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Peter Jennings Accused of Liberal Bias by Another Former Reporter
CNSNews.com ^ | 5/12/03 | Marc Morano

Posted on 05/12/2003 2:47:27 AM PDT by kattracks

(CNSNews.com) - Another former ABC News correspondent has stepped forward to accuse long-time World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings of inserting a liberal editorial bias in the news copy of reporters in the field.

The charges leveled by Bob Zelnick, who spent 21 years at ABC News, follow revelations from former network correspondent Peter Collins, that Jennings manipulated news scripts during the 1980s in order to praise the Marxist-backed Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

Zelnick, now the chairman of the journalism department at Boston University, left ABC News in 1998 after executives refused to renew his contract because they feared Zelnick's work on a political biography critical of then-Vice President Al Gore might compromise his objectivity.

Zelnick could not corroborate Collins' assertions, the focus of an earlier CNSNews.com article, but did recount his own experiences with Jennings' editorial influence at ABC News.

"It was very common for correspondents, both domestic and foreign to run into a World News Tonight [staff] that was influenced by Peter [Jennings] who had a different interpretation of a story," Zelnick told CNSNews.com.

"The correspondent who knows that he is going to be doing a piece on World News Tonight girds himself for battle when the phone rings and the editors or sometimes Peter [Jennings] gets on the phone," Zelnick explained.

And there was usually no doubt about which ideological direction Jennings would attempt to lead correspondents.

"In terms of the direction that Peter Collins recalls Peter Jennings pushing in -- and that was to the left of where the correspondent is -- that's consistent with my experiences and I think most [ABC News correspondents'] experience," Zelnick explained.

Zelnick referred to what he called the "Peter [Jennings] Factor."

"I have never condemned Peter Jennings for trying to bring others around to his point of view ... but there was the Peter Factor," Zelnick said.

World News Tonight, unlike some organizations, has a tradition of changing the scripts of correspondents, often for stylistic reasons, often for editorial reasons," Zelnick added.

'Comical'

In an earlier, exclusive interview with CNSNews.com , Collins alleged that Jennings personally dictated changes in a Collins television script in order to praise the Sandinista government for its "new, unselfish society," for successfully reducing illiteracy and "launch[ing] the biggest land reform in Central America."

Collins covered Central America for ABC's World News Tonight and Nightline from 1982 until 1991. Collins is now retired from journalism.

ABC News publicist Cathie Levine refused to comment on Collins' disclosures when contacted by CNSNews.com April 30. However, ABC News did issue a statement May 6 to MSNBC anchor Bill Press prior to the airing of his program, Buchanan & Press .

According to a transcript of the Buchanan & Press program, which was partly devoted to Collins' allegations against Jennings, ABC implied that Collins was not a "trustworthy" journalist.

Bill Press to Peter Collins: "You know, I have to interrupt you only because, in fairness, I forgot to mention that just as you sat down, we received word that ABC has issued a little response to your charge."

Collins: "Okay."

Press: "And they, here it is. 'When people think of trustworthy journalists named Peter, I don't think the name Collins comes to mind.'

Collins dismissed the ABC News statement as "comical."

"It's lame and if that is the best [ABC] can do, it's pretty sad," Collins told CNSNews.com.

Despite ABC's slap at Collins' credibility, Zelnick defended his former colleague.

"If (Collins' revelations) are not true, then Peter Collins is lying and I have never seen anything in his work to suggest that he is a liar," Zelnick said.

"I saw [Collins'] work from Latin America and I thought it was pretty good," he added.

However, in Zelnick's experience, the editorial pressure applied by Jennings and his producers could be resisted.

"I found when you defended your point of view and drew the line, and said 'I can't go beyond that,' they respected that and that is when Peter [Jennings] or whoever else was in the [anchor] chair would say 'okay,'" Zelnick said.

"In my personal experience, no correspondent was ever forced to report something that ran contrary to his judgment of what was accurate," he added.

Zelnick believes Collins could even have resisted the changes personally dictated by Jennings to his story about the 10th anniversary of the Sandinista takeover of Nicaragua.

