Drudge Puts Dangerous Spin on Mugging, Implies Violence Targeting McCain Volunteers

Yesterday, a horrible incident took place in Pittsburgh: a young woman was robbed; and then, after the assailant noticed that her car had a McCain sticker, he returned to brutalize her, including scratching a backwards 'B' in her cheek with a knife. Although horrible by itself, what makes this story even more shocking is the way right-wing media has tried to twist the coverage with rhetoric suggesting that this ATM mugging was actually a pre-meditated act of political violence aimed at the McCain campaign.

At 4:03pm, today, a WTAE-TV Pittsburgh reported that a 20-year old woman was robbed at an ATM machine, and then subsequently had the letter 'B' scratched into her cheek with a knife--supposedly in response to her assailant seeing a 'McCain' campaign sticker on her car.   This is how WTAE reported the story:

Woman Attacked At ATM, Assailant Carves Letter Into Her Face

Woman Robbed, Attacked With Knife At Bloomfield ATM
POSTED: 4:03 pm EDT October 23, 2008
UPDATED: 4:30 pm EDT October 23, 2008

PITTSBURGH -- A 20-year-old woman who was robbed at an ATM in Bloomfield was also maimed by her attacker, police said.

Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richard tells Channel 4 Action News that the victim was robbed at knifepoint on Wednesday night outside of a Citizens Bank near Liberty Avenue and Pearl Street just before 9 p.m.

Richard said the robber took $60 from the woman, then became angry when he saw a McCain bumper sticker on the victim's car. The attacker then punched and kicked the victim, before using the knife to scratch the letter "B" into her face, Richard said.

Richard said the woman refused medical treatment after the assault, which happened outside the view of the bank's surveillance cameras.

The robber is described as a dark-skinned black man, 6 feet 4 inches tall, 200 pounds with a medium build, short black hair and brown eyes. The man was wearing dark colored jeans, a black undershirt and black shoes. (link)

The crime was horrendous. Anyone who mugs another person, whether it is for $0.60 or $60, is a criminal who deserves punishment.  And to beat someone up--and then scratch a 'B' in their face--supposedly in response to seeing a McCain campaign sticker on a person's car--that is an act that demands immediate criminal prosecution.  The young woman attacked deserves a speedy recovery and quick restitution of her property and dignity by the courts.

The problem with this crime, however, is not just that it happened, but the way that Matt Drudge has obviously tried to spin it into a political watershed for the 2008 Presidential campaign by rewriting the headline and carefully omitting several crucial elements.  The end result is that a mugging punctuated by an odd act of violence has been transformed at the hands of a right-wing media figure to appear like a targeted act of violence against the McCain campaign.

Not long after the original WTAE story, Drudge added the following incendiary headline on The Drudge Report:

SHOCK: MCCAIN VOLUNTEER ATTACKED AND MUTILATED IN PITTSBURGH...

'B' CARVED INTO 20-YEAR OLD WOMAN'S FACE... DEVELOPING...

Note two things that Drudge has strategically left out of this headline: (1) the actual details of the crime (e.g., an ATM robbery, followed by an assault) and (2) the fact that the robber brutalized the young woman after the initial crime had been completed, when the criminal noticed the bumber sticker on her car. The omissions are crucia because they repackage a story of theft and assault into a story of political violence. 

What Drudge has done, in other words, is reframe a report about a mugging to make it seem like the beginning of targeted political violence against the McCain campaign.  Hence, it seems from his headline that there are criminals in the U.S. currently out looking for McCain volunteers with the goal of brutally assaulting them--that someone was looking for McCain volunteers to attack, found one, and beat her.

Now, Matt Drudge's blog is one of the most visited websites on the internet and is well-known for its Republican Party leanings, it's deep connection to right-wing media outlets, and the phenomenal speed with which it can disseminate a story--whether that story is true or false.  It is important, therefore, to consider the grave danger carried Drudge's spinning of this story.

Given Drudge's choice of words, one could imagine the Drudge headline as the basis for right-wing media and the Republican base to conclude that political violence has begun against the McCain campaign--despite this being a false and misleading representation of the events.

Even worse, the immense site traffic at The Drudge Report enjoys, combined with Drudge's implication that this horrible mugging incident in Pittsburgh was in fact targeted political violence against Republicans, could result in widespread panic amongst by McCain supporters mislead by Drudge's manipulative reporting into thinking that they were the target of some kind of organized assault.

If either of those things were to happen, the Drudge headline of the WTAE story could quickly tip the the Presidential election into a dangerous place by heightening the 'us vs. them' tensions already set in motion by the McCain-Palin campaign rhetoric.

Finally, since Pennsylvania is a 'swing' stage--a state that is still too-close-to-call in the Presidential election polls--it is not beyond the realm of possibility that Drudge's deceptive re-framing of this mugging story could result in heightened tensions on the ground, and possibly contribute to outbursts of violence by people who believe they are under 'attack,' as a result of Drudge's rhetoric.

However Drudge's headline is interpreted, it has the potential to provide an excuse for actual political violence under the guise of self-defense.

