Topic: WorldNetDaily
WorldNetDaily has already promoted bogus claims about the cost and extent of President Obama's visit to Asia, while making no effort to verify the claim. Now that no sane person is credibly promoting the claim, WND wants to change the subject.
A Nov. 4 WND article details WND White House correspondent's bantering with White House press secretary Robert Gibbs over the purpoted $200 million per day cost cost, pretending that the issue is not that the claim WND reported has been discredited, but that the White House won't release "the actual cost."
It's not until the 17th and final paragraph that it's revealed that the Pentagon has discredited a related claim, that it would deploy 34 ships and an aircraft carrier during the trip. Even then, WND adds that "Kinsolving then pointed out the Pentagon, while denying the '34 ships' report, did not say how many vessels would be deployed as part of the president's security."
WND doesn't want to tell you the reason the White House doesn't reveal the actual cost of the trip: national security. As CNN's Anderson Cooper reported, the White House doesn't comment on trip logistics for security reasons. Plus, Cooper noted, given the costs of previous presidential overseas trips, there's no way the trip would cost anywhere near $200 million a day, even accounting for inflation and given that the war in Afghanistan costs $190 million a day.
Cooper added that "these facts could have easily been checked by anyone who is spreading this story." The fact that WND couldn't be bothered to check tells you all you need to know about its commitment to journalism -- or, rather, its total lack of commitment.
