'SLANTED' ABC TAKES THE HEAT (ABC News tells its reporters to go after Bush)

NY Post ^ | 10/9/04 | Deborah Orin

[Cableguy]

ABC News was under fire last night after an internal memo surfaced suggesting President Bush should be held more accountable for his statements than John Kerry.

The memo to staffers from the network's powerful political director, Marc Halperin, noted that while both campaigns are distorting the truth, Kerry's bending of the facts shouldn't be hit as hard.

"Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win," Halperin wrote.

But "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 added.

Halperin further advised the ABC staff to keep that in mind when reporting.

"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," the memo continued.

"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."

A spokesman for ABC news insisted "we are not interested in taking sides, we are only interested in getting at the truth."

Halperin plays a mostly behind-the-scenes role at ABC, and is known as the father of "The Note," a daily political memo that is read by thousands of D.C. insiders, political players and journalists.

[auggy]

I'm glad you woke up, too.

Now, if only several more million of the people would do the same.

[pharmamom]

Not sure if I did it correctly, but my Google news search for “Halperin ABC” turned up many hits, but only 4 about his pro-Kerry memo, 3 in U.S. newspapers and 1 in a New Zealand publication

Exactly. The fox is guarding the chicken coop...why would they blow the whistles on themselves? Until a large enough group of us start writing advertisers and threatening not to buy products, and enough letters pour into the Times and the Post...or picketers outside of ABC headquarters and NY Times headquarters...We have to do something to get the attention of Joe Average.

[xJones]

Then he says that while Kerry should defend himself, it's up to ABC to, in essence, explain to you stupid cows what he really said. BECAUSE IT'S IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST! Good heavens - to ABC the American people must be monumentally stupid!

Yes, but who's really looking stupid here? The MSM still acts as though this is Watergate, 1973-5, and they control your television set, etc. They're stuck in a time warp funnier than "The Rocky Horror Show", and they're so stupid they don't even know it.

[delacoert]

I enjoyed reading you account of your change of heart due to the Robert Bork hearings.

The reprehesible tactics of the Senate Democrats during those hearings reside in my memory as far more shocking than those during the Clarence Thomas hearings. I thought Anita Hill's arrival on the witness stand was due mostly to her petty, vidictive, lunacy. Without her ridiculous charges, Thomas would have moved much more quickly to confirmation.

[pharmamom]

Yes, but who's really looking stupid here? The MSM still acts as though this is Watergate, 1973-5, and they control your television set, etc. They're stuck in a time warp funnier than "The Rocky Horror Show", and they're so stupid they don't even know it.

No, we're looking stupid here, because we talk about it amongst ourselves, but never take any action to make it known to the wider public. We are preaching to the choir here. Meanwhile...they get away with it.

[xJones]

We are preaching to the choir here. Meanwhile...they get away with it.

Point taken, you're right. When you try to tell your relatives about Dan Rather's faked memos, etc., they don't know what you're talking about.

[tapatio]

Well, I did my part and sent them a nasty email last night. I hope all Freepers are

I sent off two emails to them last night.One to Marc Halperin and one to the President of ABC news.

[ABC watcher no more]

Halperin is a bastard. Just because he supports a jerk like Kerry. that's his fault, Kerry and Edwards are worse Than President Bush & Vice-President Chaney. Sure every politican is going to stretch & distort things. for that bastard to do what he did, no wonder Kerry's Senate record & his measly 4 months in Vietnam where never reported on. He talks about accountability Kerry has alot of accounting to do.

[cynicom]

The American sheep are no different than any sheep, they NEED to follow. The media is well aware of the number of sheep that they can herd.

[pharmamom]

I sent off two emails to them last night.One to Marc Halperin and one to the President of ABC news.

You think either one care what a bunch of freepers think? They know they have the majority of Americans snookered...there must be someone guarding the fox guarding the henhouse...Unless we can get this burning so high that the MSM can't ignore it, we are wasting our energy.

[pharmamom]

Boy, I mixed a lot of metaphors there. I sounded like Hitlery on TV last night.

[tapatio]

You think either one care what a bunch of freepers think?

They probably don't care what a bunch of freepers think,but its a start.

[tapatio]

LOL!

[Txsleuth]

Don't know if this has been mentioned but I watched Newswatch on Fox News tonight and except for Rich Lowry (who was subbing for Cal Thomas) the panel seemed to think the memo was "no big deal" that there was "no smoking gun". I sent an e-mail to them and explained that they are in the "Media club" so therefore they would absolutely not be able to understand how big of a deal the bias exhibited in that memo and Rathergate is to us "regular people". I also told them to check with Fox management because I have a feeling even Fox has been deluged with e-mail complaints after last night's debate. This activism for Kerry by the MSM is unacceptable because there are enough ignorant people with voting rights that will vote for Kerry on the media's say so. Be afraid, be very afraid.

[We Happy Few]

Isn't ABC now owned by Disney?

[engrpat]

I sent off a email to my local ABC station about this memo. Don't except a reply but at least they know someone knows about this.

[pharmamom]

Be afraid, be very afraid.

I am terrified. Media bias could be worth as much as 10-15% in the polls...I know from my work that if you tell someone something often enough, they beging to believe you--no matter how unreasonable what you say happens to be.

[Humidston]

TO ANY DUmmie LURKERS:

This is PROOF that the media sides with liberals. Now take off your paranoid hats and deal with the truth.

The truth is - The media is LIBERAL. THEY WRITE LIBERAL. THEY LEAN LIBERAL. THEY ARE LIBERALS!

[maine-iac7]

Maybe other honest Democrats will wake up today.
............

Zell said "What happened to my party?"

The good and decent, old time democrats are wondering - I can tell you. I did an investigative piece years ago for a statewide newspaper. I wont go into it here...
but, for the past 30+ years, the socialists have conducted a deliberate and successful infiltration and takeover of the once decent Democratic party.
Kerry is a hollow puppet - the puppeteer is Kennedy.
John and Robert Kennedy wouldn't play ball and they were taken out. Teddy boy rolled over to stay alive.
The people that 'operate" Kennedy are intent on a one world government with the U.S. (that's US,folks,) will be controlled by all the little po-dunk, totalitarian countries of the world under the UN...who has already instituted a world court where our sons and daughters, husbands and wives, etc, in the military could be hauled up for trial. (Bush refused to sign on. Kerry will.
The UN wants world gun control (much easier to rule folk who don't have guns) and world taxes...Kerry has believed all his life that we should be under the wing of the UN - who will give us our grade on the Global Test. Well, he clarified his meaning the other day , He said, about the Global Test, " I didn't mean just Global, but elsewhere.)
Here come the Martians and leaders form other galaxies. Maybe these are those foreign leaders he says supports him?

[LachlanMinnesota]

ABC...Already Been Caught