Left Wing Group Hoaxes the Media

MediaOctober 2009 • Views: 3,836

Several major news organizations fell for a hoax today, when a left wing group put out a phony press release announcing that the US Chamber of Commerce had dropped its opposition to the climate change legislation currently in the US Senate: CNBC, Reuters fall for climate hoax.

An email press release announcing the change is a hoax, say Chamber officials.

Several media organizations fell for it.

A CNBC anchor interrupted herself mid-sentence Monday morning to announce that the network had “breaking news,” then cut away to reporter Hampton Pearson, who read from the fake press release.

Pearson quickly followed up with a second report saying the “so-called bulletin” was an “absolute hoax.” Smelling a rat, CNBC’s Larry Kudlow demanded to know whether the White House had been involved.

In a story posted Monday morning, Reuters declared: “The Chamber of Commerce said on Monday it will no longer opposes climate change legislation, but wants the bill to include a carbon tax.”

Reuters updated the story to acknowledge the hoax, but it was too late: The Washington Post and the New York Times had already posted the fake story on their Web sites.

Climate legislation supporters say AVAAZ Action Factory is responsible for the release. The group, known for its activist media stunts, has not returned calls for comment. But a post on the group’s Web site says has plans to “make this the worst Monday ever for the anti-climate PR machine at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.”

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75 comments

Guanxi88 Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:42:35am

Ha! Layers and layers of fact checkers, eh?

Nice work, folk. Nice work, indeed.

reloadingisnotahobby Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:42:57am

...Pych...HA!

Varek Raith Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:43:44am

Heh! Typical idiots in the MSM. Basic research is apparently a foreign concept. Heh!

reloadingisnotahobby Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:43:51am

Well that didn't come out as intended!

Slumbering Behemoth Stinks Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:44:27am

Worst monday evar? It's gonna take more than a fake press release to top some of the mondays I've had.

Sharmuta Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:44:28am

Maybe fact checking will come back in fashion.

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:44:46am

Now we know why there exists the "24 hour" rule.

DaddyG Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:45:50am

I read the headline and thought Charles was doing a Balloon Boy expose.

Baier Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:46:33am

re: #4 reloadingisnotahobby

Well that didn't come out as intended!

I thought it was an odd post, but it made me laugh!

GCM29 Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:46:38am

re: #8 DaddyG

DaddyG beat me to the Balloon Boy joke. Well done.

fizzlogic Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:46:38am

I love how Kudlow falls into default mode and wants to blame the WH.

Kragar Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:46:55am

The MSM keeps trying to call "FIRST!" when they should be more concerned about getting the facts straight.

reloadingisnotahobby Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:47:09am

But I thought CNBC HAS an office in White House!!

Honorary Yooper Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:48:11am

re: #6 Sharmuta

Maybe fact checking will come back in fashion.

Back in fashion? It never was in fashion.

"You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war."
-William Randolph Hearst.

CommonCents Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:48:12am

Once again the race to be first exposes what's important in the "news" business. Don't let the truth get in the way of saying "you heard it here first!".

DaddyG Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:48:35am

I don't understand why they would pick that issue to release a hoax press release under the US Chamber of Commerce name?

A good hoax is plausable but funny not just a fake release about a position reversal.

Honorary Yooper Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:49:14am

re: #15 CommonCents

Once again the race to be first exposes what's important in the "news" business. Don't let the truth get in the way of saying "you heard it here first!".

Yep. The almighty scoop is far more important than the facts. How many times have you seen a headline, but the followup is severely lacking?

reloadingisnotahobby Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:51:08am

re: #16 DaddyG

An inside joke even the insiders don't get?

Kragar Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:51:49am

Iran threatens revenge against Britain over bombing

"Behind this scene are the American and British intelligence apparatus, and there will have to be retaliatory measures to punish them," he said.

He added that he was sending a delegation to Islamabad with "proof" that Jundullah was also supported by the Pakistan military.

He claimed Jundullah's leader, Abdulmalek Rigi, was inside Pakistan and demanded he be handed over.

Although the accusations against Britain and America are routine, the swift denunciation of Pakistan demonstrated the shock suffered by the Iranian leadership from the blow to the Guard.

Iran and Pakistan, aware of the sensitivities of the border area where the attack took place and its closeness to Afghanistan, normally maintain good relations.

One local MP demanded the Guard take the fight to Jundullah, crossing the border into Pakistan if necessary.

DaddyG Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:52:08am

OK lunch has extended itself waaay to far and I want to go home tonight. BBL

CommonCents Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:52:44am

re: #17 Honorary Yooper

Yep. The almighty scoop is far more important than the facts. How many times have you seen a headline, but the followup is severely lacking?

