Posted on 11/15/2011 10:52:08 AM PST by Free ThinkerNY
COMMENTARY | The ABC News "20 20" special with Diane Sawyer that chronicled the struggle of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords to regain her faculties after a brain injury as the result of a shooting in January was-for the most part-heart-warming and inspirational.
The documentary, which also contained the first public interview with Giffords since the shooting, was ruined by a gratuitous attack on tea party opponents of health care reform and on Sarah Palin toward the end of the one-hour special. A short segment showed Giffords confronting an angry crowd of constituents at a town hall meeting. Palin was shown briefly, as was the infamous cross hairs map.
The segment was shown without context or detail. As Giffords is deservedly a national heroine because of how far she has recovered, the segment gave the clear impression of tea partiers as an angry mob and Sarah Palin as the cause of the shooting.
ABC News and Sawyer committed journalistic malpractice by dredging up the old accusations without also showing evidence that debunked them. Palin and her map had nothing to do with Giffords' shooting, as was implied in the segment. Jared Loughner, Giffords' assailant, was an insane man who likely never heard of Palin and certainly was unaware of the cross hairs map. Yet ABC chose not to mention this.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Competition among politicians of both Parties results in identifying "target" areas for campaigning (there, another threatening word comes into play) (sarcasm).
Sawyer's world view and mindset undermined what was, otherwise, an interesting and sympathetic story of a human being who is overcoming great odds in battling brain injury. All who have dealt with a family member suffering from such injury, whether by accident, stroke, or other disease can identify with such a remarkable story.
Sawyer's tone deafness in bringing Palin and the liberal interpretation of a mere semantic term and drawying is indicative of the so-called "progressive" mindset, including that of the current President and members of his "progressive" Senate and House members who go out of their way to insult ordinary Americans who subscribe to ideas different than their own.
Not sure why this makes Giffords a hero. Getting injured and recovering is something lots of people who are NOT politicians do without the fulsome praise of the media.
***Gabrielle Giffords Special Ruined by Gratuitous Attack on Sarah Palin***
Slanderous Attack - more accurate!
Sarah Palin is a private citizen now. She should consider suing for slander.
The media has sure lowered the bar on what it takes to be a "Hero" in America nowadays.
Hardly.
Competition among politicians of both Parties results in identifying "target" areas for campaigning (there, another threatening word comes into play) (sarcasm).
Well if Sarah really isn't going to run this year, she might as well do something useful and sue the socks off of everyone who promoted the calumny about tea party / Palin association with the murderer.Actual malice should be easy to prove. Because journalists actually are malicious.
IMHO, stopping a bullet does not, in itself, constitute an heroic act. Heroism must be the result from some purposive behavior. Sorry if someone takes offense.
To bring this woman back to the limelight with respect to her struggle for recovery is understandable. However, this woman WAS a Democrat and still IS. She clearly cannot function as an Elected Representative now - likely never could; she should be replaced immediately.
For anyone to think she can regain her faculties is beyond hope. She will only end up a shill whose husband or another Democratic operative will ‘speak’ for her.
We don’t need another “Brady” in the Congress.
Maybe I might go to Spike if something fun is on.
But, my problem is, I have a very short attention spa
The gun grabbers are sure to be using Giffords as one of their untouchables for gun control.
Agreed. I saw part of the interview this morning. Giffords will never recover sufficiently to return to her previous elected job, and without a miracle, I doubt that she will ever be able to do anything beyond manual work. It is sad, but she is lucky to be alive, and seems relatively happy, although she does seem to be a bit frustrated by what appears to be aphasia.
WHAT??????? Our troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with traumatic brain injuries and lost limbs are national heroes.
What did this liberal woman do? Gave a speech, and got shot by a nut case. I'm sorry she got shot, just one of 66,768 every year in the U.S. I am just as sorry for all those folks as well, not more sorry for her. Why are we making her a martyr? Why is the media pretending that she will totally recover? So she can run for president in the future? I think so. She deserves it, she was shot.
Keep your arrows in your quivers. I'm just stating the unpopular truth. I really don't care what you think, I know I'm right.
Yep. Tv out the door in about 2002. No internet until 07. Computer is light years ahead of the ‘vast wasteland’ Tv. Look up what you want newswise, read different sides and then decide. You only propagate the nonsense watching tv, and also cause our Republican friends to become puppets in the process.
“We don’t need another “Brady” in the Congress.”
The DemoCraps do......
I didn’t watch it.
Diane Sawyer is evil and she’s stupid: “and a thousand countries around the world.”
Even the arrogant little one knows we only have 57 states.
“Why are we making her a martyr?”
Simple, it plays well in libville.
What galls me to no end is ABC and Sawyer bringing Palin into this charade. I wish there were some way to eradicate the planet of all lefties.
Truth is meaningless when power is your only goal. What do you call a Leftist in search of truth? A future conservative patriot. Churchill famously observed that if you are’nt a lib when you are young you don’t have a heart, but if you don’t move into a more conservative point of view as you age you DON’T HAVE A BRAIN.
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