Associated Press wire article on reported ghosts at the White House
Art Bell reads on air an Associated Press wire article stating that working at the White House has made some of President Clinton’s aides believers in ghosts. According to the article as read, Press Secretary Mike McCurry said they had heard that Lincoln still lurks in the Lincoln Bedroom and that aides had seen a dead former usher walking the halls. The article also mentions older reported sightings of Abigail Adams and Lincoln. McCurry declined to explain how the White House handles such reports and joked about the Secret Service. Bell closes by noting that the AP is reporting on White House manifestations.
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The story as told
Art Bell introduces the segment by saying he will read a just-filed Associated Press article. As read, the article reports that working at the White House has turned some of President Clinton’s aides, including spokesmen, into firm believers in ghosts. Press Secretary Mike McCurry is reported to have told reporters on Thursday, when asked about a long-standing rumor that the White House is haunted, that they had heard President Lincoln still lurks around the Lincoln Bedroom. McCurry also said some aides had seen a former usher walking the halls, [quote withheld] McCurry is quoted as saying there have been serious people with serious tales about these encounters. McCurry joked that Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton have not met any ghosts because they stay confined to Eleanor Roosevelt and safer territory. The article goes on to say that for years White House visitors have reported seeing famous ghosts, such as First Lady Abigail Adams toting laundry to the East Room and Lincoln gazing sadly out a window, bending over tying his shoes, or knocking on his bedroom door. It also reports sightings of a less famous usher, described as a distinguished-looking black man with gray hair. He is said to have walked past a staffer in the White House residence during the Clinton term, dressed in a black suit and white shirt. As the story goes, the aide did not recognize him and asked, [quote withheld] He replied, [quote withheld] When the aide later asked other ushers who he was, the aide was told he had died a while ago but came and visited every now and then. McCurry declined to discuss how the White House deals with ghostly intrusions. McCurry joked that reporters might ask the Secret Service, and cautioned them not to assume a ghost if they found one scribe too many among their ranks. Bell concludes that the AP is now seriously reporting on manifestations in the White House itself.
Reported events, in order
- -1:-1:-1
Art Bell announces he will read an Associated Press article that [quote withheld]
- 0:08
The article says working at the White House has turned some of President Clinton’s aides, including spokesmen, into believers in ghosts.
- 0:24
Press Secretary Mike McCurry is reported to have said they heard President Lincoln still lurks around the Lincoln Bedroom and that some aides saw a former usher walking the halls.
- 0:52
McCurry is quoted saying serious people have serious tales about these encounters.
- 0:59
McCurry joked that Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton have not met ghosts, which stay confined to Eleanor Roosevelt and “safer territory.”
- 1:17
The article says that for years visitors reported seeing famous ghosts, including Abigail Adams toting laundry to the East Room and Lincoln at a window, tying his shoes, or knocking on his bedroom door.
- 1:36
Sightings are also reported of a less famous usher, a distinguished-looking black man with gray hair.
- 1:50
The usher is said to have walked past a staffer in the White House residence during the Clinton term, in a black suit and white shirt.
- 1:59
As the story goes, the aide asked [quote withheld] and he replied [quote withheld]
- 2:11
The aide later asked other ushers who he was and was told he had died a while ago but visits every now and then.
- 2:21
McCurry declined to discuss how the White House deals with ghostly intrusions and joked about asking the Secret Service to comment.
- 2:36
McCurry cautioned reporters not to assume a ghost if they find one scribe too many among their ranks.
- 2:47
Bell concludes that the Associated Press is seriously reporting on manifestations in the White House.
Claims
Each claim is labeled as something the person telling the story noticed (observation), what they made of it (interpretation), something others told them (hearsay), or something the host said (host statement).
- host statement· -1:-1:-1
The host says he is reading an Associated Press article that has just cleared the wire.
- hearsay· 0:08
According to the article, working at the White House has made some of Clinton’s aides firm believers in ghosts.
- hearsay· 0:38
McCurry is reported to have said they heard President Lincoln still lurks around the Lincoln Bedroom.
- hearsay· 0:42
McCurry is reported to have said some aides have seen a former usher walking the halls.
- hearsay· 0:52
McCurry is quoted saying serious people have serious tales about these encounters.
- hearsay· 1:23
The article states that for years visitors have reported seeing famous ghosts, including Abigail Adams and Lincoln.
- hearsay· 1:50
The article reports an usher said to have walked past a staffer in the White House residence during the Clinton term.
- hearsay· 2:05
The aide is said to have challenged the figure, who answered [quote withheld]
- hearsay· 2:14
The aide was reportedly told the usher had died a while ago but visits now and then.
- host statement· 2:47
The host asserts that the Associated Press is now seriously reporting on manifestations in the White House.
Scores, with reasons
An AI model gave these scores using a fixed set of scoring rules (scoring-v1). They are editorial judgments and rough guides, not the odds that anything paranormal happened. How scoring works.
