memeorandum: The Truth About ‘False Balance’ (Liz Spayd/New York Times)

11:25 PM ET, September 10, 2016

Top Items:

This Is Critical: Hillary Can't Back Down — Let me take a moment to address this “basket of deplorables” comment because I think it's critically important to get this right. Hillary Clinton has simply said what is the premise of most election coverage of the 2016 campaign: a big chunk of Trump supporters are haters.

Discussion: Washington Post

Judd Legum / ThinkProgress:

Is Hillary Clinton Right About Trump Supporters? This Is What The Polling Data Says — She has an opinion. These are the facts. — Speaking at a fundraiser in New York on Friday night, Hillary Clinton described half of opponent Donald Trump's supporters as a “basket of deplorables,” …

Discussion: The Atlantic, Mediaite and Arkansas Blog, Arkansas Times

Ron Fournier / The Atlantic:

Clinton Was Wrong to Generalize About Trump's Supporters — After getting it horribly wrong, Hillary Clinton got it right. — First, what went wrong: The political world lost its collective mind when the Democratic presidential nominee said this at a fund-raiser last night:

Discussion: Washington Post, The American Conservative, Hot Air, Mashable and The New Civil Rights Movement

Annie Karni / Politico:

Why Clinton isn't sweating ‘deplorables’ — “Words have consequences,” Hillary Clinton likes to caution while campaigning against the loose-lipped, insult-hurling Donald Trump. “Words can be misinterpreted.” — But it was the Democratic nominee, generally so careful with her language …

Discussion: ABC News

Dan Merica / CNN:

Clinton: Half of Trump supporters are in ‘basket of deplorables’ — New York (CNN)Hillary Clinton told an audience of donors Friday night that half of Donald Trump's supporters fall into “the basket of deplorables,” meaning people who are racist, sexist, homophobic or xenophobic.

Betsy Woodruff / The Daily Beast:

Alt-Right Leaders: We Aren't Racist, We Just Hate Jews — Bad news, Jews: You don't get to be part of Richard Spencer's white ethno-state. — In a windowless room in a swanky hotel half a block from the White House on Friday afternoon, three of the most visible leaders of the Alt-Right movement held …

Discussion: Washington Post, Hullabaloo, Media Matters for America, Vox Popoli, BuzzFeed, American Power, Media Matters for America and Mother Jones

John Wagner / Washington Post:

Kaine: Clinton's ‘deplorables’ characterization doesn't merit an apology — RICHMOND — Hillary Clinton's assertion that half of Donald Trump's supporters fit into a “basket of deplorables” is not something for which she needs to apologize, her Democratic running mate, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, said in an interview on Saturday.

Discussion: Talking Points Memo

Kristinn Taylor / The Gateway Pundit:

‘Regret’, But No Apology From Hillary Clinton About ‘Basket of Deplorables’ Slurs of Trump Supporters — An apology to the millions of Americans she insulted was missing from the statement issued Saturday afternoon by Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton on her 'basket …

Discussion: Breitbart, Media Matters for America and Mediaite

Alastair Jamieson / NBC News:

Hillary Clinton: Half of Trump Supporters Belong in ‘Basket of Deplorables’ — Donald Trump: Hillary Clinton could shoot someone and not be prosecuted 2:22 — Hillary Clinton urged supporters late Friday not to be complacent about Donald Trump's chances of winning the election …

Discussion: Guardian, New Century Times, Slate, Western Journalism, Talking Points Memo, Breitbart, BizPac Review, Joe.My.God., National Review, Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion and CNBC

Jonah Bennett / The Daily Caller:
Hillary: A Quarter Of America Is ‘Irredeemable,’ ‘Not America’

Discussion: Business Insider, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Gateway Pundit, Independent Journal Review, Talking Points Memo, The American Mirror and The New Civil Rights Movement

Charlie Spiering / Breitbart:
Team Trump Responds to Hillary's ‘Deplorables’ Flub: ‘She Ripped Off Her Mask’

Discussion: USA Today, Hillary Clinton Speeches, John Hawkins' Right Wing News, The Root, Western Journalism, RedState and Washington Free Beacon

