Bozell accused Couric of anti-Catholic bias for asking same questions of Domino's founder as ABC and CBS
SUMMARY: In his column, L. Brent Bozell III attacked Katie Couric, co-host of NBC's Today, for being "so rough on Thomas Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, for being a Catholic" during a March 3 interview. Bozell claimed that "Couric's performance on NBC was so harsh it was jaw-dropping," as opposed to Monaghan's March 3 interviews on ABC and CBS, which Bozell described as "calm." In fact, most of the questions Bozell cited as evidence of Couric's anti-Catholic bias were also posed to Monaghan during his "calm" CBS and ABC interviews.
In his March 8 nationally syndicated column, Media Research Center (MRC) president L. Brent Bozell III attacked Katie Couric, co-host of NBC's Today, for being "so rough on Thomas Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, for being a Catholic." Citing specific questions Couric asked Monaghan during a March 3 interview, Bozell claimed that "Couric's performance on NBC was so harsh it was jaw-dropping," as opposed to Monaghan's March 3 interviews on ABC and CBS, which Bozell described as "calm." In fact, most of the questions Bozell cited as evidence of Couric's anti-Catholic bias were also posed to Monaghan during his "calm" CBS and ABC interviews.
According to a February 17 Associated Press article, Monaghan "has pledged more than $250 million" towards the construction of Ave Maria University -- a Catholic institution -- "and a surrounding town by the same name where planners expect to attract 20,000 residents." A March 3 AP article reported that Monaghan "backtracked" from "statements he made last year to a Catholic men's group in Boston that pornographic magazines won't be sold in town, pharmacies won't carry condoms or birth control pills, and cable television will carry no X-rated channels." On March 3, Monaghan and Paul Marinelli, president of Barron Collier Company, the development firm Monaghan has partnered with, appeared on Today, CBS' The Early Show, and ABC's Good Morning America.
Bozell wrote:
You'd think Katie Couric would aspire to be an anchorwoman for all the American people now that CBS appears to be wooing her for the Throne of Rather. So why did she have to be so rough on Thomas Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza, for being a Catholic?
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He poured millions upon millions of dollars into pro-life and Catholic philanthropy. Among other ventures, he founded Ave Maria University. After facing zoning problems with his first location in Michigan, Monaghan struck a deal in southern Florida, not to merely build a Catholic college, but a truly Catholic town, open to anyone aspiring to live in communion with traditional values.
That, of course, is when he earned the ire of Katie Couric. Monaghan and his developer partner Paul Marinelli appeared on the three network morning shows on March 3, but whereas ABC and CBS were calm, Couric's performance on NBC was so harsh it was jaw-dropping.
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As NBC dutifully plastered the words "Catholic Town USA" on screen, Couric began pestering Monaghan about his hope that pharmacists would not sell contraceptives there. She asked about it four times. After four denials, she started dropping the bombs. "Some people," she claimed, think Catholic values might be "deemed wholesome, but in other ways, I think people will see this community as eschewing diversity and promoting intolerance." Marinelli refused to take the bait, instead calmly explained that this town was open to all people of all faiths with a "traditional family value perspective." Couric was unconvinced and shot back, "Does that mean you would welcome Jewish residents?" It was an ugly question with the veiled accusation of bigotry lurking just below the surface.
Bozell neglected to mention that Good Morning America anchor Bill Weir asked Monaghan and Marinelli essentially the same question: "Will Jews, Muslims, Baptists be welcome in this university in this town?" Early Show anchor Harry Smith asked a similar question: "Who's welcome? Who's going to be welcome then in Ave Maria? You say not just Catholics?"
Bozell went on:
And when she was done, she switched gears, clumsily dragging in words that suggest racism to the audience: "But do you think the tenets of the community might result in de facto segregation as a result of some of the beliefs that are being espoused by the majority of residents there?" What in the world was Couric imagining in Ave Maria, Fla. -- the great Catholic menace?
