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'...

[snooker]

It's getting tough when the candidate gets up on national TV and lies and the media just nods in agreement. As Limbaugh says MSM == Kerry campaign press release transcription service. It would be nice if the MSM for once said Kerry got it wrong, maybe even told a whopper. But no, not a peep from the MSM.

What you gonna do?

I tell you what you need to do. Cancel every print subscription you get. Buy none of the MSM's products. Get broadband and a shiny new computer instead. Starve the MSM monster.

[tazannie]

without an "investigation"? your dreaming.

[Betaille]

EVERYBODY EMAIL ABC POLITICAL UNIT AND MARK HALPERIN RIGHT AWAY!!!
I JUST DID! LET THEM KNOW THAT WE'RE WATCHING THEM AND KNOW THEIR GAME NOW. WE WILL BE KEEPING TRACK OF AND REPORTING ON THEIR BIASED COVERAGE.

[nascarnation]

RatherGate has come and gone.
Anybody talking about it in the MSM anymore?
Kerry is a debate champion par excellance waiting to be crowned our new Prime Minister.
Why should ABC feel any need to be impartial?

[mabelkitty]

HIT DISNEY!!!

[Betaille]

CALL THE NUMBERS ON PETRONSKI'S LIST. LET THEM KNOW WE'RE WATCHING THEM BEFORE HAND. PUBLICIZE THIS ANYWAY YOU CAN. POST IT ON AOL AWAY MESSAGES, EMAIL YOUR FREINDS, CALL PEOPLE!

[Howlin]

You never know when you may need a good bookmark, eh?

[rwfromkansas]

Alert! Let's flood his pager!!!!!!

1-800-759-7243

Pin: 5461393

(Not a secret...it plays on his voice mail message).

Let's flood his pager!!!!!

[hershey]

Kerry's distortions (lies) are not central to his efforts to win. No, he lies and makes mistakes because that's his nature. He's done it for years so gets a pass. This is insane.

[Eva]

I read on NRO that the Bush campaign plans to change the direction of the Kerry criticism from flip flopper to his Senate record and I suppose that Halperin is worried that the ABC staff might actually question Kerry on his record and try to hold him accountable.

[An American!]

Show us the actual Memo...Drudge...Scan it and post it!

[nonkultur]

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.

[Howlin]

Why would it doom Kerry?

[mammer]

This is absolutely unbelievable. Now It doesn't really surprise me. but I did assume that these people did this on the wink NOT through meetings and memo's. This is no different that what goes on in a communist country. I pray these people get put out to dry, and put out for the rest of their carrier.

[jmstein7]

BUMP!

[Fledermaus]

BINGO! You KNOW it can't be he was talking about getting tougher on Kerry!

[rwfromkansas]

When I called his number, I asked him if it was being taken out of context etc. in my voicemail since I am a journalist myself and want to be fair to him. But frankly, I don't see how it could have been taken out of context or I would not have posted his pager number on here.

[CedarDave]

One word: Amazing!

Who would believe they would go this far!!!

[Soul Seeker]

You are mising the importance of this memo being revealed before the debate.

It PROVES bias right before an ABC moderator is about to take the stage. It may not spur them to be impartial, but it can damn well color the public's perception of how our President is treated.

Everyone had better be calling and E-Mailing every MSM address and number in the book. Make sure our Republicans know about this before the debate so they can cahllenge them afterward!

[The G Man]

Spoke with Alex Wallau's secretary. Told her what was going on. She had no clue. Said I'm the first caller. CALL NOW! Told her this is bigger than Rathergate, Halperin better be fired or I am NEVER watching ABC again.

CALL NOW!!