A cautionary tale of Linda

Here's a perfect example about waiting for the whole story to take shape. Early reports claimed this:

Singer Linda Ronstadt not only got booed, she got the boot after lauding filmmaker Michael Moore and his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" during a performance at the Aladdin hotel-casino.

Before singing "Desperado" for an encore Saturday night, the 58-year-old rocker called Moore a "great American patriot" and "someone who is spreading the truth." She also encouraged everybody to see the documentary about President Bush.

Ronstadt's comments drew loud boos and some of the 4,500 people in attendance stormed out of the theater. People also tore down concert posters and tossed cocktails into the air.

The blog Powerline called it a "feel good story" and a "keeper."
Except over at the Corner we get this:

From a reader:

Mr. Goldberg --
My wife & I were at the Linda Ronstadt performance in question, at the Aladdin in Las Vegas, and quite frankly, Aladdin President Bill Timmins' account of what happened is complete crap. There was mixed booing and cheering at Ronstadt's pro-Michael Moore comment, and that was about the extent of the "bedlam" that supposedly broke out. I saw no posters being torn down or cocktails being thrown in the air, and if people stomped out of the theatre unhappy, it was because 1) that was the last song Ronstadt performed; it was her encore; and 2) she mainly sang her standards repertoire, with the Nelson Riddle orchestrations, and a large part of the crowd wanted to hear more of her rock-'n'-roll stuff; she got the biggest round of applause for doing a lackadaisical run-through of her version of "Blue Bayou."

Of course the damage is done, the news media has a story about entertainers being out of touch with the masses, and the truth is not necessary anymore. That's what happens when people rush to post/publish conclusions to the first draft of a story, but that is the nature of the blog and has become the standard for the media, a sort of shoot first and ask questions later scenario.

So again let this be a lesson that the whole story is hardly ever known during the first report.
*UPDATE* Welcome any Electablog readers. Sorry if the post is a little incoherent, but my wife and I had just done even more driving and it was late.

Someone finally contacted Linda about the whole thing.

Ronstadt, 58, told the [Los Angeles] Times her remarks were "modest," adding: "They didn't throw me out."

"I didn't even know there was trouble," she said. "Those places operate like little city-states. They are all-powerful. And I had already said I never want to come back."

Linda says she will continue with her pro-Moore remarks.

My point was in regards to damage done was that Linda and Moore are portrayed as out of touch with the common person. Since they are pro-liberal, by association, all liberals appear the same way. Even if that's not the case. Hope that's more clear.