Lies and Damn Lies
by Dave "Doctor" Gonzo

Nicholson, Reuters Lie About Gore
by Dave "Doctor" Gonzo

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2000 -- NEW YORK (AmpolNS) -- Okay, okay.

I've been pretty quiet about the pattern of distortion -- no, make that lies -- that has been spewing from the press concerning Al Gore.

Now, nobody should be surprised – after all, most major press outlets are owned by conservative media megacorps who seem to be in the thrall of hard-right think tanks and RNC chairman Jim Nicholson’s blast-faxes.

In his "In the Loop" fax dated October 13th, Nicholson said

…we put on a piece calling attention to Mr. Gore’s peculiar claim that he and Tipper had been the models for the lead characters in Erich Segal’s Love Story. (In fact, the Ryan O’Neal character was modeled on Gore’s college roommate Tommy Lee Jones.)

Really, Jim-Bob?

Got news for you, pal: you’re a liar!

First, Mr. Gore’s so-called "claim" was in fact his recounting of a newspaper article that reported that he and Tipper were the basis for the novel -- which means that Gore did not know the report to be inaccurate. But that’s not enough, is it, Jim-Bob -- you lied a second time by implying that the formidable Mr. Jones is the basis of the Oliver character in Love Story when in fact the character was  based on Gore and Jones, something of which Gore was not aware when he made the original statement.

No sooner had I taken a gander at that fax this morning (sadly, four days after the fact) when a friend called me with word that Reuters had published a story this very morning that lies yet again about Gore.

You remember Reuters – they used to be a pretty reputable little operation. Well, my pal told me that a story that was ostensibly about a high-profile tech endorsement for Al Gore began by perpetuating a myth harmful to Gore and 100% at odds with reality. Here’s what crossed Reuters' (double-)crossed wires this morning:

Monday October 16 9:35 PM ET
'Father of Internet' Endorses Al Gore
By Thomas Ferraro

St. LOUIS (Reuters) - Vinton Cerf, known as a bona fide ''Father of the Internet,'' has endorsed the presidential bid of a one-time, self-proclaimed inventor of it -- Al Gore.

There’s a big problem with that first sentence: Al Gore never, EVER proclaimed that he had invented the Internet.

But then, why should such a lie be any surprise? After all, pack journalism and following Nicholson's lead seem to be the order of the day.

But just remember, a vote for Gore is a vote against every press liar out there -– be they a party chairman out to manipulate the perception of Al Gore, the neo-fascist "eminence grease" of a much-trafficked gossip site, or a truth-challenged stringer for a so-called "mainstream" news organization that starts his news story with something he should know to be an outright lie.

‘Nuff said.