else who will listen. Keep the chatter coming. That way NONE OF YOU can pretend you didn't know. We warned you. Get a Bible. Read it. Obey! The siege is coming and you're going to eat your children! You heard it here first.

Magormissabib

Margie Phelps
Thankful humble picketing member of Westboro Baptist Church
See www.godhatesfags.com, www.godhatesamerica.com, www.godhatesireland.com and www.signmovies.net

[Chief Editor: Todd]

This is hateful, intolerable, disgusting hate speech. But I'm not going to erase Margie's comment because it gives us a clear glimpse of what the Westboro Baptist Church is really about.

Bless all the military families, especially those who have lost loved ones, and I hope God gives them the strength to ignore these heartless, paranoid people that interrupt these funerals.

[granny]

Good call, Todd. Nice decision.

As for New York Times:"If you got it wrong, then pay attention next time so it never happens again".

An apology won't begin to cover this. Which Editor is going to get fired?

Time to remember: "Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me"
The story didn't fool us either time; but the same "mistake" twice? This is not an accident. And that's where we'd better not be fooled again.