Again, Weir asked a similar question during the ABC interview: "Obviously, any time a like-minded group of people gets together in an idea to sort of isolate themselves from the rest of country, people are going to take umbrage with that. So, do you want to just do away with the perception that this will be an isolated community of Catholics, Catholics only?" As did Smith on CBS: "Well, then, that's where it gets complicated, then, because if you have public facilities in the town that has -- is supposed to be built on these kind of ideological principles, don't you then have to have it available, and have things open to it that would be available anywhere else in any other community?"
Bozell continued:
After pestering the Ave Maria duo about whether the cable TV system will be smutty enough, Couric returned to touting the "people" (and notice it's always "people" or "some people," never a source identified). "At the same time you can understand how people would hear some of these things and be, like, wow, this is really infringing on civil liberties and freedom of speech and right to privacy and all sorts of basic tenets this country was founded on? Right?"
Couric asked Marinelli, "[w]hat about cable?" after Marinelli said: "It is going to be a town that we are not going to have adult bookstores and topless bars, OK? We don't think that they coincide with traditional family values." Once again, Bozell did not note that Smith asked Marinelli on CBS: "But would you say then, would -- is your suggestion then to the cable franchisee that you don't offer X-rated cable to -- to the -- to the people who live in this community?"
Isn't BB going after one of his own by picking on perky Katie? I'm sure Ms. Couric will cut off another Democrat or kiss up to Mary Matalin soon enough, and then she and BB will walk hand-in-hand through the fields of propaganda.
Here's a thought - The government should confiscate all barrier islands along the hurricane-prone coastlines and cede them to Pat Robertson, Jerry Fallwell, Thomas Monaghan, Hell Bent Bozo and any other faith-based group that wants to build one of their zealot zoos.
Then, when the big winds blow, they can work together to deploy a prayer shield to deflect the hurricanes toward Cuba, Haiti or some other worthless land of the lost.
One other thing - they would have to sever all contact with the mainland, except that ships would be allowed to dock to re-stock their Super Walmarts.
Yeah, that’s the ticket.
What color is the sky in Brent's world?
"That, of course, is when he earned the ire of Katie Couric."
Brent thinks Katie, "of course," hates Catholics more than William of Orange.
Who pays this nut's salary?
Brent Bozell is by far one of the Administrations greatest apologists. With his band of loyal TV "analysts" who gather nightly Intel on which network said "mean things about the president” and make sure every neo-con gets this critical information with an almost Gestapo like precision.
His weekly column reads like a childish diatribe; usually devoid of any real substance or worth while conclusions other than everybody working at the NYT or CBS hates the President. I check the MRC's daily Cyber Alert so I can see what horrible things David Letterman put in his Top Ten List making fun of Dubya. Yes, this is hardcore "analysis".
The MRC is is an especially pathetic organization given there absolute ignorance to the daily misinformation spewed by FNC’s entertainers but, they'll surely report any news story or sentence that puts Georgie in a bad light. I thought they were all for accuracy in the media? They're particularly callous for their use of video clips of the late Peter Jennings for their Gala events. It's not enough that he's dead and buried, they'll continue to slander is legacy with their whiny conservative rant. I still have a lot of questions as to why this man is invited to CNN as credible commentator.
Bozell simply targeted Couric because she's on the short list to replace Rather nothing more.
CSPAN selected him to interview the CBS producer of the Bush memo story.
So much for those of you that think CSPAN is fair and balanced.
Across time they will present all sides. The regular show hosts Brian Lamb and the gang were the ones I was referring to as the stoned faced neutrals. But as in the Bozell case the may subsequently have I Bill Moher interview John Kerry about the swift boaters. They will air lecture featuring Katrina vanden Heuvel and follow it with one featuring Michelle Malkin. They're the fairest thing going and they are thought of highly by must rational progressives and conservatives.
Hopefully the residents will have access to better pizza than that crap.
it's because Katie is a woman and he doesn't feel threatened by attacking her in order to put her in her place. You know what high esteem the religious right holds for females.
And at the sound of the bell, Brent comes out—swinging with both mitts, ruthlessly attacking “Jaw–Dropper” Couric, with his relentless slobberings and other assorted haymakers! As little Katie silently sidesteps his cardboard-pizza tactics, you have to wonder fight fans, just how does “Blunder’nBoz” see anything? He’s got his fight trunks cinched-up sooo high, he couldn’t possibly see the diminutive Couric’s presence. This and his constant looking about... as if searching for something planted, right here in the Media Research Center Fight Pavilion!