"It's possible not being in the Washington mix, not having quite as important a beat as someone covering the State Department or White House or Capitol Hill that [Collins] might have yielded on occasions when a Brit Hume or a Sam Donaldson or Jack McWethy or Bob Zelnick would not have yielded," Zelnick said.

'Politically Motivated'

Zelnick ended his career at ABC News in 1998, "because of a dispute over the Gore book," he said.

"[ABC] first gave me permission to write it and then seven or eight months later when my contract was up, and after I had paid a full time researcher for three-and-a-half months and did a lot of work myself, they said if you want to stay with ABC you have to drop the book, cancel all work on the project and return the advance," Zelnick explained.

In a Feb. 24, 1998 Wall Street Journal op-ed, Zelnick claimed ABC News President David Westin had told him, "We cannot have a Washington correspondent writing a book about one of our national leaders whom that correspondent will undoubtedly have to cover."

Zelnick refused to cancel the book deal and as a result, ABC News did not renew his contract. The book, Gore: A Political Life , was published in 1999.

"I think [my dismissal from ABC] was at least in part politically motivated and I said so at the time," Zelnick told CNSNews.com .

In his Wall Street Journal op-ed, Zelnick asked the rhetorical question: "Would I have faced the same problem if I were an avowedly liberal journalist undertaking a book that made conservatives mildly uncomfortable rather than a moderately conservative one writing about a liberal icon? Had the proposed title been Gingrich: A Critical Look at the Man and His Climb to Power , would I have been forced to choose between my book and my career? I rather doubt it."

When asked Friday whether he still believes ABC was wrong to let him go, Zelnick responded with another question.

"Has Stephanopoulos been barred from reporting?" Zelnick asked, referring to George Stephanopoulos, the former aide to President Bill Clinton and current anchor of ABC's This Week.

Referring to his own experience with the network, Zelnick said, "It's the only time I have ever heard of a reporter being prevented from writing a book. Usually they are encouraged to write books."

See Related Article:

Pro-Marxist Slant Pushed at ABC, Retired Correspondent Claims


E-mail a news tip to Marc Morano.

Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.\b


TOPICS: Breaking News; Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: abc; bobzelnick; mediabias; petercollins; peterjennings
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To: kattracks
In other news, Peter Jennings accused of being Canadian, Geraldo accused of having copious facial hair, and Jay Leno accused of having a large chin.

When staring you in the face, some things need not comment.
21 posted on 05/12/2003 6:54:16 AM PDT by Uncle Miltie (Wheat is Murder! (Tilling slaughters worms.....))
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To: Destro
Traditionally the anchor is also the news editor, with final say on what makes the air.
22 posted on 05/12/2003 7:29:23 AM PDT by sharktrager
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To: kattracks
Just think of Peter Jennings as another of our "gifts" to you guys down south. No need to thank us, but if you want more we have a whole network (CBC) breeding more just like him.
23 posted on 05/12/2003 7:31:52 AM PDT by CanadianBacon
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To: kattracks
Jennings is just a bad diversity hire. Maybe he should moonlight at the NYTimes!! I hear there a slot has opened up!!

On the more serious side, even my ultraliberal sister cannot believe how biased Jennings is! (Maybe I am turning her around, with Jennings help of course)

24 posted on 05/12/2003 7:35:56 AM PDT by SpinyNorman
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To: kattracks
No, not Peter Jennings.

He's a unbiased as Dan Rather!

Next thing, you'll be telling me is that the NYTimes fabricates stories.

Say it ain't so. Let's just hope 60 minutes does a story on this and clears it all up.

25 posted on 05/12/2003 7:48:01 AM PDT by Only1choice____Freedom (FreeperPost /Sarcasm = on /mode = max)
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To: wiseone
This is why I watch the BBC.

Boy, are you fishing! The BBC?! Bwhahahahahaha!

26 posted on 05/12/2003 7:55:03 AM PDT by O.C. - Old Cracker
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Comment #27 Removed by Moderator

To: sharktrager
again-u need a college degree for this?
28 posted on 05/12/2003 8:00:54 AM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Joe Boucher
Earlier thread today regarding left-leaning Disney:

MICKEY MOORE: DISNEY TO FINANCE NEW BUSH-BASHING DOCUMENTARY ^

29 posted on 05/12/2003 8:09:23 AM PDT by CedarDave (The number of Saddam sightings is rapidly approaching those of Elvis!)
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To: Destro
And college is a requirement to read a teleprompter?