Severly lacking or just plain missing. The corrections on bad stories is even more pathetic. Front page screwup = section F, page 40, embedded with the used car ads retraction.

fizzlogic Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:53:25am

re: #13 reloadingisnotahobby

But I thought CNBC HAS an office in White House!!

Not CNBC. It's the mouthpiece of the investment banks. And the WH knows its place.

Baier Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:53:34am

/Spring Announcement: Due to budget cuts at the University, Journalism Students will no long be required to take "Fact Checking 101; How to avoid the avoidable". Journalism Students must now sit in with Creative Writing section 8997B "How to make the unbelievable believable in fiction". Enjoy your semester.

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:54:28am

re: #16 DaddyG

Because the "US Chamber of Commerce" has been one of the strongest opponents to climate legislation, and in particular it was that organization that called for a "Scopes trial" on climate science. That set off a lot of protest - I posted one example in the spin-offs where PG&E pulled out, but they are not the only large corporation to do so. Others include Apple, as well as other utility companies.

cliffster Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:54:30am

hehe. Jackasses

Killgore Trout Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:54:35am

Supernatural graffiti: Quran Inscriptions Appear on Little Boy's Body

Soundboard Fez Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:54:52am

If you can't trust an email press release anymore, is there anything left to trust?

CommonCents Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:56:18am

re: #19 Kragar (Proud to be Kafir)

Iran and Pakistan, aware of the sensitivities of the border area where the attack took place and its closeness to Afghanistan, normally maintain good relations.

One local MP demanded the Guard take the fight to Jundullah, crossing the border into Pakistan if necessary.

I can see that going over like a fart in church. Iran, the U.S., and Pakistan all waging separate battles in the same mountains? No chance of cross-fire escalation there.
/

Randall Gross Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:56:29am

There is a noteworthy smear from the left on this; many on the left are painting the chamber as "climate denialists" which just isn't true. This comes from the Chamber site:

Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, issued the following statement today in response to questions regarding the U.S. Chamber's position on climate change:

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce continues to support strong federal legislation and a binding international agreement to reduce carbon emissions and address climate change.

We believe that in order to succeed, any climate change response must include all major CO2 emitting economies, promote new technologies, emphasize efficiency, ensure affordable energy for families and businesses, and help create American jobs and return our economy to prosperity. The Congress should carefully deliberate on and enact legislation that meets these goals.

The Chamber is definitely opposed to Waxman Markey, but they don't seem to be denialists.

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:56:42am

re: #26 Killgore Trout

If the kid simultaneously starts to bleed from his hands and feet, while having these magical graffiti... then we could have a winner here.

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:57:18am

re: #29 Thanos

These are the "Scopes trial" people, Thanos.

fizzlogic Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:57:19am

re: #26 Killgore Trout

I would hope if that happened here there would be a child abuse investigation followed by a prosecution of the abuser.

Honorary Yooper Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:57:51am

A little bit from Wiki on the AVAAZ folks.

Avaaz.org was co-founded by Res Publica, a global civic advocacy group and non-profit organization, and MoveOn, an American non-profit progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee.

AVAAZ is also supported by the SEIU and something called GetUp.org.au.

CommonCents Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:58:18am

re: #29 Thanos

There is a noteworthy smear from the left on this; many on the left are painting the chamber as "climate denialists" which just isn't true. This comes from the Chamber site:

The Chamber is definitely opposed to Waxman Markey, but they don't seem to be denialists.

I'm pretty sure the new buzz on the left is that if you aren't willing to commit economic suicide by yourself on principle then you are a denialist.

Ben Hur Mon, Oct 19, 2009 11:59:06am

re: #33 Honorary Yooper

A little bit from Wiki on the AVAAZ folks.

AVAAZ is also supported by the SEIU and something called GetUp.org.au.

In short, it's Soros.

[deleted] Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:00:00pm

Baier Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:00:12pm

re: #27 Soundboard Fez

If you can't trust an email press release anymore, is there anything left to trust?

/Anonymously faxed memos.

GCM29 Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:00:15pm

re: #26 Killgore Trout

From the article: “The inscriptions appear on Mondays and Fridays, the boy runs very high temperature and cries. The inscriptions gradually disappear after three days and then new ones appear,” the mother said.

Right, meaning the ink wears off and they have to reapply it. What a bunch of bullshit. Dunno what the laws are there, but hopefully someone gets involved to save this kid from his crazy parents.

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:00:59pm

re: #38 GCM29

It's a Pravda article.

Randall Gross Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:01:14pm

The current version of Waxman Markey is a patronage bill of the worst sort - it gives free credits to the worst offenders in states where Blue dogs and other would face de selection in the next election cycle if this doesn't exempt them. It does little for climate change other than defend the status quo a few more years.

