docweasel.com
still an outlaw in their eyes

site menu

docweasel.com
blog
comics
games
monty python
contact
humor

New maxims for the LameStreamMedia: Mape’s Law and Beauchamping

by docweasel Jun 30 2007
New maxims for the LameStreamMedia: Mape’s Law and Beauchamping

New maxims for the LameStreamMedia: Mape’s Law and Beauchamping

Beauchamp [bou-champ] :

–noun
1. the act of fabricating or fantastically elaborating facts to create a news story or article, which is then presented as a true representation of the facts as they actually occurred. Usually used to prove a political point or to construct or reinforce a left-wing “narrative”. Slander, hyperbole, neologisms and “Gross Exaggerations and Inaccurate Allegations” are some of the main characteristics of a Beauchamped news article.
2. a story so fabricated or invented


“Instead of confessing his infidelity, President Bill Clinton tried to Beauchamp his way out of the Monica Lewinsky/Paula Jones scandal.”

“The ‘plastic turkey’ story about President Bush’s visit to Iraq on Christmas 2003 is now understood to be merely a Beauchamp.”

–verb (used with an object)
to create a story using Beauchampian methods:

“The soldier totally Beauchamped his testimony when he made up stories of atrocities reminiscent of Jenjis Khan.”

“Senator Durbin was caught Beauchamping his military record.”

–adjective
exaggerated, dramatized, falsified or created out of whole cloth

“WarSoldier Scott Thomas’ diaries from Iraq were proven by U.S. Army investigators to have been Beauchamped IdeaThoughts.”

Origin
Named for Scott Thomas Beauchamp, an American soldier who was disciplined by the U.S. Army for inventing stories detailing illegal and barbaric behavior by Beauchamp and his fellow soldiers, published in The New Republic, a liberal magazine. He has not (to date) publicly recanted the stories, although military documents show he told Army investigators that he was indeed guilty of “Gross Exaggerations and Inaccurate Allegations”. His writing was also notable for its neologisms and redundant portmanteau words like “BrainMind” and “EmotionFeelings”.

(background: Patterico: Five Factual Errors in Tim Rutten’s Beauchamp Column)

The Scott Beauchamp saga continues, with an LAT reporter who completely Beauchamps the story. (via Confederate Yankee)

There are so many fact errors, hinted slurs and innuendos piled into Tim Rutten’s “Drudge, New Republic battle over ‘Baghdad Diarist,’ that reading it, you would think you were reading the L.A. Times… oh wait.

You were.

A commenter on that post wonders

Andrew X says:
Ruttan himself says….

“the New Republic — still unable to determine whether its story was true or false…”

This kind of ends the discussion right there does it not? Given the nature of the allegations, any news organization that is “unable to determine whether its story was true or false” is obligated to assume they are false until further proven, and to say so quite cleary. All the rest is interesting, but utterly meaningless.

Not quite Andrew X! TNR is merely applying Mape’s Law:

Mape’s Law [meyps law]:

–noun
1.a rule of reporting which states that any alleged fact or story which is of indeterminate origin, but which furthers any leftist cause or issue, shall be considered true until overwhelmingly proven false by authorities not considered (by leftist opinion makers) to have any affiliation with nor bias toward conservatives and/or Republicans.
2. Mape’s Law also applies to the inverse of the example above.

“Scott Beauchamp’s fables must be considered factual incidents according to Mape’s Law.”

“Using Mape’s Law, it is a given that allegations by the SBVT against John French Kerry were false.”

Origin
Named for Mary Mapes, a producer for CBS News who investigated, wrote and produced a report for CBS Nightly News (read on-camera by newsreader Dan Rather) slandering President Bush‘s service in the TANG, in concert with Democrat presidential candidate John French Kerry‘s campaign staff. This story was calculated to damage Bush‘s re-election prospects, based on documents that were called into question by dozens of experts. Since the documents providence and validity have never been conclusively disproved, Mapes contends that this proves they are in fact authentic. Both Mapes and Rather were fired by CBS following an investigation of the incident.

(background: “Why Beauchamp Matters.”)

  • Previous Cleveland fans are the saddest fans in the world18 years ago
  • Next Mickey Kaus faces the combined vengeful wrath of the leftwingnutosphere! (and Kos blows goats)18 years ago

site

docweasel.com
blog
comics
sitemap
contact

categories

art
articles
docweasel
gaming
media

games

games
doom & doom][
stronghold
gaming

monty python

monty python
mpfc albums
mp movies
mpfc tv series
2025 docweasel.com. contact us with comments, complaints or suggestions email docweasel.com | join the discussion or bitch and rant at will at DWF forum

categories

blog
art
photos
articles
eros
fiction
humor
opinion
politics
dw website
gaming
movies
movie interviews
movie mini-reviews
movie reviews
movie news
music
chords & tabs
live reviews
metal
music news
music reviews
music video
teevee

recent posts

Apr 19 2025

Ustawowe Kasyno Przez internet Na terytorium polski 2024

Why do idiots like Chris Cilizza get big bucks for bullshit propaganda masquerading as analysis?
Feb 7 2008

Why do idiots like Chris Cilizza get big bucks for bullshit propaganda masquerading as analysis?

Hardcore Softball
Aug 17 2003

Hardcore Softball

Aaliyah Comeback Anniversary
Jan 5 2010

Aaliyah Comeback Anniversary

monthly archive