Nah, they won't show it. After all, the CIA confirmed there were WMDs in Iraq. So they're not a good enough "clearinghouse" for ABC news reports.
But at the same time we want 60 Minutes to avoid appearing politically motivated??
Sounds like a double standard we need to be careful of.
ABC is not the only one to have access to this tape. Yesterday, I read in an article that a competitor may be given access to the tape.
Politics?! A threat to this country and citizens is not aired because Politics trumps their agenda!
Oh, this is true reason to blast them with calls and emails.
Didn't Newsweek spike the Lewinsky story for the same reasons?
ABCNEWS 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, 2004
It goes without saying that the stakes are getting very high for the country and the campaigns - and our responsibilities become quite grave
I 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.
90% of what ABC puts into their news is politically motivated. What's interesting is that ABC must think airing this tape would hurt Kerry, or we would have seen it already. Maybe AQ endorses Kerry outright.
But now that I reconsider what you've said, the fact that this tape has been deemed authentic, should remove any charges of politics...
Yeah, I agree with you. A fact is a fact.
My only concern is that broadcasting said tape is delivering a message to sleeper cells.
If ABC does not air the video, there's an attack and info in the video could have allowed American to prepare themselves then ABC will be complicit in any injuries or deaths that result.
They will be sued into non-existence.
From what I've heard, the administration doesn't want the tape played because it could be used as a signal to sleepers... I wouldn't give these guys the publicity...
The only reason that ABC will not air it is because they know that it will show the public the reality of what we are fighting and shore up the need to have a strong president vs. an appeasing America-hater in the White House.
I'm surprised Al Jazeera has not run it. Why dont' they just run it on the internet like previous videos.
It is possible that the gov't. has asked that the tape not be shown. (Yeah, I know, since when has the msm ever heeded gov't requests.) But I'm basically against giving these terrorist jerks any more publicity than is actually necessary. P's me when the arab networks air the stuff.
If it has indeed been authenticated, then ABC does not have to show it, but I'm sure it will be available for Pro-American networks to air.
This is the deceision of the government. If the CIA can authenticate, they must have a copy. If the authentication is spin, no network should show it.
Hello??? none of the MSM makes journalistic decisions...everything they do is for partisan reasons.
There used to be a requirement called the "fairness doctrine" that required a broadcaster to present both sides of a story. That doctrine is gone. The demise of that doctrine is credited for the rise of talk radio, among other things.
There may be nothing stopping ABC from airing, or not airing, a report based on any considerations at all: who they want to be the President, the effect on their advertisers, etc.
The saving grace is that the power of the networks has greatly diminished and continues to decline.
I'm sure that I'm missing something here...buy if the CIA wanted the details to get out, don't they trump ABC? Shouldn't they raise the terror alert? Help me out here...