Honorary Yooper Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:01:34pm

re: #33 Honorary Yooper

As an aside, and why I don't use SourceWatch, this is all they have to say about AZAAV. The Wiki article is far more informative.

reloadingisnotahobby Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:01:38pm

re: #38 GCM29
Sounds like they're scratching the child with something he is
alergic to...

shiplord kirel Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:02:18pm

Another one:

This is plainly a a satire, posted by hoaxers on Cornell's otherwise legitimate arXiv.org website some time ago.

Scientists claim Large Hadron Collider is being sabotaged from the future

SCIENTISTS claim the giant atom-smashing Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is being jinxed from the future to save the world.

In a bizarre sci-fi theory, Danish physicist Dr Holger Bech Nielsen and Dr Masao Ninomiya from Japan claim the LHC startup has been delayed due to nature trying to prevent it from finding the elusive Higgs boson, or "God particle".

They say their maths proves that nature will "ripple backward through time" to stop the LHC before it can create the God particle, like a time traveller who goes back in time to kill his grandfather.

“One could even almost say that we have a model for God,” Dr Nielsen says in an unpublished essay.

“He rather hates Higgs particles, and attempts to avoid them.”

"While it is a paradox to go back in time and kill your grandfather, physicists agree there is no paradox if you go back in time and save him from being hit by a bus," Dannis Overbye wrote in the New York Times.

"In the case of the Higgs and the collider, it is as if something is going back in time to keep the universe from being hit by a bus."

The NYT is NewsAu's immediate source, btw.

Killgore Trout Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:02:22pm

re: #32 trendsurfer

I would hope if that happened here there would be a child abuse investigation followed by a prosecution of the abuser.

The article mentions the kid has a skin disorder. There was an artist a few years ago who some skin condition that produced similar marks. She did art on her body. Maybe it's the same thing. It's painless and the marks disappear in a few days.

GCM29 Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:02:45pm

re: #39 freetoken

It's a Pravda article.

Not familiar with the publication, do you mean the story is probably not accurate/true?

jayzee Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:02:48pm

And thus the problem with the AGW debate. Gordon Brown says we got 50 days to turn back the damage, these guys pull this, cap and trade, all political all bs.

Ben Hur Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:03:17pm

re: #41 Honorary Yooper

Avaaz.org (Our name means "Voice" or "Song" in several languages including Hindi, Urdu, Farsi, Nepalese, Dari, Turkish, and Bosnian

It also means "Goose" in Hebrew.

The Sanity Inspector Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:03:19pm

Rush may have been had by this hoax also. I was listening to him on the road and heard him intimating an upcoming segment about the CoC. I don't know if he actually ran with it, though.

GCM29 Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:04:00pm

re: #48 The Sanity Inspector

No, he was talking about the hoax, making fun of the MSM for falling for it.

The Sanity Inspector Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:06:35pm

re: #49 GCM29

No, he was talking about the hoax, making fun of the MSM for falling for it.

Thanks.

reine.de.tout Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:07:55pm

re: #44 Killgore Trout

The article mentions the kid has a skin disorder. There was an artist a few years ago who some skin condition that produced similar marks. She did art on her body. Maybe it's the same thing. It's painless and the marks disappear in a few days.

. . .
The parents may not have used any substances or medications, if the child suffers from urticarial dermographism, also known as skin writing, – a skin disorder that occurs with five percent of the nation’s population. It is one of the most common types of urticaria, in which the skin becomes raised and inflamed when stroked or rubbed with a dull object. Therefore, if the child has such a disorder, writing anything on his skin is a piece of cake.

I think there's a very mild version of this that affects a lot of people - my skin will turn red, not immediately, but within a minute or so after being scratched, and it will stay that way for several minutes afterwards.

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:08:04pm

re: #40 Thanos

It does little for climate change other than defend the status quo a few more years.

Many climate activists would agree with you. They call in "greenwashing". To me, W-M appears like any other bloated program - inefficient and slow, for the reasons you cite, among others.

truth stick Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:10:47pm

They should have known it was all just a hoax, when it was signed ManBearPig

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:10:55pm

The vested political and financial interests that spew anti-science propaganda are hard enough to counter without stunts like this.

Now rather than just trying to pin them with the science, we have to wade through hours of their whining about the stunt and conspiracy theories as a result of it.

In the mean time, the science is still there and the world keeps marching towards a catastrophe.

Now I would be all for a large angry wide spread campaign that outed the liars on teh right about this and that pushed the science hard. This however was not it.

I know that for weeks I am going to have to hear about this stunt, while Beck and Rush can out and out lie about the science with impunity.

Spare O'Lake Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:13:15pm

Truth is once again sacrificed on the altar of breaking news.

