Yawn, Drudge Report claim proves to be bogus
June 16, 2009 4:44 pm ET by Eric Boehlert
Admit it, you'd be shocked if anything were the case, right?
From Drudge's comical, hyperventilating claim about ABC's planned prime-time health care special [emphasis added]:
ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House.
The network plans a primetime special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.
From Kerry Smith, senior vice president, ABC News:
ABC News announced plans to broadcast a primetime hour from the White House devoted to exploring and probing the President's position and giving voice to questions and criticisms of that position.
This is the latest example of a unique brand of media criticism that conservatives have perfected -- the pre-emptive critique. Drudge and company have no idea what the substance of ABC's special will look or sound like, but they've already decided it's a crime against journalism.
As if they could even recognize the craft.
UPDATE: The right-wing reaction to Drudge's falsehood remains priceless. Suddenly, ABC News is "state controlled."
You can't make this stuff up.
The MSM is 'in the tank' for Obama. ABC never was worth watching, but certainly is now only a discredit to the idea of journalism.
I would suggest that we only hear dissent from people who haven't already been repeatedly and catastrophically wrong. If such dissenters don't exist, it's not our problem.
Remember when Fox News Channel's resident Monchichi Brett Baier did a whole thing from "inside the White House"? O'Reilly, too. And then there were all of those Bush White House press releases that FOX News Channel aired verbatim.
But since Drudge is making a big pee-pee dance about this, expect all of the press to soon follow -- despite reality.
What makes you think that the RNC should be able to choose who the dissenting voices ABC puts on the air?
There is no journalistic integrity in view at ABC in this deal. This is shameful.
Your whining sounds about getting cut out because you lose elections is the "soft bigotry of low expectations" crap that conservatives always accuse liberals of supporting.
"Every kids gets a medal! Even last place."
Why don't you go hang out with the Green Party or the Constitution Party and complain about how you can never get on TV.
I understand that if a liberal wins, he only represents that minority as he governs - that's another difference between patriots and Democrats - a patriot will try to be president to all Americans. Of course, that concept is foreign to the Cretans who dwell at MMFA.
You still haven't shown any evidence of the GOP asking to be included. The entire party wants to be on the program? Who asked and was denied? Do you think every debate on tv should include anybody in the country who wants to be on tv? Do you think "being a president to all Americans" involves giving in to every demand by every crackpot out there?
You really need to think these things through, or provide some backup for your crazy claims.
And it's "cretin".
And I meant Cretan, not cretin. It's an allusion from the Bible, probably too arcane for the Cretans who dwell in the darkness of this site.
About as believable as your story about getting a letter (still not provided) from the RNC (previously the GOP).
Again, do you have anything to back up the meat of your complaint? You can leave out any arcane and irrelevant Biblical references, it might help make your point more clear.
ABC's response to RNC
While I could not find the actual RNC letter, the response should suffice.
HuffPo has more on it. Notice how ABC says they will HAND PICK the audience!? Sound familiar?????
HuffPo
I found the RNC letter you were tryng to use as support, took a little link-clicking, but this is from that letter;
...In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda....
Maybe the fact that the chairman of the RNC can't properly spell the name of the President's party was a factor.I don't mind ABC weeding out illiterates. Again, my question to Edross above, do you think there should be some sort of law that requires a tv network to allow anybody in the world who asks to appear on their programs ? Do you really want to see very stupid people asking questions?
Never mind, I think I know the answer to that.Look at the level you've dragged this thread down to.
What makes the RNC think they have the right to choose who the dissenting voices are going to be?
So, by your "definition", herr dubyah wasn't a Patriot. Thanks for admitting that.
But they won't. They probably won't ask any real questions, and they for sure won't ask any follow-ups that might prove difficult to answer. Sycophants make poor journalists.
And, by the way, your response to this post is stupid and ill-informed. See? Two can play that game.
Drudge didn't simply claim that the GOP had been excluded (which is not necessarily true; watch the show, or the reporting thereof, to find out); Drudge claimed that ABC was "excluding opposing voices." But ABC says that it plans to include criticisms of Obama's position.
Criticisms = opposing voices.
See how easy that is? You've quite welcome.
ABC is prejudging what criticisms they will give air time to. There is a measure of editorial responsibility in that. But to refuse the major opposition party a voice is beyond the pale of editorial duty and has crossed over into prejudicial advocacy.
The GOP is the relevant adversarial voice. Their request to be included has been denied. The newsies at ABC are Obama's toadies.
Wrong. The GOPigs are angry, vile, irrelevant anti-Americans who offer no alternative. You and your perverse party are a permanent minority status. Suck it up.
National health care is socialism. Socialism is anti-American. This nation was founded on the concept of limited government, not bureaucratic tyranny. How perverse is it that you think that freedom is "no alternative?"
...really, just a little dust in my eye... *sniff*
1. Prove it
2. You should be outraged by your fellow GOPig teabaggers in the house and senate that accept lifelong 'socialism/National'. Your GOPigs are so anti-American.
Only a terrorist that hates our country would believe giving health care to all citizens is "anti-American". You really are a despicable, hateful, anti-American. Thanks for proving that,
ABC denying the RNC the right to do that is not evidence that no dissenting voices will be heard.
Gee, if only there were some kind of 'doctrine' to enforce 'fairness'
Not really fired up, just noticing that he's full of shlt. Why are you wingnuts so fired up about the truth??
So he makes up more sh** and links to the most unreliable sources all day long: Times of London, Daily Mail, Washington Times, WND, ...
So is he complaining about the lack of supporters of Single-Payer?