This I didn’t need.

I just came back from a lengthy recharging vacation (camping), during which time I voluntarily restricted myself from Internet access, cell phones and television.

So I come back to see this:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2273111

The gist here is that ABC News has reported that, allegedly, a YouTube cartoon spoofing Al Gore entitled “Al Gore’s Penguin Army” is in fact a professional production of a Republican-backed PR firm and NOT a 29 year-old amateur filmmaker as was initially claimed. You can see this film HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZSqXUSwHRI&mode=related&search=

This is, if true, obviously a political dirty trick taking advantage of YouTube and the anonimity of the Internet in order to further an agenda. HOWEVER, when ABC News reported the story on their website (see above) they mis-identified the name of the film as “An Inconvenient Spoof,” a DIFFERENT YouTube parody made by ME:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIPcqlMTQHs

Due to ABC News’ error, my YouTube account (specifically the comments section of this particular spoof clip) has been assailed by comments from angry people who believe that I, as opposed to the creator of “Penguin Army,” have falsified my identity and my motives in creating this clip.

I wish to set the record straight: My name is Bob Chipman. I am a 25 year-old independent filmmaker from Massachusetts. I am not affiliated with the Republican party OR the Democrat party, or any political party’s public relations wing. I made “An Inconvenient Spoof” on my own, for fun, because and ONLY because I found the trailer for “An Inconvenient Truth” to be silly. I was not working for anyone, no one asked me to make it or gave me the idea. The peice is intended as a work of parody and is not meant to be taken as a political statement. I am a political independent who supports many of the same evironmentalist ideas as Mr. Gore, but thought his movie and it’s trailer laid it on a bit thick. That is all.

I have contacted ABC News to alert them of their error and it’s negative effects on me and my reputation, and have posted a reply on YouTube clarifying the situation. I am sorry for any confusion that may have been caused, but it was not of my doing: I am NOT a political hack pretending to be an online gagster, I am an online gagster 🙂

Thank you.

UPDATE:
Shortly after posting this and going through several other steps, I was contacted by ABC News and informed that they have changed the story on their website to list the correct title of the parody. I offer my public thanks to ABC for taking care of this in a timely and clean manner.