April 16, 2012 11:58 PM UTC

Fake Reporter, Call Your Office

• 14 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

Hilarious–Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reports today:

Unemployment and gas prices running high? Republican feels “good”: The quote of the day comes from the capaign manager of Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado, who’s facing a very tough challenge in a race that is a top priority for Democrats. The campaign manager, Michael Fortney, had this to say to the Colorado Observer:

Fortney expressed confidence in Tipton’s chances, although he stopped short of predicting victory outright this fall. “With gas prices doubled, the national debt doubled, and unemployment has barely moved, we feel good,” Fortney said.

Usually it’s Dems who are accusing the GOP of rooting for national failure for political gain, but here you have one of the most expicit declarations yet from a Republican that the two are linked. [Pols emphasis]

When word of reaction to these remarks made its way back to the home front today, as the Colorado Independent’s Troy Hooper reports, something fairly unusual happened:

The Colorado Observer on Saturday quoted Tipton’s campaign manager, Michael Fortney, saying: “With gas prices doubled, the national debt doubled, and unemployment has barely moved, we feel good.” Then today, hours after Pace demanded Tipton apologize for the remarks, the quote was heavily edited with meaty clarifications added.

The website now quotes Fortney saying: “Voters in the 3rd District are rejecting Obama’s policies that have led to gas prices doubling, the national debt doubled, and unemployment has barely moved. We feel good about our chances.”

An email sent to the Colorado Observer was not returned. No phone number is listed on its website.

Pace campaign spokesman Chad Obermiller said he can’t reach anyone at the Observer, either.

“It’s laughable how much the quote’s changed. It’s completely different,” he said in a phone interview, later adding: “I hope anyone covering a race of this profile would employ journalistic integrity.”

The thing is, once this magnificently embarrassing quote has been quoted all over the place, including the Washington Post, it’s kind of problematic to “revise” it. Well, maybe the Washington Post could get away with that if they prominently noted the change in boldface as an update or a correction. For a reputationless right-wing “news” site staffed by usual suspect GOP staffers to extensively revise this quote after it became controversial is something else entirely.

You shouldn’t be surprised to discover that what the Colorado Observer and its stable of former GOP campaign staffers who call themselves “journalists” practices isn’t “journalism,” but this kind of dishonesty convinces you they aren’t really trustworthy even as a partisan mouthpiece.

For either side, apparently.