"Wacko Right-Winger is Redundant"; Media Driving Broaddrick Story? 1) Interviewing Juanita Broaddrick's son on Monday night CNN's Larry King made sure it was not "the wacko element, the far-right" which pressured her to come forward. In USA Today he charged: "The term wacko right-winger is redundant." 2) CBS jolted Joe DiMaggio, not mentioning his passing until the end of the CBS Evening News. All the others led with it and all aired full reports on the firing of the scientist suspected of passing top secret missile information to China. 3) Mario Cuomo would have made a "terrific" Supreme Court Justice,... continue reading
Two "Juanitas"; Morton: Monica a Victim of VRWC; Starr & Tripp Pummeled 1) Since 70 million watched ABC's Lewinsky interview, Brit Hume argued: "That...ought to silence the people who say nobody cared." 2) Linda Tripp informed Sam Donaldson that the "Juanita" she and Monica discussed was not Juanita Broaddrick. 3) Even liberal Juan Williams labeled as "ridiculous" Lewinsky's attacks on Ken Starr, but CNN's Wolf Blitzer found them credible. 4) Andrew Morton insisted that Lewinsky was a pawn of the VRWC: "I think that the whole conspiracy to entrap the President needs greater investigation, as to how Linda Tripp, Lucianne... continue reading
Monica: Victim of Right-Wing Conspiracy; Morton: Tripp "Evil," Starr "Big Brother." 1) Monica agreed with Hillary, as she told Britain's Channel 4 News: "I do think there's a right-wing conspiracy." 2) Lewinsky told book author Andrew Morton that Clinton admitted his life is "filled with lies and subterfuge." Only FNC noticed this as the other networks instead highlighted Lewinsky's attacks on Starr. 3) On Today author Andrew Morton embraced Lewinsky's disgust for Starr and Tripp, warning "He's big brother. He's watching you as well." He called Tripp "evil." 4) U.S. News chief Harold Evans complained Starr is trying to "hide"... continue reading
Lewinsky "Afraid" of Starr; Alter Denounced GOP Over Broaddrick 1) Barbara Walters promised to avoid specific sex questions, but she asked about oral sex "completion" and reported Lewinsky had an abortion. Walters recounted how Starr's agents mistreated Lewinsky and let Lewinsky express her fear about reprisals from Starr. 2) Worldwide liberal bias: The Lewinsky scandal isn't about sex, the British journalist who interviewed Lewinsky claimed, it's "about abuse of America's legal system" by Ken Starr. 3) Hillary Clinton's trip to New York generated fawning stories on the broadcast networks Wednesday night. 4) Tom Brokaw remarked that George W. Bush's "compassionate... continue reading
NBC Suppressing Broaddrick While Plugging Lewinsky on ABC 1) NBC Nightly News has yet to air a story on its own network's Broaddrick exclusive, but on Tuesday it ran two pieces plugging ABC's exclusive with Lewinsky. And NBC managed to trash Ken Starr. 2) Are NBC News execs trying to suppress the Broaddrick story? Nothing on Nightly News; replay of the interview passed over; NBC's shows and cable nets not allowed to play interview clips. 3) Still nothing on ABC or CBS. CNN caught up with the controversy over reaction from feminists as Today's Matt Lauer quizzed NOW's Patricia Ireland... continue reading
Broaddrick Fades; NOW's Warning Skipped; CBS Crusaded for More Medicare 1) White House wants Broaddrick story to "fade away." Actually, it never even became a story this week on any broadcast network evening show, not even on NBC, nor on ABC or CBS in the morning. 2) NOW President Patricia Ireland labeled Broaddrick's charges "devastating" and warned Clinton to not impugn her, but only MSNBC and FNC found it newsworthy. 3) Thursday morning only Today discussed Broaddrick. 4) Howard Kurtz maintained he knows "people at NBC who felt this interview was ready for airing at least a couple of weeks... continue reading
No Unwarranted Broaddrick Delay?; Hockenberry: Illegitimate Story 1) NBC's Lisa Myers denied any unwarranted delay with her Broaddrick interview, insisting Wednesday that "this story finally was ready yesterday when Andy Lack made the call." But then why were staffers still working on it Tuesday night? 2) MSNBC's John Hockenberry: "If this has no legal standing now, if it's past the statute of limitations, why are we bothering with it at all?" 3) Helen Thomas obliquely raised the Broaddrick matter to Clinton at a joint press conference, but only FNC bothered to mention Clinton's refusal to respond. 4) NBC's euphemisms for... continue reading
Myers Freed; Media Dismiss Broaddrick and Hope She Goes Away 1) The Broaddrick interview by Lisa Myers is set to air Wednesday night on Dateline. NBC News President Andrew Lack denied the network sat on the interview, insisting they spent the last five weeks completing "more cross-checking and more digging." 2) NY Times admitted it and LA Times knew of her charge in 1992, but "regarding it as the kind of toxic waste traditionally dumped just before Election Day, both newspapers passed on the story." 3) A media reporter surprised at lack of media interest in Broaddrick. Newsweek's Jonathan Alter:... continue reading
ABC & NBC Resist Broaddrick Story; Starr Hammered More in Prime Time 1) ABC's Cokie Roberts: Hillary Clinton "can do good without running for public office." 2) The Juanita Broaddrick stories in two newspapers generated a few seconds on GMA and Today, full stories on CBS and CNN, but zilch on ABC and NBC in the evening and nothing on ABC, CBS or NBC Sunday morning. NBC's Lisa Myers "frustrated" by not getting on air. 3) "Presidents are people too" Clinton got to say in reply to one of three softball questions from U.S. reporters at his news conference, a... continue reading
Clinton Takes NH but Local Paper Fired Back; Morals Worse in France 1) "President Clinton's post impeachment revival and redemption tour took him on the road to New Hampshire," Dan Rather announced as both ABC and CBS noted a "conservative" paper was not friendly. 2) "He is a disgrace. The sooner he leaves New Hampshire, the better," said the Union Leader in an editorial Geraldo Rivera castigated as "rude." 3) NBC revealed that the French are protecting a murderer because, a local explained, "he's only accused of killing one person." 4) The latest Media Reality Check fax report: "Dateline's Double... continue reading