The Washington Post, which carried Evan Vucci's AP photo, noted that at a protest the same day Sheehan had addressed a crowd of only about 100. âIn the morning,â the Post observed, âSheehan signed copies of her new book, being published this week, for an even smaller crowd,â although it cited bad weather as a possible factor.
But in a statement today, Sheehan accused âright-wingâ sites of âspreading a false story that nobody bought my book at Camp Casey on Saturday. That is not true, I sold all 100 copies and got writer's cramp signing them. Photos were taken of me before the people got in line to have me sign the book. We made $2000 for the peace house.â
Her publisher, Arnie Kotler at Koa Books, meanwhile released a letter to her supporters, charging that âAP and Reuters posted photos - I can't imagine why - of Cindy sitting at the book table between signings, rather than while someone was at the table. And now the smear websites are circulating an article, with these photos, that Cindy gave a signing and nobody came. It's simply not trueâŠ. the benefit books signing in Crawford, Texas on November 26, 2005 was well attended and a huge success.â
Asked for a response, an AP spokesman commented this afternoon:
"Photographer Evan Vucci, queried about the incident today said that he was present at the book signing from about 10 a.m. to about 11 a.m. During that time, he said, people were coming in to have their books signed in small groups of a few at a time.
"At the time the photos were taken 'maybe 5 people had come in,' Vucci says, and Sheehan was waiting for more to stop by, which they did individually as well as in very small groups. Therefore the wording of the caption is accurate in that Sheehan was waiting for people to show up at her signing." |