Posted on 09/16/2009 2:40:45 AM PDT by Kaslin
t's time for a change. Next month, I leave ABC News to start a weekly one-hour prime time show with Fox News.
When I announced that on my blog, plenty of viewers said they were happy to have me leave.
"Goodbye. You suck. You have found a much better home for your garbage reporting and backwards politics."
"Congratulations on the move to the network intellectually suited to your quasi-libertarian corporate-apologist hackery!"
Oh well, you can't please everyone. I don't expect that my libertarian beliefs will please everyone at Fox, either.
Years ago, ABC hired me to do consumer reporting. When I wised up, deciding consumer "advocates" usually did more harm than good, that horrified some of my colleagues.
When I did my first TV special, I pointed out that regulation itself, by stifling innovation, can make life less safe. Two producers angrily objected, saying, "No respectable journalist would say that." The senior producer on the program smugly told me, "You just can't say that on network TV."
ABC's (now NBC's) research director, said: "Why do a show on risk assessment? You should do something on diet or breast implants -- something we know people will watch."
But give ABC credit. After bitter arguments, it ran the show, titled, "Are We Scaring You to Death?" A news division's vice president said, "I don't agree with you, but it's a valid intellectual argument that deserves to be made."
We were all surprised when 17 million Americans watched. We got 3,000 letters, many from scientists who wrote: "Thank God, somebody's finally saying these things. I can't believe I saw that on network television."
So I kept doing those kinds of reports.
My bosses often disagreed with my point of view, but they usually let me air it.
But it was frustrating. My vision and that of my producers were often not in harmony. Too many stories I thought were important -- such as the land theft called eminent domain, or the FDA's endangering people's lives by withholding life-saving drugs -- were not aired.
When I pushed, ABC producers often stared at me as if they were thinking, "Why would you want to do that?"
So after 28 years, it's time to move on.
In my new job, I want to dig into the meaning of the words "liberty" and "limited government." For many years, through Republican and Democratic administrations, we have been losing something vital in America: the commitment to individual liberty and the understanding that as government grows, liberty shrinks.
Fox offers me more airtime and a new challenge. I'm still thinking about what I will do with my own show. Economic analyses of the latest screwball ideas in Washington -- certainly. I also want to undertake exercises in understanding libertarianism, the philosophy of freedom, which used to be called "liberalism."
What do you think? You can help me shape the new program. I ask you for your ideas. Which interesting speakers should I book? What thought experiments should I try with a studio audience? Please let me know.
Maybe I can even learn something from the hostile comments: "You are intelectually (sic) dishonest and a hack. I'm glad I won't stumble upon your sloppy one sided reporting ever again."
"Your right-wing rhetoric was hard to disguise. You were found out when Obama was elected President."
It's interesting to explore the premises here. I have been one of the few reporters on mainstream network TV who did not hide his political beliefs. Viewers know I am for individual liberty and the free market, and against government coercion. I thought that this candor might earn me some credit from those who disagree with me. After all, by putting my views out there, everyone can judge my reports accordingly.
But -- surprise! -- it did not win me much credit with those who disagreed. Instead, many act as if I am the only reporter who has an ideology.
Of course, that's absurd. Every reporter has political beliefs. The difference is that I am upfront about mine.
To be continued.
He’s always stuck out on that station.
John, you will now get people watching you on TV rather than before on ABC. Good luck in the transition as you should find a good home on Fox.
Stossel could form his own online TV channel. That would really be interesting.
Same here
Well, Stoessel was one of the last balanced Reporters left on the Network Snooze so it is little surprise he is leaving that cesspoool.
I think some people will be in for a shock when he gores everyone’s Ox, not simply Democrats...
i've always liked stossel, now i know why!
Every thing I have ever watched of his as been done fair, honestly and openly presented even if I disagreed with his conclusions. I look forward to his programing.
Not too much of a mystery that all the comments came from the "@ABCNEWS.com, and @Whitehouse.gov" email servers
It will be interesting to see how 20/20 ratings will drop after Stossel leaves. I haven’t watched 20/20 in years but liked Stossel.
He lies about CPUs?
I’ve always liked him but I’ll never forget seeing him do an interview on O’Reilly about the financial crisis where he said he didn’t support TARP, saying that we need to be careful about our emotional reactions about what was going on because “crisis is a friend of the state”.
