InlineTurbo Posted October 9, 2004 Report Share Posted October 9, 2004 http://www.drudgereport.com/mh.htmABCNEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR MEMO SPARKS CONTROVERSY: BOTH SIDES NOT 'EQUALLY ACCOUNTABLE' **Exclusive**An internal memo written by ABCNEWS Political Director Mark Halperin admonishes ABC staff: During coverage of Democrat Kerry and Republican Bush not to "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable."The controversial internal memo obtained by DRUDGE, captures Halperin stating how "Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win."But Halperin claims that Bush is hoping to "win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.""The current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done," Halperin writes.Halperin's claim that ABCNEWS will not "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable" set off sparks in St. Louis where media players gathered to cover the second presidential debate.Halperin states the responsibilities of the ABCNEWS staff have "become quite grave." In August, Halperin declared online: "This is now John Kerry's contest to lose." x x x x x Halperin Memo Dated Friday October 8, 2004It goes without saying that the stakes are getting very high for the country and the campaigns - and our responsibilities become quite graveI do not want to set off (sp?) and endless colloquy that none of us have time for today - nor do I want to stifle one. Please respond if you feel you can advance the discussion.The New York Times (Nagourney/Stevenson) and Howard Fineman on the web both make the same point today: the current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done.Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win.We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable when the facts don't warrant that.I'm sure many of you have this week felt the stepped up Bush efforts to complain about our coverage. This is all part of their efforts to get away with as much as possible with the stepped up, renewed efforts to win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.It's up to Kerry to defend himself, of course. But as one of the few news organizations with the skill and strength to help voters evaluate what the candidates are saying to serve the public interest. Now is the time for all of us to step up and do that right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 I missed this thread, but yeah, I think whats-his-name did a fine moderating job and that things seemed pretty even.I enjoyed when bush basically just said "hey you- stfu, I'm going to say what I want." now thats the man I want for el presidente. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JCviggen Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 I enjoyed when bush basically just said "hey you- Oh hush, I'm going to say what I want." now thats the man I want for el presidente.←odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jross Posted October 10, 2004 Report Share Posted October 10, 2004 odd.←We're talking about Americans, don't expect clear/logical thinking. It's not in the cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deltablade Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 You couldn't be more correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jross Posted October 13, 2004 Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 You know the news story I'm really disgusted hasn't caught on more?Fox News apologises for Kerry fabricationGiven the fuss stirred up over CBS's use of questionable documents, I'm really disappointed noone has made a stink over Fox admitting to an outright lie. The media machine in this country is seriously out of line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InlineTurbo Posted October 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2004 (edited) Any story that starts out with "Fox News, the influential rightwing US television network" isn't going to get a lot of credibility by me. Plus the guy admits he was trying to be humorous. Its not like they were trying to skew public opinion about the debate like ABC was.If you think Fox is "Rightwing" then you have blinders on. They let Terry Mcauliffe and others spin like crazy there all the time. It is just they have very popular conservative hosts and give a voice to both sides. Something CBS doesn't really do.Also I thought the moderation was fair until the last question for Bush. Then the trap was laid out. That was a totally inappropriate question and one the media has been trying to nail him with for ages.Anybody catch the joke of a 'fair' PBS show last night? Edited October 13, 2004 by InlineTurbo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt1122 Posted October 14, 2004 Report Share Posted October 14, 2004 :lmao: how did I miss that quote!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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