David Espo has an interesting article on the AP wires at this hour on the new CBO report on Social Security. The central point of the report is that the program's trust fund, originally believed to run out in 2042, will now survive at least until 2052, a vast improvement.

When I checked Yahoo! News, to my chagrin the headline to the article read as follows: "Social Security to Be Depleted by 2052." Not only was this disingenuous (the trust fund will run out that year, not the program itself), it belies the point of the article. Social Security is getting safer, not less secure.

I promptly called the national desk of the Associated Press to demand a correction (as I had successfully done in the past). I explained to three people in the New York bureau exactly how this headline not only conflicted with Espo's article but was more importantly untrue. To my surprise, they agreed.

After making a follow up call to the Washington bureau, I was pleased to find that the headline on the electronic wire was changed within minutes. What's more, the new headline is not swayed by the Bush administration's indoctrination. On both Yahoo! News and AP.org, the new headline reads "New Soc. Sec. Estimates More Optimistic."

It's not often that a small blogger can effect change in a news organization the size of the Associated Press. Tonight is proof that anyone with the will to fact-check the mainstream media can ensure that the American people are not bombarded with the President's spin.