He’s my kind of guy and I’ll be happy watching his spot on Fox. I would have watched him before but I couldn’t stand all the other garbage being force fed to me on ABC.
Awesome news. Stossel is a good reporter. I hope he still has that Eminent Domain story in the back pocket. And others like it.
He could turn into another Glen Beck on Fox, unleashed and all.
Mr Stossell, one of your first reports should be the truth about liberals --- they do not believe in freedom of speech and you can cite examples where they actually suppress it.
Ditto
8:00 PM EST weedays would be a great time slot for John!
I’ve avoided watching him because of ABC. I look forward to his radical right wing bitter stories now on a channel I can actually watch.
Isn’t that BOs slot?
weedays = weekdays
Of course!
I sure hope not. One Beck is enough.
Stossel is a more cerebral creature, and I strongly suspect that he will remain so.
I could never figure out why he worked for ABC.
Good move for him.
He ought to do all of his pocketed stories mixed in with current stuff. Maybe he needs to do a series of stories on the problems he had with getting his stories out.
Second that. Welcome to the real world network of americans for America.
That would be a shame, getting rid of loufa man to the dust bins for someone who actually has a brain.
Good idea!
foxnews is probably the only channel a liberal has on parent block, their kids can watch anything else
I'd be willing to bet that Beck will be romoting Stossel's programs on FNC...a good thing, IMHO.
Great! Fox is building a media army. The standard three are looking more like the Three Stogues every day.
The only advice I would give him is to have guests that are not on all the time or people have not seen before. That is why I like Glenn Beck and shows like Hannity and O’Reilly tend to bore me. Hannity and BOR always has the same people on. Beck brings on people that I have not seen before and are interesting to listen to.
Stossel, Imus, I see a trend here. Now if we can just get rid of Bill O’Reilly. Oh, I forgot, that moron is not wanted anywhere. Bill’s got no place to go.
And, Geraldo “The Fake”. He should have been long gone.
You will be one of a few Gutenburgs of this century.
There's always Glen's old slot at CNN or John's job at ABC.
I can’t wait for his show either. I saw advertisement that Imus is going to be on Fox Business channel.
i don’t think he will have guests, he will do hour long exposes instead. I know for weeks he wanted to do one on govt healthcare and ABC moved it back 3 separate times. I also believe we will see more specific govt corruption on right and left.
Two segments he did for 20/20 (years ago)stand out to me. One was about stuttering and how to overcome it. John’s a stutterer and has worked on it until it’s virtually gone for him. I remember it because my little nephew was stuttering. With good therapy he has since overcome his, also.
Another story was about when and how to approach an elderly person in your family about not driving anymore. He actually went for a drive with his dad and discussed it. It was a wonderful story.
He always has an interesting take on everyday things.
Whatever is going on, it certainly is some sort of shakeup as this news follows the news of the departure of Charlie Gibson. ABC is so bad that any movement at all in any direction opens a glimmer of hope.
By following the money, one can understand what happened at NBC. It is a subsidiary of General Electric and has made its deal with the devil. What is the financial structure of ABC?
Amen!
“What is the financial structure of ABC?”
Wholly owned subsidiary of Disney Company.
I just could not bring myself to record anything related to news on the Alphabet channels on a regular basis. Glad to see I can get my Stossel fix now without the useless biased garbage one had to endure when John was on the non-Fox networks.
The way I understand John Stossel will be both on Fox Business and Fox news channel
Nothing wrong with right-wing bitterness. It may be the only thing that can save us:
http://www.amazon.com/Are-Doomed-Reclaiming-Conservative-Pessimism/dp/0307409589/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253099742&sr=8-1
It will be interesting to see peoples reaction here on FR, when he comes out against Republicans or Conservatives (He is a Libertarian afterall).
Well, at least they have reporting...the other networks apparently know absolutely nothing about Acorn, and think that corruption is funny.
To be truely "fair and balanced", FOX should send Geraldo over to ABC...
I bet he comes out regularly against Republicans but rarely against Conservatives.
Real Conservatives and Real Libertarians are very close in philosophy.
The 9:00 PM CST Saturday evening time slot would be perfect for me. He’s not doing a daily show, but a weekly
He can take "Shep" with him as well...
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