Agence France-Presse, in a report on Mumia Abu-Jamal, who has been on Pennsylvania's death row for over twenty-five years for the murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981, referred to the cop killer as a "human rights campaigner." Abu-Jamal, whose birth name is Wesley Cook, had his murder conviction upheld by a panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday, but the court also decided that either he must receive a life sentence, or receive a new sentencing hearing.

AFP’s headline for their report read, "US court overturns rights campaigner’s death penalty," and its opening sentence referred to "the death sentence passed against human rights campaigner Mumia Abu-Jamal." In its closing sentence, AFP referenced how Abu-Jamal "became a leading campaigner against the death penalty" while on death row.

Not Minding Their Ps & Qs

Well, we have heard word from the horse's ... mouth.

DScott, an intrepid NewsBusters participant, contacted AFP to point out their inanity. And in the wee small hours of Friday morning -- they wrote back.

DScott was generous enough to share it with us, and we now, in turn, share it with you:

We've already seen in this election cycle a real sensitivity in the Obama-ogling media to any suggestion that Obama be mischaracterized as a Muslim. But will the media allow the Obama campaign to have it both ways, as Muslims voice hope that his upbringing in Islamic Indonesia will allow him to bring the echoes of detente to the "so-called war on terror"? Agence France Presse reports:

In an article previewing the possible damage to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as a result of the Winograd Report into Israel's 34-day war with Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, AFP's Ron Bousso echoes a questionable claim about the 2006 Israeli War against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon:

It is expected to focus on Olmert's controversial decision to order a massive ground offensive in south Lebanon 60 hours before a UN-brokered ceasefire agreement was due to take effect on August 14.

Thirty-three Israeli soldiers were killed in the offensive launched just one hour after the final version of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 was presented to Israel.

Major Tomer Buhadana was one of those wounded during the last 48 hours of war, which in all killed 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

The Lebanese killed were "mostly civilians?"

The Daily Telegraph noted during the conflict:

Just how far are media outlets willing to go to advance a liberal agenda?

Well, consider if you will a major wire service changing the picture included in an article about rare snows in Baghdad, Iraq, several days after said article was published.

For some background, on Friday, NewsBusters drew attention to an Agence France-Presse article concerning the first snow in Baghdad for at least 100 years.

The picture included with this AFP piece is featured above right. Nice little snowy scene, yes? Makes you want to put your Christmas lights back up.

Unfortunately, if you click on the link to that AFP article now, this is the picture available (h/t NBer Popular Technology):