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Does a Scripted "Shrub" Bother You? It Gets Worse.
BUZZFLASH
READER COMMENTARY
by Ed Nickow
The item about CNN "cleansing" their transcript of the Bush press conference to eliminate the reference to it being a scripted event was enlightening. But it gets worse.
Apparently, most news sites (well, at least the 6 major sites that I checked) get their transcripts from a company called eMediaMillWorks Inc (www.emediamillworks.com) which claims to be a "leading distributor of highly accurate digital media in all of its forms."
That does not seem to be an accurate claim. In transcripts on the Chicago Tribune, Fox News, LA Times, NY Times, and Wall Street Journal websites, the line is included, but it's not the way we all heard it.
These transcripts have Bush calling on John King and saying ... "This is unscripted."
This is almost worse than CNN having removed the line from their transcript. Missing from this inaccurate transcript is Bush saying "Uh, we'll be there in a minute ... " before calling on John King. Also missing is the laughter from the assembled media whores after Bush's comment. Of course, had the missing comment and subsequent laughter have been included, it would have been clear that the "scripted/unscripted" line was transcribed incorrectly.
If the audio BuzzFlash provided earlier isn't enough evidence, watch the video of the news conference (available in RealVideo on www.c-span.org). The relevant exchange starts at about 21:30. Although he doesn't move his lips much it is clear from his body language, if nothing else, that Bush clearly says "this is a scripted ... "
I also checked the Washington Post website. Although they claim to get their transcript from the same source as the other outlets, their version is slightly different. They include the "We'll be there in a minute" comment, but eliminate both Bush calling on John King and the "scripted" (or "unscripted") line.
Like the other sites, the Post also omits the press laughter, but inserts Bush saying "Mm" in the middle of John King's questions. Perhaps in a desire for a bit of accuracy they decided to omit what was clearly an incorrect transcription ("unscripted"). I get the feeling that they included the "Mm" aside to make Bush appear thoughtful. But if you check out the video on C-Span, it looks more like Bush is stifling a laugh -- he's got that famous smirk on his face, as if to belittle the comments of Senator Kennedy.
Don't believe what you read folks ... listen with your own ears, look with your own eyes.
Ed Nickow
BUZZFLASH READER COMMENTARY
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