Did AP cover same Bush speech as major papers?

Media Matters
Jan. 14, 2007

Summary: In its article on President Bush's visit to Fort Benning to promote his plan to increase troops in Iraq, the Associated Press claimed that Bush was "surrounded ... by cheering soldiers." Other media outlets, such as The Washington Post, however, reported that soldiers "saluted smartly and applauded politely" -- "hardly the boisterous, rock-star reception Bush typically gets at military bases."

In a January 11 article on President Bush's appearance at the Fort Benning Army military base in Georgia, the Associated Press claimed that Bush was "surrounded ... by cheering soldiers" as he promoted his plan to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. That characterization of how Bush was received stands in stark contrast with what The Washington Post, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times reported in their coverage of Bush's Fort Benning visit. The AP also did not include a reference to soldiers at the base being forbidden to talk to reporters, as the three papers suggested.

The AP article, headlined "Bush Cheered at Fort Benning," began by stating that "President Bush, surrounded on Thursday by cheering soldiers in camouflage, defended his decision to send 21,500 more U.S. troops to Iraq and cautioned that the buildup will not produce quick results." The AP later added that "Fort Benning ... offered Bush a patriotic backdrop and a friendly audience in which to sell his retooled plan for Iraq."

By contrast, The Washington Post, in its January 12 report on Bush's visit, headlined "At Fort Benning, a Quiet Response to a Presidential Visit," reported that soldiers "who met the commander in chief Thursday saluted smartly and applauded politely," adding that "it was hardly the boisterous, rock-star reception Bush typically gets at military bases." The Post also reported that "[d]uring [Bush's] lunchtime speech, the soldiers were attentive but quiet." That report specifically detailed the frequency of applause, describing that, "[n]ot counting the introduction of dignitaries, Bush was interrupted by applause just three times in 30 minutes -- once when he talked about a previous Medal of Honor winner from Fort Benning, again when he pledged to win in Iraq and finally when he repeated his intention to expand the Army." A transcript of the event provided by the White House corroborated this accounting.

Similarly, in its January 12 account of Bush's Fort Benning speech -- "Bush Speaks and Base Is Subdued" -- The New York Times reported that Bush "came to this Georgia military base looking for a friendly audience to sell his new Iraq strategy," but added that he "received a restrained response from soldiers who clapped politely but showed little of the wild enthusiasm that they ordinarily shower on the commander in chief."

As well, on January 12, the Los Angeles Times reported that Bush's "audience was friendly, but his sober address received a less enthusiastic reception than has been the case on his past visits to military bases to promote his Iraq policy."

Additionally, the AP article did not mention that soldiers at the event were reportedly forbidden to talk to reporters. In its article, The New York Times reported that "[t]hough Mr. Bush's lunch was open to the press, the base commander, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, would not let the troops in attendance talk to reporters." The Post noted that "[t]o ensure that there would be no discordant notes here, Maj. Gen. Walter Wojdakowski, the base commander, prohibited the 300 soldiers who had lunch with the president from talking with reporters," adding, "If any of them harbored doubts about heading back to Iraq, many for the third time, they were kept silent." The Post later added:

White House officials had promised reporters they could talk with soldiers. But that was not good enough for Wojdakowski. "The commanding general said he does not want media talking to soldiers today," spokeswoman Tracy Bailey said. "He wants the focus to be on the president's speech." Only hours later, after reporters complained, did the base offer to make selected soldiers available, but the White House plane was nearing departure.

The Los Angeles Times further reported, "White House and Army officials prohibited reporters from interviewing soldiers before Bush spoke or immediately after his remarks."

The discrepancy between the AP's headline and other news reports on Bush's Fort Benning visit was first noted by the weblog TPM Muckraker.

—R.C.