Why didn’t AP article on Stark mention the FULL story about last Tuesday’s altercation?

As you’ve read courtesy of Brian’s earlier post on it, Senator Allen’s stalker Mike Stark, now an Air America “reporter” in addition to being a diarist at the Daily Kos, was handcuffed and detained after getting aggressive at yet another Senator George Allen event. He was released after the person who claimed Stark pushed him down decided not to press charges.

What I’d like to know is why the Associated Press, in their write up of this latest instance of Mike Stark stalking Senator Allen, gave a lopsided recap of the first physical incident between some Allen campaign staffers and Stark. Here’s what the AP wrote:

[Headline]: Liberal Blogger Taken Into Custody

Not “Liberal Blogger Taken Into Custody for Second Altercation” – just “Liberal Blogger Taken Into Custody.” The headline makes it sound like there is a liberal out there whose “rights to free speech are being violated.

The recap of Tuesday’s incident:

On Tuesday, Stark was put in a chokehold and slammed to the floor by three Allen supporters in Charlottesville in an incident captured on video. Witnesses said Stark approached Allen, loudly asking, “Why did you spit at your first wife, George?” in an attempt to ask Allen about his legal history.

What’s missing from this piece? The photo montage of the instigation of the first incident, as posted by The Free-Lance Star (hit the arrows to advance the frames). It clearly shows there was a reason why Stark was “manhandled.” The AP article notes what happened to Stark, but does not include the “why” answer in the article. It also does not include Stark’s history of trying to cook up ways to get to Republicans, using any means. Perhaps because if they did, Stark wouldn’t come off as being an innocent liberal blogger who is a victim of a “conspiracy” to stifle his free speech rights.

Same stuff different day for the Associated Press.