Up the Creek: Out to Embarrass Bush, NBC Today Gets Caught in Stunt of Its Own

NewsBusters.Org ^ | 10/14/2005 | Mark Finkelstein

[Prime Choice]

In a deliciously ironic twist of fate, shortly before airing a segment aimed at embarrassing the Bush administration by suggesting that it had staged a video conversation between the president and soldiers in Iraq, the Today show was caught staging . . . a video stunt.

In the Bush/Iraq segment, Today screened footage indicating that prior to engaging in a video conversation with President Bush, soldiers on the ground in Iraq were given tips by a Department of Defense official.

But the only advice that the official was shown as giving was a suggestion to one solider to "take a little breath" before speaking to the president so he would actually be speaking to him. It was also stated that some of the soldiers practiced their comments so as to appear as articulate as possible. But there was no indication, or even allegation, that the soldiers were coached as to the substance of their comments or in any way instructed what to say.

Today's timing couldn't have been worse. A preceding segment focused on the incessant rains and ensuing flooding in the northeast. For days now, beautiful, blonde - and one senses highly ambitious - young reporter Michelle Kosinski has been on the scene for Today in New Jersey, working the story. In an apparent effort to draw attention to herself, in yesterday's segment she turned up in hip waders, standing thigh-deep in the flood waters.

[silent_jonny]

After the two guys walk by, she keeps rowing like she's NOT in 3 inches of water--LOL!

[Boazo]

Jay, I was just trying to find this! Thank's

[Paleo Conservative]

I wonder how many times John Kerry thew his medals over the White House? I wonder what the out takes of that looked like?

[thepizzalady]

"...Kosinski's canoe was in no more than four to six inches of water!..."

Saw that on the tail end of Brit Hume. She was saying something about it being difficult to maneuver the canoe just before the men walked by seemingly on top of It.
I've had deeper water in my basement. And they wonder why no one believes a word they say.

[DCPatriot]

At this hour of the day do you actually think FreeRepublic didn't know about this?

[Intolerant in NJ]

Yes, shown on Fox at the end of Brit Hume's Special Report (repeated tonight from midnight 'til 1:00AM EDT) - hilarious - even perky Katy Couric and Matt Lauer were reduced to making jokes about those "holy men who just walked by on the water"......

[Intolerant in NJ]

Yes, shown on Fox at the end of Brit Hume's Special Report (repeated tonight from midnight 'til 1:00AM EDT) - hilarious - even perky Katy Couric and Matt Lauer were reduced to making jokes about those "holy men who just walked by on the water"......

[ops33]

You are correct. I was stationed in Berlin before the Wall came down and it seemed every politician and VIP would make the obligatory trip up to Berlin. They would all get the standard dog and pony show with the higher ups telling all the younger airmen not to ask inappropriate questions.

[antiRepublicrat]

You heard wrong.

What you wrote "for the record" is about word for word what I heard. "Prepared in advance" = scripted.

[antiRepublicrat]

I seriously doubt that it was the Admin that did this

It was a Pentagon PAO person apparently. I'd say that's high enough to count as administration. I think they learned their lesson with the embarrassing Rumsfeld questions.

[Sundog]

ping