In search of clarification

We received the AP’s “clarification” of its outrageous misreporting on the Katrina video released this week from a highly reliable source yesterday evening and posted the clarification here. Drudge posted the clarification here and Kathryn Jean Lopez posted the clarification here, both around the same time we did. Newsbusters picked up the clarification via Lexis/Nexis and posted it here overnight.
K-Lo’s post inlcudes the AP advisory that precedes the clarification:

Eds: Subscribers who used BC-NA-GEN–US- Katrina -Video of March 1 and 2 may wish to use the following, which explains how risks of levee breaches were discussed among federal disaster officials and President George W. Bush.

The clarification does not turn up anywhere online except as noted here. Today’s Washington Post carries an editorial condemning the Bush administration based on its own misreporting of the video story: “Caught on tape.” The AP’s timing of the clarification’s release on a Friday night smacks of Clinton-style scandal management. I can’t find the clarification in the Post or in any other newspaper. Lord help those who rely for their news on the mainstream media and their inferior imitators around the country.
FOOTNOTE: Stephen Waters is the publisher of the Rome (NY) Sentinel. He writes this morning:

FYI, perhaps one reason that AP printed a clarification is that AP newspaper members like our newspaper hound our state bureau chiefs with emails like this: “Who’s running AP and what are they trying to do with the brand? [provides link to John’s post criticizing the AP’s story on the Katrina video] It’s really bad when Popular Mechanics is a more authoritative source than AP.”

In his message to us, Mr. Waters adds: “I thought you ought to know that some of the MSM are interested in the quality of what is reported and we act — regularly — to give constructive feedback.”
UPDATE: Reader Lynne Hubert writes:

Much to my amazement, the Arizona Daily Star (Tucson) printed the correction from the AP this morning and on the front page no less: “AP usage of breach was wrong.” I readily acknowledge that our morning newspaper is not a major daily but, coming from the newspaper some locals like to call the “Arizona Red Star,” I was pleasantly surprised.

Bingo!

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