THE AP COVERS FOR FREDDIE THE HUTT

In a story about how Freddie Thompson may have tried to replace a mine inspector as a favor to one of his corporate clients, the AP buried correct information.

Thompson Sought Inspector's Removal
Oct 18, 6:22 PM (ET)
By ERIK SCHELZIG

The 3rd paragraph states:

At the time of the 1980 case, Thompson was known for fighting government abuse, first in the Watergate investigation and later as an attorney for a Tennessee woman wrongfully fired by the Democratic governor.

We don't get the real story until paragraphs 33 and 34:

After three years in the U.S. Attorney's Office, Thompson was one of the managers for Howard Baker's re-election campaign. It was Baker, then the Senate minority leader, who selected the 30-year-old Thompson to become the top GOP lawyer on the Senate Watergate Committee in 1973.

The role brought Thompson a measure of fame and a reputation as a tough investigator. However, National Archives' tapes of Oval Office conversations show President Nixon and his attorney viewed Thompson as an ally in their effort to discredit former White House counsel John Dean. It was Thompson who tipped off the White House that the Senate committee had discovered the existence of the Oval Office tape recordings later known as the "Watergate tapes."