Posted on 10/14/2005 4:50:52 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
by Mark Finkelstein
October 14, 2005 - 07:10.
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 in 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.
Taking her act one step further, this morning she appeared on a suburban street . . . paddling a canoe. There was one small problem. Just as the segment came on the air, two men waded in front of Kosinki . . . and the water barely covered their shoe tops! That's right, Kosinski's canoe was in no more than 4-6 inches of water!
An embarrassed Kosinski claimed the water was deeper down the street but that her producers didn't want to let her go there for fear she'd drift away. But Katie and Matt, perhaps peeved by her attempted scene-stealing, couldn't resist ribbing her.
Matt: "Are these holy men, perhaps walking on top of the water?"
"Gee, is your oar hitting ground, Michelle?" inquired Katie, as she and Matt dissolved into laughter.
Moral of the story: people in canoes in four inches of water shouldn't throw video-stunt stones.
Finkelstein has degrees from Cornell University and Harvard Law School.He lives in Ithaca, NY where he hosts "Right Angle," a local political talk show. Finkelstein specializes in exposing liberal bias at NBC's Today Show.
Today Show/NewsBusters ping.
Blame it on the producers.
Yeah, THAT's a good career move...
Bump
Freepers?
LoL.
And let's not mention NBC's exploding gas tanks rigging on GM trucks
>>An embarrassed Kosinski claimed the water was deeper down the street but that her producers didn't want to let her go there for fear she'd drift away.<<
Fake but accurate?
LOL. Ooops. And thanks for the information on the "scripted" video conference. If I was going to be in national tv with the President, I would hope and pray that someone would give me a heads up on some questions so I wouldn't sound like a compete idiot and a few tips on conducting a televised dialogue. They are making even greater fools of themselves with this nonsense.
Bump!
Freepers?
I wouldn't be surprised!
The water is not that deep.
Pray for W and Our Freedom Fighters
"Fake but accurate?"
You got it!
Freepers?
LOL. We'll probably never know who they were or why they chose that moment. But I have a theory.
As mentioned, Kosinski comes across like a big self-promoter and scene-stealer. Yesterday she turned up in hip waders, and tried to outdo herself this morning with the canoe stunt.P>I can imagine that she forced her producers and crew to go ahead with the stunt, against their wishes.
So perhaps to extract revenge, some guys from the crew, or locals the crew recruited, decided to "rain on Michelle's parade" so to speak, by revealing the fraud.
LOL. I guess we can expect Dan Rather to steal Michelle away from Today!
Workplace accidents. I.E.D.'s, Internal Enemies Devices, blow up in their faces.
Well, there were certainly "allegations" flying furiously last night -- and that on Fox. I figured it would turn out to be something like what you describe (shades of the Thanksgiving turkey!).
Incredibly, Michelle doesn't seem to have learned.
In the 8 AM news roundup, Michelle was once again out there in her canoe. She emphasized that she was now in "deep" water, 3-4 feet deep, or "up to your waist." But it really seems her producers hate her, because in the background, a man was shown walking down the street, and once again, the water was no more than shoe-top high!
LMAO.. great!!!!!
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