The AP Rips off Raw Story

If this isn't a breach of journalistic ethics, I don't know what is. You may have noticed the recent AP article on the changes Stephen Hadley made to guidelines for security clearances. The article came out several days after Raw Story's originally researched one. Turns out that GLBT groups brought Raw Story's article and information to the AP and demanded the story be covered. So they plagiarized Raw Story, attributing nothing to them. Larisa Alexandrovna reveals the AP's mindset:

We contacted an AP senior editor and ombudsmen both and both admitted to having had the article passed on to them, and both stated that they viewed us as a blog and because we were a blog, they did not need to credit us.

Funny, because the Associated Press proclaims on their blog website:

...we insist on the highest standards of integrity and ethical behavior when we gather and deliver the news.
...
It means we don't plagiarize.

Except when they do.

Hypocrites.

NOT EXACTLY UPDATE: I meant to add this at posting time but I was trying to get out the door. Anyway: Is the AP ignorant or just full of shit? Anyone who's perused a handful of blogs can tell that Raw Story is as much of a blog as the New York Times or Salon. That's probably why they have a sub-category on the front page called "blogs." If Raw Story's a blog, then so are Debkafile, Buzzflash, Consortium News and Counter Punch. Would the AP plagiarize their original reporting as well?

UPDATE: Larisa has the latest on the AP's antics.