L.A. Times Buries (And Hides) Worst Facts of ACORN Scandal
Well, well. Just look at how the L.A. Times is characterizing the myriad revelations of rampant criminal conduct by ACORN. You guessed it: it’s portrayed as a conservative thing:
Trying to dodge a building conservative firestorm, the House and Senate made clear Thursday that the community-based nonprofit organization ACORN was persona non grata on Capitol Hill.
. . . .
Congress’ actions were the strongest statement yet that the advocacy group, which conservatives accused of voter fraud in the 2008 presidential election, has become politically radioactive for Democrats.
Gee, why are those damn conservatives so upset? It takes until paragraph five to get this much out of Times editors:
Video made public earlier this month that featured ACORN workers giving advice on how to evade the law is the latest subject of conservative criticism.
Oh, well, if it’s just conservative criticism, then it must be bogus.
By the way, why isn’t this the headline? “ACORN workers caught on tape giving advice on how to evade the law”? Why is that not in the lede? And it takes until the paragraph seventeen to give some of the lurid details:
The most serious blow to ACORN’s reputation, however, may have come this month when video surfaced showing two employees in the group’s Baltimore office advising two actors who were posing as a prostitute and pimp on tax evasion and fraud. The duo are conservative filmmakers who have targeted ACORN offices nationwide.
Oh, well, if they’re conservative filmmakers, then it must be bogus.
So: mentioning that illegal activity is involved comes in paragraph five, and the revelation that a pimp is involved comes in paragraph seventeen. And which paragraph tells Times readers that the illegal actions that ACORN workers eagerly worked to cover up include trafficking in child prostitutes aged 13 to 15? For that little tidbit, you have to read all the way down to paragraph fuck you L.A. Times readers because you don’t even need to know that part at all.
Can we agree that this constitutes hiding the worst of it?
So remember: opposing pimping out underaged prostitutes is a conservative thing.
So says the L.A. Times.
UPDATE: The newspaper has replaced the original version of the story with a slightly reworded version at the same Web address. I had a feeling they might do this, so I saved the original version here. The new version is not much different; the first mention of ACORN’s illegal activity comes at paragraph four instead of five, the mention of prostitution and pimping comes at paragraph fifteen instead of seventeen, and the mention of underage prostitutes is still located at paragraph nowhere.