CONTROVERSY HITS ABC NEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR MARK HALPERIN

Drudge ^ | Drudge

[KStorm]

CONTROVERSY HITS ABC NEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR MARK HALPERIN... EXCLUSIVE DEVELOPING... 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'...

[stockpirate]

I would be willing to wager that Halperin is a bit mad about now, being outed by his own staff.

[Another Thought]

Actually you can add NBC after last week's VP debate. For Chris Matthews' coverage, Brian Williams used a clip of a Tim Russert interview with Cheney to "Prove" that Cheney had, in fact, explicitly connected Iraq with 9/11. Natch Matthews went wild... Turns out, however, that if you see the REST of the clip, Cheney was explicitly asked if he was making that connection and he said no. Evidently Williams simply plucked out the part they needed and to Hell with the rest....

[cyncooper]

"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.

I would love to know what Halperin thinks is an example of this.

He is a propagandist. He is a liar.

What a disgusting piece of trash.

[Howlin]

Exactly.

Remember this:

O'Reilly Factor - Left-wing "reporters" met with John Kerry in Al Franken's apartment
03.22.04


Posted on 03/22/2004 10:13:09 PM EST by kcvl


In an effort to galvanize the message Kerry wants to deliver in the time remaining, he convened a powerful roster of journalists and columnists in the New York City apartment of Al Franken last Thursday. The gathering could not properly be called a meeting or a luncheon. It was a trial. The journalists served as prosecuting attorneys, jury and judge. The crowd I joined in Franken’s living room was comprised of:


Al Franken and his wife Franni;
Rick Hertzberg, senior editor for the New Yorker;
David Remnick, editor for the New Yorker;
Jim Kelly, managing editor for Time Magazine;
Howard Fineman, chief political correspondent for Newsweek;
Jeff Greenfield, senior correspondent and analyst for CNN;
Frank Rich, columnist for the New York Times;
Eric Alterman, author and columnist for MSNBC and the Nation;
Art Spiegelman, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist/author of ‘Maus’;
Richard Cohen, columnist for the Washington Post;
Fred Kaplan, columnist for Slate;
Jacob Weisberg, editor of Slate and author;
Jonathan Alter, senior editor and columnist for Newsweek;
Philip Gourevitch, columnist for the New Yorker;
Calvin Trillin, freelance writer and author;
Edward Jay Epstein, investigative reporter and author;
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., who needs no introduction.


We sat in a circle around Kerry and grilled him for two long hours. In an age of retail politicians who avoid substance the way vampires avoid sunlight, in an age when the sitting President flounders like a gaffed fish whenever he must speak to reporters without a script, Kerry’s decision to open himself to the slings and arrows of this group was bold and impressive. He was fresh from two remarkable speeches – one lambasting the PATRIOT Act, another outlining his foreign policy ideals while eviscerating the Bush record – and had his game face on. He needed it, because Eric Alterman lit into him immediately on the all-important issue of his vote for the Iraq War Resolution. The prosecution had begun.

[mk2000]

this must be done!

[RoseofTexas]

Pray folks, pray and pray some more!I'm getting extremely nervous for our children's future....GOD PLEASE COME AND HELP US! Deliver us from our enemies! Father God, your hand is mightier and your judgments are pure! Help us smite our enemies, Father! God help us!

[rwfromkansas]

politicalunit@abcnews.com

ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin
phone: 212-456-4545
fax: 212-456-2795
email mark.halperin@abc.com

[Wolfstar]

I'm not even sure what he means by "hold accountable." MSM propaganda is that they are objective and only report the news. However, "hold accountable" sounds like a policing activity. Perhaps he's referring to checking the factual content of the candidates' statements. But he's telling his people not to hold them equally accountable, which I take to mean that one candidate (probably GWB) will be held to a higher standard of truthfulness than the other.

[orangelobster]

Send him a memo if you disagree. Not sure if this is correct as I got it off a website other than ABC.

mark.halperin@abc.com

[SoDak]

Sounds to me like he's telling the troops to take it easy on Kerry and to go after Bush. Not surprised.

[WildTurkey]

The way Drudge has it worded it is difficult to tell what the context is,

I think when you read this from Drudge, there is no doubt.

----------------------------------------------------

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."

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 a sparks in St. Louis where media players gathered to cover the second presidential debate.

[Darksheare]

Thanks for the ping, pirate.
Yikes.

"Artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable"??
That means to show preferential treatment to Lurch.

[shhrubbery!]

...Halperin claims Bush campaign is stepping up efforts to "destroy Senator Kerry" through distortions.... "It is time for us to step up and do it right..."... expose Bush as a "distorter" (Halperin memo as per Laura Ingraham

[cyncooper]

I am just surprised that a normal thinking management person would instruct his minions to be unabashedly biased. In writing I mean.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

It is so obvious that Kerry is a lying, distorting jerk that the directive had to be stressed that Bush must be painted as the one with that problem.

[GailA]

msm has NEVER been fair to GW or any Republican...except the RINO John McNasty.

[Fintan]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FRI OCT 08, 2004 18:42:03 ET XXXXX

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 a sparks in St. Louis where media players gathered to cover the second presidential debate.



Halperin states the responsibilities of ABCNEWS staff have "become quite grave." MORE

 

Bold italics are mine.

 

[freecopper01]

It wasy telling them to "SINK Bush, at ALL COSTs."

[battleax]

Looks like the FCC will be looking at another license
Never. Is a dem ever held accountable.
Ex Dem and will never again vote for one. Except Zell.

[flashbunny]

this may doom kerry.

[CedarDave]

Kerry is not accountable for his lies and the media -ABC- is not to point his lies out to anyone tuned in. Bush is to be slammed at every turn.

A succinct summary.