The content is consistent and includes named officials, rooms, and a quoted exchange. But it is entirely secondhand news copy with no firsthand witness and an easy ordinary reading (a misidentified staff member, retold lore, a light-hearted press briefing). Under the caps, it stays well below the secondhand ceiling.
Evidence for and against
- Named officials and specific locations are given (McCurry, Lincoln Bedroom, East Room).
- A specific reported exchange is quoted: [quote withheld] and [quote withheld]
- The story is consistent and ends without contradicting itself.
- No firsthand witness speaks or is named. Everything comes through a news article read aloud.
- The article itself frames the material as a “long-standing rumor” and [quote withheld]
- The quoted spokesperson’s remarks are partly comic, mentioning the Secret Service and a “scribe too many” pun.
- How much of McCurry’s briefing was serious and how much was humorous cannot be settled from the transcript.
- Individual sightings are attributed only to unnamed aides and “visitors.”
- -1:-1:-1
- 2:14
What the model inferred (not said on air): I scored closeness to the source low (0 to 7) because the story reaches the listener only through a wire article. I judged detail and consistency moderate. I scored alternative explanations and caution in claims low because an ordinary reading fits easily and the article does not acknowledge ordinary possibilities.
No evidence was examined on air, and no witness speaks on air. What exists is a named wire service, named officials, and details that could in principle be checked, stated but never checked. That places it in the low range for checkable details given but not verified.
Evidence for and against
- A source that can be checked is named (Associated Press), along with a day (“Thursday”) and officials.
- Specific building locations are given (Lincoln Bedroom, East Room, White House residence).
- Nothing was examined on air: no photographs, records, or documents.
- No second witness speaks. All sightings are attributed to unnamed aides or “visitors.”
- The claims are paraphrased news copy, not direct testimony.
- Whether the underlying wire article contains more detail than was read aloud is unknown.
- 1:36
- 2:21
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored in the 11 to 25 range because checkable details (organization, names, places) are stated but not verified. No physical evidence or on-air backup exists, and the hard cap for no outside check applies.
The material involves a haunted official residence and dead presidents, but it is delivered as news reporting and press humor, with a harmless encounter ([quote withheld]) and no threat, harm, or escalation.
Evidence for and against
- Ghosts are reported inside the White House, including the Lincoln Bedroom.
- A dead man is reported walking the halls [quote withheld]
- The tone of the briefing as retold is comic, with jokes about the Secret Service and [quote withheld]
- The encounter described is harmless and conversational.
- Whether listeners would find the Abraham Lincoln details eerie rather than curious is subjective.
- 2:05
- 2:27
What the model inferred (not said on air): Judged as mildly eerie news reporting rather than a frightening story. The humor and lack of menace lower the score.
The content rests on very familiar White House ghost lore (Lincoln, Abigail Adams, an usher walking the halls). Its distinctiveness lies in the framing as a wire-service report with a press secretary’s joking quotes, not in the events themselves.
Evidence for and against
- The story is presented as an AP article rather than a personal anecdote, which is an unusual presentation in this archive.
- The reported figure is a uniformed usher rather than a more common ghost type.
- Presidential and White House hauntings, including Lincoln in the Lincoln Bedroom, are stock legend material.
- No unusual event or rare combination of motifs appears beyond the setting.
- Comparison with the rest of the archive cannot be made from this single part of the broadcast alone.
- 1:17
- 1:36
What the model inferred (not said on air): Scored toward the stock-elements end of the model’s scale, with a modest bump for the news-article presentation and the usher detail.
Scoring confidence 0.80 · analysis confidence 0.85 · checked against outside sources: no · evidence available: The host reading an Associated Press wire article on air.; No firsthand witness speaks or is named.; No photographs, documents, or recordings examined.; No outside verification performed.. The originality score blends the model's score (25) with how rare the story's details are across the archive. This method is still provisional.
Ordinary explanations to consider
These are possibilities only. None is a finding about what happened.
- The usher sighting may be a misidentification of a living staff member or a remembered story retold, since the aide reportedly did not recognize the man and he was simply walking the halls in standard usher dress. · The article says the figure was [quote withheld] and that the aide did not recognize him, then later asked other ushers who he was.
- The “deceased usher” element may be press-briefing folklore repeated over time, since the article presents it as a rumor (“a long-standing rumor,” [quote withheld]) rather than a fresh firsthand report. · McCurry is said to have been [quote withheld] and the usher episode is introduced with [quote withheld]
- The reported presidential ghosts (Lincoln, Abigail Adams) may be traditional White House stories that circulate and are retold, rather than reports traceable to a specific recent observer. · The article says [quote withheld]
What stands out
This is not a caller’s personal story but a wire-service news article read aloud, with a press secretary as its main quoted source. The strange events are attributed to unnamed aides and “visitors.” The framing is partly humorous: McCurry jokes about the Secret Service and about [quote withheld] That is unusual for the ghost stories usually aired.
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