As we have been noticing, now that Governor Huckabee is generating some momentum in the race for President, the media, as well as interest groups, have taken it upon themselves to attack Huckabee. Do not expect to hear truth from these sources, however. Consider this example.
In an opinion piece for the US News and World Report, Bonnie Erbe tries to create a scandal by resorting to the well-known (and highly effective) strategy of reporting half-truths. Says Ms. Erbe:
Other questions surrounding his [Huckabee's] tenure are even more puzzling. One is why earlier this year, as Huckabee was leaving office, he apparently ordered the destruction of more than 100 computers in the governor's office.
What!? The Governor ordered the destruction of more than 100 computers in the governor's office? Is my mind changed? No. Here's why.
The incident Ms. Erbe refers to, and which she tries to manufacture a scandal, is an instruction of the Governor to destroy more than 90 (not "over 100" Ms. Erbe) computer hard-drives (not "computers", Ms. Erbe) in order to "protect sensitive information, such as Social Security numbers" from being leaked (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 18, 2007).
The destruction of the hard-drives hardly constitutes a scandal. On March 17, 2007, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that an ethics panel had cleared Governor Huckabee of any wrong doing regarding the destruction of the hard-drives. A Jim Parsons had filed a complaint that Huckabee had violated the law in destroying the hard drives. From the Gazette:
Jim Parsons of Bella Vista filed the complaint, claiming that Huckabee violated Arkansas Code 7-9-410, which requires that records regarding public ballot initiatives be retained for four years.
The commissioner of the ethics committee, in a letter to Governor Huckabee, wrote that the commission had dismissed the claim by a vote of 4-0. From the Gazette:
Sloan wrote that the law didn't require Huckabee to keep those records. Furthermore, he wrote that such records usually are in paper, not electronic, form.
So, an independent ethics committee cleared Huckabee of any wrongdoing in the destruction of the hard-drives. But that is not all.
On July 18, 2007, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that Huckabee had been cleared of any wrongdoing by the Arkansas State Attorney General. Said the Gazette:
Attorney General Dustin McDaniel said Tuesday that his office's research has determined that former Gov. Mike Huckabee and people in his administration broke no laws when more than 90 [not "over 100" Ms. Erbe] computer hard drives [not "computers", Ms. Erbe] were crushed before Huckabee left office in January
So, an independent ethics board unanimously cleared Governor Huckabee of any wrongdoing, and an investigation by the Attorney General's office concluded the same thing.
Conclusion:
Ms. Erbe not only misstates the facts, she also only reports half of the truth. She tries to manufacture a scandal out of the destruction of hard-drives upon termination of the Governor's tenure in office, and yet an independent ethics committee, as well as the Attorney General's office, has cleared him of wrongdoing. Ms. Erbe's reporting is irresponsible, incorrect, and deserving of rebuke.
