Confused Criticism of Rumsfeld; Couric Obsessed with Military "Sexism"; NPR Retraction; MRC in NY Times; "We Don't Want to Know" 1) ABC's Dan Harris asserted "there is a lot of confusion" at the Pentagon over the location and aid provided to anti-Taliban leader Hamid Karzai, but Harris was more confusing than Donald Rumsfeld. Harris declared: "We spoke to Karzai by satellite phone tonight from his family home in Pakistan." Harris soon played a soundbite of Rumsfeld saying Karzai had been "extracted from Afghanistan." Harris let Karzai counter: "No, I am in Afghanistan." 2) On the one year anniversary of the... continue reading
Taliban Want Another Media Tour; Non-Fed Assumed Incompetent; Reuters' "Holy War"; Russert Cautioned Colleagues; Westin Coverage 1) ABC's Linda Douglass assumed federal bag screeners would be more competent than better-paid private screeners. After noting a proposed compromise which would have private companies perform screening at smaller airports, Douglass warned: "Many I've talked to here on Capitol Hill say then a terrorist could slip through that smaller airport, re-board at the big airport." 2) ABC's Dan Harris admitted that the Taliban-directed tour "posed some serious journalistic challenges," but they didn't impede him as he repeated the same stories he had told... continue reading
CNN Defended Taliban Propaganda; CNN Context Policy Condemned; Koppel Mocked Flag Lapel Pins; Ailes Explained Rivera Hiring 1) CNN's Nic Robertson, who went on the Taliban's tour of U.S.-caused atrocities inside Afghanistan, admitted that the Taliban "set the agenda." When pressed about how he had relayed the Taliban claim of 92 killed in one village, Robertson conceded it's "impossible to verify a figure of 92," but then he proceeded to try to substantiate the allegation as plausible, asserting that "the numbers could be believable." 2) Former CNN reporter Peter Arnett dismissed as "ill-advised" the new CNN guidelines for anchors to... continue reading
ABC & CNN Took the Taliban Tour; Both Relayed Anecdotes About Civilians Killed; Brokaw Affirmed Necessity of Military Response 1) ABC and CNN aired pieces from their reporters whom the Taliban brought to a destroyed village. "If this was a Taliban or Al-Qaeda base, there were no signs amid the rubble," ABC's Dan Harris insisted. CNN's Nic Robertson agreed: "The Taliban say this was a civilian village, and certainly, when we looked around it, there was a lot of evidence that civilians had lived there. There were boxes of soap powder, children's shoes, women's clothing..." 2) Matching ABC, CNN on... continue reading
"U.S. Is Targeting Civilians"; Kite Flying in Kandahar; CNN's Reminder; Why Westin Missed; Bush Not Booed as Jennings Predicted 1) "We saw a young boy flying a kite," ABC's Dan Harris marveled from Taliban-controlled Kandahar. He conceded they brought him in to make "their case that indiscriminate U.S. bombing has killed hundreds of civilians." While he noted that "many reporters were skeptical" of the Taliban claims, he showed the video they wanted of damage and asserted: "The chief doctor says the U.S. is targeting civilians." 2) After a report from inside Afghanistan, CNN's Judy Woodruff reminded viewers "that the United... continue reading
ABC's PR "Boon" for the Taliban; Geraldo Scolded the Media; NBC's Today: Gore Really Won Election; Tell Taliban Where We Will Bomb 1) ABC's Dan Harris conceded on Tuesday's World News Tonight that the Taliban invited him into their territory because of the "rising civilian casualties" which they see as "an enormous public relations boon to them." 2) Geraldo Rivera, yes Geraldo, scolded the media for "losing its nerve." He mocked his colleagues: "You've all seen the melancholy reports over the last few days. 'Our bombing's not working, we're slaughtering innocent civilians, our allies, the so-called Northern Alliance are all... continue reading
Reacting to CyberAlert Item, ABC News President David Westin Has Apologized and Said "I Was Wrong" for Having "No Opinion" on Whether the Pentagon Was a "Legitimate" Military Target Today's New York Post featured an editorial about ABC News President David Westin's comments quoted in the October 29 CyberAlert. That led Matt Drudge to pick up on the CyberAlert item and feature it on his home page under the banner headline: "ABC NEWS HEAD DECLARES: JOURNALISTS SHOULD HAVE 'NO OPINION' IF TERROR ATTACKS WERE 'RIGHT OR WRONG.'" That, in turn, prompted Rush Limbaugh today to devote most of his first... continue reading
War Not Going Fast Enough; ABC Focused on Bombing Victims, Not 16 Killed in Pakistani Church; Dan Rather Blamed U.S. for Funeral 1) The war isn't going fast enough for ABC News as John McWethy complained: "Two weeks after the Pentagon said Taliban forces had been 'eviscerated' by U.S. bombing, the Taliban still appear to be firmly in control." NBC's Jim Miklaszewski offered the same theme but he, like CBS's David Martin and unlike McWethy, ran a clip from Donald Rumsfeld blaming al-Qaeda for the civilian deaths. 2) ABC's Peter Jennings showcased some jumpy video from Al-Jazeera of a few... continue reading
Pentagon a Legitimate Target?; "More Inclined" to Believe U.S. Than Iraq; Diversity Before Accuracy; Wash Post Labeling Disparity 1) Cokie Roberts blamed the Pentagon's denial of access to Afghanistan for allowing images of kids hurt by U.S. bombs to replace memories of the World Trade Center. She asked Donald Rumsfeld: "Why not allow more press access so that the United States press can show pictures that fight the Arab press?" But ABC's record of focusing on U.S.-caused atrocities where they have access hardly supports her contention. 2) ABC News President David Westin refused to say the Pentagon was not a... continue reading
ABC as Gullible as Pakistanis; CNN: No Proof from Taliban or Pentagon; Wallace American First?; Ex-Beatle Scolded Bush-Basher 1) ABC's Jim Wooten looked at how the U.S. is losing the public relations battle in Pakistan because the local press compliantly relays the Taliban's uncorroborated claims about U.S. atrocities. But that's just what ABC News itself has been doing for the past few weeks. Wooten dismissed a Taliban claim of 200 killed in a village, an allegation ABC had relayed, complete with video of a bloody pillow, body parts and dead goats. 2) CNN unable to judge whether Pentagon or Taliban... continue reading