Following Colorado Media Matters item, Kopel named himself "Disgrace of the Week" for twisting Edwards's words

Summary: On Colorado Inside Out, Dave Kopel named himself the "Disgrace of the Week," in part for his false July 21 assertion that former Sen. "John Edwards in 2004 claimed that Christopher Reeve would walk again" if federal funding for embryonic stem cell research were expanded. As Kopel acknowledged, Edwards had actually said that people like Reeve would walk again.

On the July 28 edition of Denver PBS affiliate KBDI Channel 12's Colorado Inside Out, Rocky Mountain News media critic and Independence Institute research director Dave Kopel named himself the "Disgrace of the Week" -- in part for his false July 21 assertion on Colorado Inside Out that former Sen. "John Edwards [D-NC] in 2004 claimed that [the late paralyzed actor] Christopher Reeve would walk again" if federal funding for embryonic stem cell research were expanded.

The "Disgrace of the Week" is a regular segment on Friday editions of Colorado Inside Out.

Following Colorado Media Matters' July 24 item pointing out Kopel's falsehood, Kopel acknowledged on July 28 that as a vice-presidential candidate, Edwards actually "said people like Christopher Reeve would walk. Christopher Reeve had died that morning. ... [H]e wasn't actually talking about Mr. Reeve actually, himself, walking."

Kopel's correction itself was misleading. Kopel stated on July 28 that he previously said, "Edwards had said that Christopher Reeve would walk if he became vice president. Actually, he said people like Christopher Reeve would walk." Without mentioning embryonic stem cell research, Kopel said on July 28 that Edwards's statement was an "extravagant, hubristic claim."

However, as Media Matters for America has noted, Edwards's statement on October 10, 2004, referred specifically to Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) support for expanded federal funding for stem cell research as the reason that people like Reeve would be able to walk. From Edwards's October 10, 2004, speech:

EDWARDS: Christopher Reeve just passed away. And America just lost a great champion for this cause. Somebody who is a powerful voice for the need to do stem cell research and change the lives of people like him, who have gone through the tragedy. Well, if we can do the work that we can do in this country -- the work we will do when John Kerry is president -- people like Christopher Reeve are going to walk. Get up out of that wheelchair and walk again.

From the July 21 edition of KBDI Channel 12's Colorado Inside Out:

KOPEL: One thing I thought was always amusing in this is, on the one hand, the proponents of federal subsidization for this say, "Oh, this has so much wonderful potential." John Edwards in 2004 claimed that Christopher Reeve would walk again. Uh, it's such enormous potential.

From the July 28 edition of Colorado Inside Out, with host Peter Boyles and regular panelist Patricia Calhoun, editor of Westword:

BOYLES: All right. We come to the end of the show. We always -- this is the fun part for me to listen to -- the "Disgrace of the Week."

[...]

BOYLES: Sir.

KOPEL: I made two errors last week. I said that [Rep.] Marilyn Musgrave's [R-Fort Morgan] --

BOYLES: Only two?

CALHOUN: Two he's copping to.

KOPEL: Depends on how you count.

BOYLES: All right.

KOPEL: That Marilyn Musgrave's gay-marriage-ban amendment got less votes this time than before. It actually got nine more votes than when it was up before. I'd also said that John -- vice-presidential candidate John Edwards had said that Christopher Reeve would walk if he became vice president. Actually, he said people like Christopher Reeve would walk. Christopher Reeve had died that morning. And so his category was more in the extravagant, hubristic claim of John Kerry saying there wouldn't have been a war in Lebanon if he were president, but he wasn't actually talking about Mr. Reeve actually, himself, walking.

BOYLES: Which one of those is the disgrace: You or John Kerry?

KOPEL: Oh, both. All of them.

BOYLES: OK. All right.

—J.S.