Cristiano Lima / Politico:
Hillary Clinton walks back ‘basket of deplorables’ remark

Discussion: Liberal Values, Politicus USA, Media Matters for America, New Century Times and The Week

Abby Phillip / Washington Post:
Clinton: Half of Trump's supporters fit in ‘basket of deplorables’

Discussion: The New Civil Rights Movement, Balloon Juice and BizPac Review

Anne Gearan / Washington Post:
Clinton supporter Streisand sends up Trump with ‘Send In The Clowns’ parody

Discussion: Joe.My.God. and Towleroad

Morgan Winsor / ABC News:
Clinton's ‘Deplorables’ Comment Show Disdain for Working People, Trump Camp Says

Discussion: Hot Air, Breitbart, The Daily Caller, The Gateway Pundit, The National Interest, Fox News Insider, Washington Post, Politico, Associated Press, CBS Miami, LifeZette, New York Magazine, New York Times, France 24 and Liberty Unyielding

Jeremy Diamond / CNN:
Trump: Clinton could shoot somebody and not be arrested

Discussion: Talking Points Memo, The Week and Politicus USA

Colleen McCain Nelson / Wall Street Journal:
Trump Campaign Seeks Clinton Apology Over ‘Deplorables’ Dig at His Supporters

Discussion: Breitbart, Mediaite, Mother Jones, Talking Points Memo, Washington Post, Daily Kos and twitchy.com

David A. Fahrenthold / Washington Post:

How Donald Trump retooled his charity to spend other people's money — Donald Trump was in a tuxedo, standing next to his award: a statue of a palm tree, as tall as a toddler. It was 2010, and Trump was being honored by a charity — the Palm Beach Police Foundation — for his “selfless support” of their cause.

Discussion: New Century Times and Balloon Juice

Liz Spayd / New York Times:

The Truth About ‘False Balance’ — TO anyone who has avoided the debate over “false balance,” apologies for disturbing your bliss. But it's necessary, because those who haven't heard this phrase are missing out on one of the more consequential debates to engage the media in years.

Rory Tingle / Daily Mail:

British stag party who took selfies with a SEX DOLL at Ground Zero on the eve of the 15th anniversary of 9/11 ‘all work on Wall Street’ — Were you on the stag party or do you know any of the men involved? E-mail abe.hawken@mailonline.co.uk — The group of men - from London …

Discussion: John Hawkins' Right Wing News, Raw Story and Gothamist

USA Today:

9/11 Commission chairmen: Terror threat worse now than in 2001 — Winning the battle of ideas is the only hope of quelling the terrorist threat. — Fifteen years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the battle against terrorism is far from over. The threat we face today is arguably worse than the one we confronted in 2001.

Discussion: Pamela Geller and AOL

Harper Neidig / The Hill: Jill Stein calls for new 9/11 investigation

David Doonan / Jill Stein for President:
Jill Stein's Statement On 9/11

Discussion: AOL and Liberty Unyielding

Michael Kruse / Politico:

The Senator and the Mogul: A 9/11 Diary — Hours after terrorists piloted hijacked jets into the World Trade Center's twin towers, Donald Trump agreed to do a live phone interview on local television in New York. Alan Marcus, who was working that day for WWOR as an on-air analyst …

Discussion: U.S. Uncut, Mother Jones and AOL

Joanna Walters / Guardian:
Former EPA head admits she was wrong to tell New Yorkers post-9/11 air was safe

Discussion: New York Magazine, Newsweek, Mashable, The Daily Caller, Refinery29 and Daily Kos

Ines de la Cuetara / ABC News:

Mike Pence Walks Back Calling Putin a ‘Stronger Leader’ Than Obama — Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence on Saturday walked back saying that he believes Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “stronger leader” than President Obama. — “When Donald Trump and I said that the small …

Shane Harris / The Daily Beast:

The Time U.S. Spies Thought Al Qaeda Was Ready to Nuke D.C. — On Christmas Eve 2003, Gen. Michael Hayden, the director of the secretive U.S. National Security Agency, made a secure phone call to his British counterpart, David Pepper, the director of the Government Communications Headquarters.