DonateSign upAbout
Untitled Document

National AP, stop Fournier's bias.

On Saturday, August 23, the Associated Press (whose articles are published in thousands of newspapers nationwide) wrote a story about Barack Obama's vice presidential pick that sounded more like right-wing FOX than an unbiased news organization.

The AP reporter who wrote this story, Ron Fournier, has consistently written articles during this presidential election that are biased against Democrats and for John McCain. Fournier isn't just a reporter, he's also the AP's Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief.

The AP is accountable to the local papers that print their articles. Can you write a letter to papers in your area? Tell them to contact the national AP to let them know that local readers' trust of the 160-year-old AP will be gone if Ron Fournier continues his biased reporting that smears Democrats and favors McCain.

The process is simple -- just follow the three steps below. See the tips on the bottom right of the page for ideas (click on the "Writing Tips" tab). Please report any problems you have here.


Step 1: Select a newspaper

Local PapersCirculation  # Sent
The Seattle Times 239,468 161
Seattle Weekly 120,000 20
The Enterprise 78,500 9
Highline Times 38,000 0
Regional PapersCirculation  # Sent
The News Tribune 130,241 30
The Herald 51,820 21
King County Journal 47,089 6
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber 39,670 6
National PapersCirculation  # Sent
USA Today 2,602,556 895
The Wall Street Journal 1,820,600 389
The New York Times 1,130,740 901
Los Angeles Times 1,014,044 566
Washington Post 796,367 518
Step 3: Enter Your Address & Send

  (*=required)
*Name:
*Email:
*Phone:
*Address:
*City/State:
*Zip:    Change ZIP Code

Step 2: Write your letter

Use the talking points below the composition window for ideas.

Subject:
Body:

Talking Points
  • This letter is to request that the editors of our local paper stand up for us local readers.
  • As a local reader, my trust in political stories written by the Associated Press is about to be gone because of the AP's new Washington D.C. Bureau Chief, Ron Fournier. He consistently writes articles smearing Democrats and favoring John McCain.
  • The latest was Fournier's article on Saturday, August 23: "Biden pick shows lack of confidence." It was full of Republican talking points presented as fact, and was a far cry from unbiased journalism.
  • Another Fournier story began, "Poor Hillary. After trying to save her sinking candidacy with awkward turns of flattery and sarcasm, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton resorted to a new tactic in Tuesday night's debate: self-pity."
  • Fournier is obviously a McCain supporter. It was recently confirmed that he talked to the McCain campaign about being a senior political adviser in 2007. And, an email was recently uncovered sent by Fournier to Karl Rove telling him, "Keep up the fight."
  • If anything, Fournier has a special obligation to show the public his support for McCain won't bias his journalism.
  • But a recent study found that Fournier didn't write a single negative story against Republicans during their primary--except one belittling Mitt Romney for beating John McCain in Michigan.
  • I am asking the editors to contact the national AP immediately. Let them know that local readers are losing faith in the 160-year-old AP because of its recent bias, and that Ron Fourniers articles smearing Democrats and favoring McCain have got to stop.

Privacy Policy (the basics): We do not share the information you’ve given us with unaffiliated groups without your explicit permission. For petitions, letters to the editor, and surveys you've signed or completed, we treat your name, city, state, and comments as public information. We will not make your street address publicly available, but we may transmit it to members of Congress and to the President as part of a petition. MoveOn will send you updates on this and other important campaigns by email. If at any time you would like to unsubscribe from our email list, you may do so. For our complete privacy policy, click here.

Paid for by MoveOn.org Political Action, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

MoveOn.org Civic Action is a 501(c)(4) organization which primarily focuses on nonpartisan education and advocacy on important national issues. MoveOn.org Political Action is a federal political committee which primarily helps members elect candidates who reflect our values through a variety of activities aimed at influencing the outcome of the next election. MoveOn.org Political Action and MoveOn.org Civic Action are separate organizations.