No, Maybe with coaching, the third grade is, He a liberal afterall...Its' all about emotions & appearance, Not reason and/or logic...he's a TV version of Bubba (and his pressitutes buddies @ ABCNNBCBS.:)

30 posted on 05/12/2003 8:09:48 AM PDT by skinkinthegrass (Just because your paranoid,doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. :)
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To: CedarDave
another thread today regarding left-leaning Disney:

Esner (sp?), Disney lost another round in court regarding the POOH case... :)

31 posted on 05/12/2003 8:15:23 AM PDT by skinkinthegrass (Just because your paranoid,doesn't mean they aren't out to get you. :)
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To: kattracks
Actually, this guy is telling us nothing that WE did not already know about the socialist Canadian.
32 posted on 05/12/2003 8:50:31 AM PDT by RetiredArmy (We'll put a boot in your ass, it's the American Way! Toby Keith)
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To: chainsaw
If you're talking about Michael Moore's piece for Miramax, I think it will backfire and further destroy Disney's profit margins.

Middle American families are not stupid.

And contrary to hype, the boycott has hurt Mickey Louse ferociously.

33 posted on 05/12/2003 8:50:48 AM PDT by Dr. Eckleburg (There are very few shades of gray.)
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To: kattracks
>>> ...Jennings manipulated news scripts during the 1980s in order to praise the Marxist-backed Sandinista government in Nicaragua.

LMAO. No surprise here. This has been the case since Jennings took over the anchor spot some 20 years ago.

Each and every night "The Canadian", "Captain Dan" and "Brokjaw", feed 30 million American's their daily dose of liberalism.

Fox News should attempt a nightly news broadcast program and start offering America a serious alternative to the leftwing media. It can be done. Just remember Chet Huntley and Howard K.Smith.

34 posted on 05/12/2003 8:52:14 AM PDT by Reagan Man
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To: Vigilanteman
Jennings was a high school drop out. His daddy was in broadcasting and got him a job........the rest, as they say, is history! Oops, and I neglected to mention he is a Canadian citizen who never thought enough of America to become a citizen. However, we don't think much of him either and would be happy if he NEVER became an American citizen.
35 posted on 05/12/2003 9:07:09 AM PDT by OldFriend (without the brave, there would be no land of the free)
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To: The Raven
You have to blame the schools, at least in part. When I studied journalism (more years ago than I will say), the one thing they beat into our hard heads was that we should remain apart from the story and report it without bias or injecting personal opinions. No, I'm not a journalist, but I've never forgotten what I was taught. I'm guessing that they don't bother teaching objectivity any more.
36 posted on 05/12/2003 9:15:45 AM PDT by MizSterious (Support whirled peas!)
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To: Vigilanteman; skinkinthegrass
According to this link, he didn't even finish high school, which is what I've heard about him too.

link

"The son of a pioneering Canadian broadcaster, Peter Jennings carried an aristocratic air [my editorial comment: barf] into his duties as ABC News' chief anchor, yet most of his viewers would be surprised to learn that he was a high school dropout whose early TV experience was hosting a Canadian dance program similar to "American Bandstand". Jennings actually began in broadcasting as a nine-year old, hosting a Canadian radio program geared for children called "Peter's People". By the early 1960s, he was host of "Club Thirteen", the aforementioned dance show."

37 posted on 05/12/2003 9:31:45 AM PDT by texasbluebell
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To: Allan
Bump
38 posted on 05/12/2003 10:52:56 AM PDT by Allan
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To: Joe Boucher
The best the conservatives could do is boycott all national network news programs. But we may already be doing that!
39 posted on 05/12/2003 2:09:45 PM PDT by Theodore R.
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To: wiseone
The BBC is ABC without the charisma, or special effects. Its like a left wing news cast, but gone dry.
40 posted on 05/12/2003 3:11:49 PM PDT by Sonny M ("oderint dum metuant")
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