Charles Johnson Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:18:17pm

re: #54 ludwigvanquixote

The vested political and financial interests that spew anti-science propaganda are hard enough to counter without stunts like this.

I have no idea what this group thought they were achieving with this stunt, except to make the media look bad, and create problems for anyone trying to promote the truth about climate change.

It was a really dumb, self-defeating thing to do.

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:19:29pm

re: #29 Thanos

There is a noteworthy smear from the left on this; many on the left are painting the chamber as "climate denialists" which just isn't true. This comes from the Chamber site:

The Chamber is definitely opposed to Waxman Markey, but they don't seem to be denialists.

Actually many of them are. Sufficiently that Apple left all together.

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:20:36pm

re: #56 Charles

I have no idea what this group thought they were achieving with this stunt, except to make the media look bad, and create problems for anyone trying to promote the truth about climate change.

It was a really dumb, self-defeating thing to do.

Yes it was. It gives the wrong people the wrong ammunition.

Now if only our lefty buddies had taken the time to out all the deniers and their financial connections while calling them liars and crooks, we would be fine.

Randall Gross Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:20:48pm

re: #52 freetoken

Many climate activists would agree with you. They call in "greenwashing". To me, W-M appears like any other bloated program - inefficient and slow, for the reasons you cite, among others.

There are good pieces in it to encourage new energy, but the tradeoffs for patronage pretty much erase some of that benefit

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:25:07pm

Notice how Fox and all the GOP talking heads are ramping up the anti AGW rhetoric with the conference coming.

They will be the same ones hoping that Obama fails there too. After all, what do they care if they end up being under water? Obama failed!

freetoken Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:27:57pm

re: #57 LudwigVanQuixote

Actually many of them are. Sufficiently that Apple left all together.

see [PDF]:
[Link: graphics8.nytimes.com...]

Mad Prophet Ludwig Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:30:01pm

re: #61 freetoken

see [PDF]:
[Link: graphics8.nytimes.com...]

Thanks for the back up!

The Sanity Inspector Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:41:20pm

re: #56 Charles

There seem to be a lot of overgrown adolescents in many of these "activist" groups.

Izzy Dunne Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:44:08pm

the worst Monday ever for the anti-climate PR machine

Wow, it's pretty bad when you're against climate altogether.

DOWN WITH WEATHER, TOO!

Political Atheist Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:50:03pm

I had posted this in links earlier, Gee might they start to fact check?

Political Atheist Mon, Oct 19, 2009 12:50:50pm

Bad week for the MSM! Not just one hoax.

Green Machine Mon, Oct 19, 2009 1:23:32pm

re: #56 Charles

Maybe the group was trying to prove that the MSM never does any fact checking unless it's a SNL skit negative to Obama.

drcordell Mon, Oct 19, 2009 1:56:46pm

It seems to me that the purpose of the stunt was to force the Chamber to call a press conference solely devoted to re-iterating their anti-AGW stance. In essence, force the Chamber to double-down on their views publicly. Not sure how effective it will be, we'll have to see.

snark based reality Mon, Oct 19, 2009 2:37:23pm

As a lefty who is aware of all internet traditions I have to say... Bravo!

An individual or small group of lefty internet trolls sends off a fake press release and without ANY verification or filtering it is read on the air. When it is shown that this news agency didn't bother doing ANY verification the talking douchebag on the TV blames Obama. Perfect!

Made my day.

snark based reality Mon, Oct 19, 2009 2:39:37pm

And for those who missed it... Jon Stewart covered the SNL skit fun last week:

Comedy Central Video

Pepper Fox Mon, Oct 19, 2009 3:23:20pm

Someone at Reuters is getting their ass fired. This also shows how quick the sensationalist media will pounce on anything. We could power our grid on the methane from the cable news bullshit!

Timmeh Mon, Oct 19, 2009 3:32:05pm

I fail to see how numbskullery like this helps the cause of fighting climate change.

kellygrrrl Mon, Oct 19, 2009 4:14:23pm

who was the clown on CNBC who claimed the Obama Admin was behind the hoax? oy!

Athens Runaway Mon, Oct 19, 2009 6:31:34pm

re: #57 LudwigVanQuixote

Actually many of them are. Sufficiently that Apple left all together.

Although it should be noted that Apple has to maintain an image in order to sell product. If the trendy, hipster, 20-something campus activist who won't buy from companies that don't support his or her liberal political views got wind that Apple was part of the ~~Evil Corporation Lobby~~ anti-climate change legislation Chamber of Commerce, they'd take a sales hit.

Color me cynical, but I don't think that Apple (or any company) puts political concerns above making money. Apple is a brand, and they have to maintain a certain image in order to keep that brand flying off shelves.

[deleted] Tue, Oct 20, 2009 2:09:33am

Spy Mode Auto

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