1. Jennings Again Delivers Most Anti-Bush Spin of the Night ABC's Peter Jennings once again offered the most anti-administration spin of the night with a trilogy of stories. Jennings editorialized that they "haven't proved the connection" between Iraq and al Qaeda. Martha Raddatz seemed to imply the administration's tough line toward Iraq may cause more terrorism: "Many believe this may backfire, saying, 'Who stirred up this hornets nest?'" Jennings next highlighted "dissatisfaction" on Capitol Hill over plans for a post-war Iraq. Then, from the Hajj in Mecca, reporter Jim Sciutto relayed comments which matched anti-American sloganeering of the far-left about... continue reading
1. Ross Verifies What Jennings Mocked: Scientists Face Death Less than three weeks after ABC anchor Peter Jennings scolded Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz for asserting, without providing proof, that Saddam Hussein has ordered that any scientist who talks to UN inspectors be killed along with his family, ABC News reporter Brian Ross found an escaped scientist who confirmed the diabolical threat. Back on January 23 Jennings asserted "there is no way to know how the administration verifies" what he described as "a very inflammatory charge." 2. 66% Favor Military Action, But Jennings Finds "No Consensus" Though Peter Jennings... continue reading
1. Jennings' Phraseology Suggests U.S. Unreasonable on Iraq Peter Jennings' language on Friday night betrayed how he seems to view the Bush administration as unreasonable and out of step on Iraq. Jennings fretted about how, "just as the Iraqis appear to be making some concessions, the U.S. thinks it has growing support for war." Jennings also remarked that we'll soon learn if Iraq follows the UN resolution "and if that means anything to the Bush administration." And, lamenting how the debate over going to war is proceeding "somewhat more timidly in this country" than overseas so, he promised to seek... continue reading
1. U.S. Convinced by Powell, So Jennings Looks Overseas for Ire Yes, but. Peter Jennings acknowledged Thursday night that a new ABC News poll found that 71 percent think Colin Powell made a convincing case and 61 percent think the Bush team "has presented enough evidence against Saddam Hussein to justify going to war." With Americans pleased, Jennings went overseas to find discontent as he proceeded to highlight how "there's a degree of opposition to war in every country, even where the government has been supportive" and that "many Arabs, even if they dislike Saddam Hussein, wonder about America's long-term... continue reading
1. Jennings Expresses Skepticism Toward Powell's Case Peter Jennings expressed repeated skepticism toward Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation to the UN. After George Stephanopoulos told Jennings that even Democrats were "impressed" with Powell, Jennings countered: "Let me add a note of skepticism. Does this mean they were impressed with substance or performance?" And after John McWethy warned of the threat Iraq's chemical and biological weapons will pose to U.S. troops, Jennings assumed Hussein may not have the weapons: "It's an 'if'...'If' he has all of these provisions?" 2. CBS Notes More European Support, NBC: Biden a Bush "Supporter" On... continue reading
1. Powell Convinces NBC's Panel But Not ABC's Martha Raddatz After Secretary of State Colin Powell's presentation, on NBC former UN chief weapons inspector Richard Butler "absolutely" agreed that Powell made the case as did former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton, and Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein conceded that Powell "laid out a very plausible, a very respectable case for" going to war. But, ABC's Martha Raddatz offered tips to the French: "A lot of this evidence they could try to refute. They could say perhaps these colonels, these Iraqi republican guards were freelancing, and who were these defectors? There's a lot... continue reading
1. Jennings Covers Up Agenda of Left-Wing Saddam Interviewer ABC, CBS and NBC on Tuesday night ran clips from a British TV interview with Saddam Hussein conducted by Tony Benn, a former member of the British Parliament. But while NBC identified Benn as "anti-war" and CBS tagged him as a "lifelong left-wing activist," ABC's Peter Jennings described him as simply "one of Britain's most famous politicians." CBS's Bob Simon relayed how Hussein said he thinks "the Bush administration is after Iraq's oil and wants to use that oil as an instrument to dominate the world." Benn asked Hussein "about how... continue reading
1. Bush's Budget: "Record Deficits" and "Huge Tax Cuts" Tom Brokaw stressed how President Bush's proposed budget "contains record deficits" and "huge tax cuts," though the tax cuts represent less than 1/20th the expected federal spending over the next ten years. 2. ABC's Ross Traces NASA Budget Cutting to Clinton Years While numerous reporters have been raising questions about budget cutbacks at NASA, ABC's Brian Ross actually noted how they were enacted during the Clinton years and continued into Bush's first years. On Monday's Good Morning America Ross cited how the GAO reported "that the cutbacks during the Clinton administration... continue reading
1. Dan Rather Suggests Bush Tax Cut Will Impede NASA's Mission Less than six hours after the Columbia disaster Dan Rather went political and raised how the Bush tax cut may be an impediment to improving NASA and launching new missions. At about 2:30pm EST on Saturday Rather wondered where the money is "going to come from with a nation that's fighting one war, on the brink of another war, going through a series of not tax increases but tax cuts?" 2. Stern Caller Fools Rather Who Concedes: "I'm an Idiot" Another instance of extended live CBS coverage of a... continue reading
1. NBC Finds "Nation Impressed" by Bush Speech, ABC Disagrees Peter Jennings versus reality. NBC Nightly News ended Wednesday night with a piece by Jim Avila on how a Gallup poll taken after President Bush's State of the Union address "shows a nation impressed. Before, only 47 percent believed President Bush made a convincing case for military action. After, 67 [percent] supported an attack." But Jennings refused to concede Bush had any such success. He asserted that beforehand "the country was divided" on "what to do about Iraq" and after it, though 63 percent back taking on Iraq military, "we... continue reading