Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Ed Martin Lies to Reporters

Whenever I've been at a media training for activism, or politics, or whatever, the very first rule they convey is NEVER EVER EVER LIE TO THE MEDIA. EVER. Since reporters often convey first-hand information about events or conversations, their jobs depend 100% on their credibility. The value of established media outlets depends on the public's trust that they are conveying accurate information (even if people bicker about how the information is spun). So if you deliberately provide false information to a reporter, and that reporter then publishes the false information, you have directly harmed the viability of the reporter. You have undermined the very foundation of their job. And the reporter, as someone who depends on the honesty and accuracy of their sources, should never again trust someone who deliberately tried to get them to publish false information.

Apparently, though, Ed Martin never had a media training, or simply doesn't care if he burns reporters. Martin sent out a press release yesterday falsely claiming that he had "lined up" debates in August with Congressman Carnahan. Suspiciously, Martin claimed that the debates would be moderated by Martin Duggan, someone who had endorsed Martin a long time ago. But Martin nevertheless claimed:
The debates between congressional candidate Ed Martin and Congressman Carnahan will take place the following three Tuesdays in August – 17, 24, 31. The moderator will be Martin Duggan a long-time local journalist and former host of Donnybrook.
There was no ambiguity there; no, "if Representative Carnahan agrees." Martin was claiming that the debates had been set. And, as it turns out, that is an outright lie. Carnahan proposed September debates before the primaries were even over, and NEVER agreed to the August debates. Yet Ed Martin sent out a press release trying to get the media to publish false information that the debates had been set. And Martin can't simply blame this on his press secretary, since he personally tweeted about it:



So Ed Martin knowingly sent out false information to reporters, hoping that they would publish the false information which would in turn put pressure on Carnahan to accept. He was willing to destroy their credibility as a means for pushing his campaign. Fortunately, no journalists took the bait. Dana Loesch of course reported Martin's claim verbatim, but she lies on a daily basis and has no credibility anyway, so no harm done there. But it really is shocking that Martin would so blatantly and so brazenly lie to journalists. And it would be even more shocking, IMO, if he didn't suffer some negative consequences for such a clear slap in the face.

5 comments:

  1. You know if he's lying my friend. His mouth is moving..

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  2. Wow, I actually put them down in my address book. What a complete fool that Ed Martin is. What do you think he gained by doing this? I think Ray Hartman's name was listed in it too.

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  3. SHNH, I think he's trying to set the terms for the debate, and was trying to use the media to do so. If the media had printed "Debates set for X, Y, Z," then it would be hard for Rep. Carnahan to explain that he had never agreed to them in the first place. Fortunately, none of the media outlets took the bait.

    I still really am just amazed that he would so blatantly lie to reporters though. It's just so ridiculous!

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  4. Why would anyone believe anything Ed Martin says. He has been lying for years.

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  5. These are Republicans. We all know that they aren't honest. Good story though.

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