Just to give an idea of how incendiary this story could become, since I began writing this post, the Obama-Biden campaign has already issued the following statement:

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the young woman for her to make a speedy recovery, and we hope that the person who perpetrated this crime is swiftly apprehended and brought to justice."

Their response shows the necessary and swift intolerance that any crime of this nature deserves.  Whether or not The Drudge Report will succeed with its dangerous ploy to recast this crime as the beginning of political violence against Republicans remains to be seen.   But at the very least, we can expect Drudge's spin to be the lead on every right-wing media outlet at least to the weekend. 

How mainstream media handles it is another story.  Will news producers at CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS refute Drudge's irresponsible flirtation with rhetoric that has the potential to spark widespread panic?   Let's hope so.

***UPDATE (Fri Oct 24, 1:48pm EST): Pittsburgh's CBS affiliate KDKA is just now reporting that the 20 year-old woman in question has recanted her story:

A Pittsburgh police commander says a volunteer for the McCain campaign who reported being robbed and attacked near a bank ATM in Bloomfield has confessed to making up the story. Police say charges will be filed. More details to follow.

I am relieved, in the end, that this young woman was not the victim of a robbery or assault. However, the false accusation of political violence--tinged with racial profiling--raises serious ethical and criminal consequences for this young person. Needless to say, the way right-wing media attempted to transform this story remains an object lesson for this election season and beyond. -- JF

©  2008 Jeffrey Feldman, Frameshop

Follow Jeffrey Feldman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/JeffreyFeldman

Comments

[pennsykid2000]

From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Police say there are inconsistencies in the story of a McCain campaign volunteer who told them she was mugged in Bloomfield on Wednesday night by a man who etched a "B" on her cheek when he saw a McCain sticker on her car.

Ashley ToddAshley Todd, 20, of College Station, Texas, spent five hours with robbery detectives last night at police headquarters, where she took a polygraph test. She told police that a man robbed her as she tried to take money from an ATM machine at Pearl Street and Liberty Avenue around 9 p.m. Wednesday.

Ms. Todd told police she then began walking to her car, which had McCain stickers on it. She told police that although the robber had moved away from her, he became agitated when he saw her car, punched her in the back of the head, pushed her to the ground and carved the letter into her face.

A photo of the woman shows what appears to be a backwards capital B on her right cheek.

Yesterday, she said the man sexually assaulted her, a detail that police said she didn't mention in the initial report.

Police today said that security camera footage from the Citizens Bank doesn't show the incident, but it could have happened outside the camera's range. Police also said they have found no witnesses to the attack.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08298/922564-100.stm

[Michale32086]

@rwt1138

}}}}}
Just for curiosity's sake, do you believe this story?
{{{{{

Based on the available evidence, I would have to say no.. I don't believe it actually happened..

But, then again, my point is not the story itself and whether or not it did or didn't happen.

*MY* point is the Left's reaction to it and how much it differs from the Left's reaction to stories about Obama supporters being attacked by McCain supporters­...

And most everything (present post excepted) that has been posted in response to my post simply re-enforces my opinion that this is nothing but an exercise in bigotry and hypocrisy.­.. I have MANY factual examples that I have posted in this thread that supports this contention­..

Michale...

[JohnTalbutt]

No you are confused. It was the McCain campaign that brought the media in on this story so that the media was trapped into reporting the story as the truth emerged. McCain's campaign has a problem with vetting as you must realize.

[roooth]

The police most assuredly would have encouraged her to see a doctor, first to understand the scope of her injuries and assess her condition, she could have sustained internal injuries, and secondly, to gather evidence for their case against the assailant. Since she has added sexual crimes to her list of accusations, it is likely that a rape counselor has spoken to her and advised of these things as well.
If she refused medical treatment, did she allow the police to gather physical evidence from her body?
The police have now said there are "troubling inconsistencies" in the woman's story, and she has been given the polygraph test, the results of which the police will not talk about.
Call me cynical, but I predict two things: 1. this story is another GOP attempt to use "any means necessary" to keep fear alive., and 2. this woman will disappear from public consciousness but get her compensation later, either with a job or some other form of renumeration.
Paula Jones got plastic surgery and a Palin-style makeover for her accusations.
Meanwhile, lets keep in mind that there have been real and deadly assaults during this campaign. An Obama campaign worker was murdered earlier this year by a white man with a house full of the Right-wing's favorite hate books; the works of O'Reilly, Hannity, Limbaugh, Savage, etc. And Obama offices have been burglarized, Obama signs burned
This is why we fight, this is why we don't give up.

[roooth]

And remember when Bush's debate prep book was unexpectedly delivered to Gore's debate session? Gore turned it over to the Feds and they discovered that a young woman who knew Rove and worked for some company Rove had ties with had sent it to Gore. She got in trouble with the law, but it would be interesting to see what happened after that. I bet she took one for the team and was compensated in some way afterwards.
Which brings me to today's "victim". By the time I had looked into these "attacks", the woman's story had already changed - several times - and she has now included sexual assault, (by the big black man), and kicking and punching to her list of accusations. She even said she lost consciousness during the attack, but, interestingly enough, she refused medical treatment.
So, a young woman is attacked, hit on the head, knocked unconscious, groped, sexually fondled, cut with a knife - and she refused medical treatment? Why?? If she was unconscious the big black man might have done something to her she is not aware of, like give her a disease. Why wouldn't she want to get checked out? What possible reason could there be?

