Today's Liberal Oasis ( www.liberaloasis.com ) states that "World News tonight with Peter Jennings" (ABC NEWS) shows a clip of George Bush completely distorting what John Kerry said about Saddam in his speech Monday, then Jennings played the actual statment from Kerry's speech. It was GREAT!!
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR DESERVES POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT. Please write to Jennings and let him know how much you appreciate the unbias reporting and is winning him a loyal audience!! (below is the L. O. aricle) Here is the web site to leave positive feedback to Jennings:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/onair/WorldNewsNow/wnn_email_form.html
Here's my letter.
Dear Peter Jennings,
Thank you. It was so refreshing last night to watch your show and to see a journalist acting like a journalist rather than a stenographer. I loved when you played what Pres. Bush interpretation of what Kerry said, then you played what Kerry actually said. No spin, no favoritism, just the facts. THANK YOU. I am now a fan and will watch you every night!!!
Here's Liberal Oasis:
For the second time in two weeks, (click here for the first time) ABC World News Tonight actually performed a basic media function: truth-squadding.
PETER JENNINGS: We were struck today by a very pointed attack by President Bush on John Kerry.
First of all, this is what Mr. Bush said.
[begin video clip]
BUSH: We agree that the world is better off with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.
And that stands in stark contrast to the statement that my opponent made yesterday, when he said that the world was better off with Saddam in power.
I strongly disagree.
[end video clip]
JENNINGS: And this is what Mr. Kerry actually said. [emphasis original]
[begin video clip]
KERRY: Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator who deserves his own special place in Hell.
But that was not...in and of itself, a reason to go to war.
The satisfaction...that we take in his downfall does not hide this fact:
We have traded a dictator for a chaos that has left America less secure.
[end video clip]
JENNINGS: Trying to keep track of the Iraq debate.
This is not to say that ABC is by any means a flawless media operation.
But this is a positive development for the presidential race.
That a major news broadcast, with an audience of about 8M to 9M, is sending a clear message: blatant lies will be called out.
The rest of the media should be paying attention.
While they may be gleefully piling on CBS, they should remember that they still have a presidential race to cover.
And while the CBS episode may well further frighten the press corps into being Administration mouthpieces, ABC appears to be trying to go against the current and set a minimal standard of decency.
Namely, no blatant lying.