Did David Brock Dissemble on CNN s Crossfire...

Media Research Center ^ | 4/26/02 | Brent Baker and Rich Noyes

[Croooow]

Some Web sites and many e-mail postings and messages today have been picking up on David Brock’s claim on Thursday’s Crossfire -- that he has yet to be interviewed by FNC about his new book -- and sending readers to the March 19 CyberAlert for proof Brock lied. That CyberAlert features a picture of Brock being interviewed on the Fox News Channel about his book, Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative, by David Asman at about 12:45pm EST on March 18. To see the March 18 still shot: http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20020319.asp#1

The CNN-posted transcript for Crossfire is inaccurate. But, Brock did still leave a clearly misleading impression of his suppression by the Fox News Channel since he responded with a clear “no” to co-host James Carville’s question about Fox: “They haven’t even invited you on?” And Brock mocked FNC’s “We report, you decide” motto: “It's they decide.”

The CNN transcript for the April 25 Crossfire quotes Brock as declaring a moment earlier: “I have not been on Fox at all.” In fact, when Brock got to the word “on” Carville started to talk over him. If you listen carefully you can hear that Brock actually said: “I have not been on Fox prime time at all.”
Asked by Carville to confirm a Media Whores Online (http://www.mediawhoresonline.com/ ) claim that Brock has been blacklisted by the conservative media, this exchange occurred:

On CNN's Crossfire on Thursday night did David Brock dissemble on whether he's been interviewed on Fox?

Brock: “As I was saying to Tucker [Carlson], conservative magazines have not reviewed the book. Conservative dominated talk shows that loved my previous work won't talk about it. And I think the conservatives are in denial.”
Carville: “How many talk shows have you been on let's just say the Fox network?”
Brock: “I have not been on Fox prime time at all.”
Carville, starting this follow-up on top of Brock as Brock was saying “Fox prime time”: “But I mean they haven’t even invited you on?”
Brock: “No.”
Carville: “Wait, I thought this is ‘You decide,’ huh?”
Brock: “It's not.”
Carville: “No?”
Brock: “It's they decide.”
Carville: “They decide?”
Brock: “And they decide that the public shouldn't know what the conservatives did in the '90s.”

++ Watch this exchange: The MRC’s Mez Djouadi will soon post this as part of the posted version of this CyberAlert. Check:
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2002/cyb20020426_extra.asp

Bottom line: Brock dissembled, clearly trying to leave the impression that the Fox News Channel has refused to allow him onto the network when he did, in fact, appear on it.

Sitting beside Carville, Brock was very Clintonian. Why does anyone still believe anything that David Brock has to say? -- Brent Baker and Rich Noyes

[Croooow]

MRC provides a clip of Carville's further question proving Brock's dishonesty... not the 6 seconds the Media Horse did.

[NYCVirago]

Ping...

[Endeavor]

Human Events published two reviews of Brock's new book. They were both scathing. I guess they don't qualify as a conservative magazine, in Brock's thinking?

[KC_Conspirator]

These people lie with impunity. We also now find out that Brock began dating Hillary's campaign manager and then he decided he was a liberal? C'mon already.

[Libertarian_4_eva]

He is right 12:45 is not primetime. I believe primetime is 7-11 or 8-11. I could care less however.

[TLBSHOW]

Hey David the Liar! Got Ya!

[Random Access]

The report that Brock lied is about as newsworthy as a report that the sun rose in the east this morning. When are we going to stop being amazed. In a world with no standards where everyting is relative, there is no such thing as truth. And that's the truth.

[ChicagoGuy]

I haven't seen the clip, but looking at the transcript above, it sure looks like he was talking about Fox primetime, so when he was asked if "they" invited him on, he wasn't lying when he said no. I think Brock's a little weasel, but those who try to twist his words into something he didn't intend to say are just as bad as he is.

[BlueAngel]

I hope Bill O'Reilly has him on his prime time show. He'll make mincemeat out of the liar.

[FryingPan101]

If I only had a brain...

[Kermit]

David Horowitz and friend have said that Brock lied about them in his book. Tucker Carlson has said the Brock lied about him in his book. He misleads viewers of Crossfire. Everyone else is a liar, except for David Brock according to him, even though Brock is a self-admitted liar.

[Croooow]

MRC is pointing out that Carville and Brock dissembled and used a No True Scotsman fallacy (apparently if you're not on primetime it doesn't count... funny since Crossfire is not on in primetime either)... it was clearly dishonest to say the least.

[BibChr]

AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE....

Oh, wait.

I thought you said "disassemble."

Never mind.

Dan

[ChicagoGuy]

I think your definition of "clearly" dishonest is a little harsh. Brock did say "Fox primetime", so it's hard to say he was "clearly" trying to state Fox hadn't asked him at all. As I said, I think Brock is a weaselly little self-admitted liar. But those who 'lay in wait' every time he opens his mouth so that they can twist his words into something they aren't cannot take the moral high ground either.

[Paul Atreides]

I find it funny that Brock, Carville, Begala, CNN, and all the other Fox bashers are not troubled by the fact that both Clintons will not appear on a show that asks tough questions. Hillary wants to see the questions in advance and Bubba wants no press at his speeches.

[ChicagoGuy]

The "fox bashers" are untroubled that liberals won't appear on Fox. But similarly, the "CNN bashers" are untroubled that conservatives are refusing in droves to appear on Crossfire. Why doesn't everyone just admit that both networks have their own bias - CNN to the left and Fox to the right - whether or not they try to portray themselves "fair and balanced", "objective", etc.?

[Croooow]

At BEST, Brock painted the fact that he was not on primetime as a "boycott." He's being dishonest.

[Croooow]

Fox employs more left-wingers than CNN (and gives two of them prime-time shows so no one can cry "boycott"). Fox News lets more left-wingers have their say than CNN does conservatives. There is no comparison.

[Croooow]

I meant to say Fox employs more on the left than CNN does conservatives.

[Sonny M]

Your absolutley right. I always laugh when I hear people call Fox news conservative. They have noticable high profile liberals, and the so called conservative on the show, O'Reilly is pro-choice, anti death penalty, and appears to be pro gay adoption, he also supports enviormental regulations.