[roooth]

Here's something interesting: I went to a right wing site and noticed there were postings refering to two other alleged incidents of Obama supporters picking on McCain supporters. Each incident was apparently committed by politically involved large black liberal men against the delicate flowers of our land; conservative white women.
But when I went to the Google and then the Snopes.com to see if I could find any verification for these affronts to our sensibilities, all I could find was the Internet's version of a Right-Wing circle jerk - lots of reaffirming repetition of the alleged attacks, but no real news reports. Hmmmm.
I did this because the GOP has a history of just this kind of rabble rousing, making up the most despicable things they can, pumping them into the public consciousness, and then, as quickly as each piece of muck is debunked, throwing a new one onto the pile. All to create the impression of never-ending reaffirming stories which suit the GOP's end game of winning, no matter who or what is destroyed.
Republicans who don't get their news from any other sources are left feeling overwhelmed by these never-ending horror stories.
I have seen this for decades, starting with Rove bugging his own office rght before an election and calling the FBI in and accusing the other side of doing it. By the time the truth came out, the election was over.

[wolfmason]

I live right by Liberty & Pearl. That intersection is at the center of Pittsburgh's little Italy, and it's crowded with popular bars and restaurants, and it is busy late into the night with foot traffic, and HEAVY car traffic. 3 blocks off of liberty, and yes you'll get mugged. On liberty at that locale between 8 and 9pm, well, you'd have a better chance of getting mugged in the hardware dept. at a wal mart at 2pm on a saturday. Simply put, this never happened.

[motherforpeace]

Okay, It is terrible thing for anyone to be attacked over politics.

But I find it STRANGE that the letter B in her face is backwards. Hmmmm....?­???

Someone who carved the letter "B" on themselves in front of a mirror could make this obvious mistake.

[noir]

Yup, always the Black Guy!!!!!!

Remember Susan Smith?

Now the po-po wants her to take a lie detector test...Won­der why?...

Get the facts straight first.....­This chick is lying!!!

Sad part about it is no one will admonish her if found out to be a liar....

BTW, dude must have dislexia cause the B was carved backward..­.

Drudge can kiss where the sun doesn't shine on this brotha...

[BlackDemfromNH]

This woman's story is 100% phony. Everything about it stinks. As I read the story, it immediately sent off my alarms. The backwards "B"? What is the attacker, 3 years old? No way he would have made it backwards. And if a 6'4" man was using a knife to carve a letter into you face, your damn certain there would be a pretty bad gash in your face. And why wouldn't you go for treatment? Odd, indeed. And she then later adds on that she was sexually assaulted, too. There are many more details that just don't pass the smell test, but most of you have already mentioned them, so I won't go over them again. No, this is absolutely a fake. Stay tuned..

[RightWingMarine]

wait a stated right wing supporting blog puts a twist on the headline to cast the left in a negative light? I'm shocked. It's a good thing we never see anything like that on HuffPo!

[tommytimp]

Am I missing something? Sounds like the anti-McCain angle was in the story as it was first reported. So what's the big deal about Drudge trying to spin it? It looks like the fact that she was assaulted because she had a mcCain sticker on her car is an allegation in the case already. Unless the point is that Drudge is trying to make it look like it's open season on McCainiacs. Which is stupid.

[brabra]

I think the woman should have a lie detector test. This looks like a hoax to me.

[SandraM]

the police want her to take one.

[doctorwang]

'There were major changes in her story" before and after the polygraph test, Richard said. As for the wound on her cheek, "it's very shallow, it's more of a scratch."

Todd took a polygraph test late Thursday or early Friday after police discovered the inconsistencies, Richard said. The investigation is ongoing.

After a second interview by police, Todd is not as definitive about the assault, or the motives behind it, Richard said. She's also not sure if the robber took $60 from her as she initially reported but maintains it's missing, Richard said.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/23/mccain-volunteer-says-mugged-b-carved-face/comments/

[jeamar]

Can the Police press charges against her for filing a false report?

[paulanms]

This lame attempt at discrediting Senator McCain has David Axlerod all over it.

[Tommygun264]

Right, Axelrod is lurking around corners by ATMs all the time. the Democratic party is full of dirty tricksters like Lee Atwater & Karl Rove. Um, no, wait a minute, those weasels are pubs, aren't they?

[bobdob]

Shouldn't that headline read:

Woman Attacked At ATM, Assailant Abrades Letter Onto Her Face With Plastic Fork

[bobdob]

Check out the "victim's" blog:

http://pdfmenot.com/store_local/46113e787207501c86d9f6b702c45bd6.pdf

That is one twisted sister.

[doctorwang]

Thanx. You are right!