As the taunts from the crowd are not enough to spur this palooka on, remember Bozell also spurned bouts with Bill “GoodMorningAmerica” Weir and Harry “TheEarlyShow” Smith…they’re both anchor-weights!
You kinda get the feeling, fight fans, they’re both not in Bozell’s league—maybe, just maybe he’s been gunning for Couric all along? But wait!—here he comes again…this time with more slobber!
Bozelle's default position, his entire reason for being, is having the position of a "dropped jaw".
So, why is it reason for concern if Bozelle claims his jaw to be in the "dropped" position? Answer: it is NOT.
Supposedly, Bozelle is running the YIN for MMFA's YANG. The balance, the opposite, the equal but from a different perspective.
In practice, this doesn't work out so well. In the quest for BIAS -- a looking for seashells -- MMFA is positioned on a beach, while Bozelle is relegated to a desert. Plenty of sand in both instances, but if Bozelle is to "FIND" any jaw-dropping material, he basically has to make it up.
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A high five to DBLACK, who hit on the "exclusivity" of the rightwing mind. They long for a community where things are all enforced THEIR way, where dissent is dealt with harshly and swiftly, where each member behaves as required by the "elders" and "tradition". "FREEDOM" is limited to the freedom APPROVED by the "committee", on which Bozelle sits, passing judgment on every aspect of the lives of his subjects. In such a community, you can have any type of pizza you want, as long as it's Domino's. If one were to define "hell on earth", this would be it.
I worked for three years at his original Domino's in Ypsilanti, MI. Come to think of it, I've put a fair amount of money in Tom's pocket, what with the pizza I've both bought and sold and with the tickets I bought when he owned the Detroit Tigers. He's one of the most famous people I've met personally.
All the same, I can't say that I like the fellow. He always struck me as rather superficial, the way he'd throw his money at pet projects. He bought several classic cars merely to have a larger collection than that of his brother Jim (whom I've also met). He purchased a small herd of bison and shipped them to Domino's Farms, his corporate headquarters, where they are subjected daily to freeway noise, pollution, and harsher winters than they'd have to endure in the wild. He used to elaborately decorate Domino's Farms at Christmas and then charge the public a fortune to come see it.
So now his latest plaything is this community he's setting up. That's fine, but he must realize that the guidelines he's using do engender controversy. Hence, major media figures are going to ask him direct questions about the whole business. Katie Couric was right to do exactly that.
The sad part of this whole affair is not the story of a rich man's vanity, but the notion that asking him pointed questions about his controversial actions is somehow improper. Bozell apparently feels it's a conservative's right to be tossed only softballs. The man has no legitimacy as a media analyst.
Brent Bozell has got to be a nut case. That is why I can't believe they have him doing interviews on C-Span. I saw this interview on Today and she asked the questions I would like to have asked...and she did it with civility. Frankly, Tom Monahan worries me but after the interview I was less worried. Monahan cares more about Ave Maria University than the Catholic town. The developer with him came across as a bit slick.
I wonder if BB would come out swinging in defense of someone who wanted to build a moslem utopia in America? Would he defend that Islamic developer versus questions of allowing Jews in? It would be a very similar to Monaghan's popeville, a community of faith, and everyone would be welcome, noone would be FORCED to wear a burkha.
Wasn't Brent Bozell a character in a Hand Maid's Tale?
Now that would be outrageous, everyone knows this country was but on Christian-Judeo or Judeo-Christian (depending on who's saying this) values. Now maybe Episcopalian Village, Methodistville and maybe just maybe Jewish Town would be fine but what you suggest is simply absurd. And you call yourself an American.
Reread the post. Feckless is pointing out how Brent Bozell would react to a Muslim town.
I don't think Bozell would support such an idea. Bozell is a relativist. He is only capable of determining what is right and wrong by assigning people to teams in his mind. The people on the other team are always wrong according to Bozell. Muslims are simply on the wrong team to Bozell, so they can never be right.