Topic: NewsBusters
An Aug. 27 NewsBusters post by Nathan Burchfiel carries the headline "Bloomberg: ‘100 Percent’ of 9/11 Families Support Ground Zero Mosque," and points out that "In fact, there are many 9/11 family members speaking out against building a mosque so close to Ground Zero."
But Bloomberg didn't say what Burchfiel insists he said.
Indeed, Burchfiel quotes Bloomberg accurately: "And the family members that I've talked to -- and I'm chairman of the board of the World Trade Center Memorial -- 100 percent in favor of saying, ‘These people, if they want to build a mosque, can build a mosque.'"
Note the words we highlighted. Bloomberg never said that all 9/11 families supported the Islamic center nearGround Zero -- he said that all of the 9/11 families he has talked to support it.
Bloomberg could fairly be criticized for falsely suggesting that all 9/11 families support the center, but that's not what Burchfiel does -- he misportrays Bloomberg's words as something he didn't say.
It's little dishonesties like this that keep the MRC from being taken seriously as media critics.
