AP Claims 'Strong Reporting' After Palin Blasts Coverage of Book

By: Joe Strupp Sarah Palin took a shot at the Associated Press' coverage of her new book, claiming on a Facebook posting that the news outlet is "now erroneously reporting on the book's contents and are repeating many of the same things they spewed during the campaign and afterwards."

She also claims that 11 AP staffers are assigned to work on coverage of the book, titled "Going Rogue: An American Life" (HarperCollins). "Imagine that -- 11 AP reporters dedicating time and resources to tearing up the book," she writes, "instead of using the time and resources to 'fact check' what's going on with Sheik Mohammed's trial, Pelosi's health care takeover costs, Hasan's associations, etc. Amazing."

Paul Colford, AP director of media relations, responded with a statement to E&P that called the fact-checking "strong reporting by AP."

Asked about the claim that 11 AP reporters had worked on the coverage, he stated: "One byline appeared on the story, along with an italicized number of names at the end of those with knowledge of specific topics in the book (Alaska governorship, for example) who contributed in varying degrees to the Fact Check."