Jon,
The Associated Press can be excused for conveying one side of the story in only one set of circumstances: extreme deadline pressure.
Since it’s a wire service, AP can get away with an incomplete story — as long as the reporter makes an effort to update the story as he can.
One suspects the reporter had time and opportunity (since you quote from another news agency that actually talked to the Christian Coalition). If he failed to exercise that opportunity, the AP reporter is guilty of shabby journalism.
At least he didn’t take the popular news magazine approach: “With the violent spasm of a sudden departure from its leadership, the Christian Coalition may be coping with what seems to be left of its base, after a maelstrom of indecision and diviseness that has engulfed the religious world.”
