Crafting An Associated Press Story

We get an interesting look at how a story is written (and rewritten) for the Associated Press, courtesy of Rightwingnews.com, and Mary Katharine who compiled the info.

A little background: Cindy Sheehan was arrested yesterday while protesting outside the White House.

An AP story was filed at 1:57 pm by correspondent Jennifer Kerr. The lead was:

Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who has used her son's death in Iraq to spur the anti-war movement, was arrested Monday while protesting outside the White House.

At 3:00 pm, an update to the story was posted, with a slightly altered lead:

Cindy Sheehan, the California woman driven by her son's death in Iraq to re-ignite the anti-war movement, was arrested Monday while protesting outside the White House.

Thirty-eight minutes later, another update appears, with another tweaked lead:

Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who became a leader of the anti-war movement following her son's death in Iraq, was arrested Monday along with dozens of others protesting outside the White House.

The thinking inside AP headquarters, blogger Mary Katharine says, must have been something like this:

"You know, because the whole process was, like, so organic. Cindy didn't really "use" or "drive" anything so much as she "became" the conscience of a country veering horribly off course. It was her simple request to meet with the President, her private grief, and her authenticity that won us over. Not that we're on her side, mind you."

Seems like a lot of thought went into making Ms. Sheehan sound more and more favorable as the story was being reposted. Why do you suppose the AP would try to portray Sheehan in a more positive light? Can you say... agenda?