Even after Blitzer called McKinney footage "not unusual at all," CNN continued to air it while ignoring footage of DeLay supporter in altercation
SUMMARY: CNN's American Morning twice aired video footage showing a confrontation between a TV reporter and an aide to Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) outside the Capitol, despite the fact that the previous day, CNN's Wolf Blitzer described the confrontation as "not unusual at all." By contrast, CNN has not once mentioned or aired a video of a supporter for Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), part of a group of DeLay supporters who disrupted a press conference by DeLay's former election opponent, who pulled a hat over the face of a 69-year-old woman.
On April 7, CNN's American Morning twice aired video footage supplied by affiliate WSB-TV of Atlanta showing a confrontation between WSB reporter Scott MacFarlane and an aide to Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) outside the Capitol, despite the fact that on April 6, shortly after the incident occurred, CNN host Wolf Blizter described it as "not unusual at all." Blitzer added that "having been involved in these kinds of incidents myself over many, many years, covering politicians and others when you're trying to get a comment, obviously, you get a little bit aggressive," and that "[c]learly, this happens all the time, especially when a reporter is anxious for some sort of direct comment and the individual doesn't necessarily want to give that direct comment." Nevertheless, American Morning anchors Miles O'Brien and Soledad O'Brien both introduced the video footage of the "scuffle" between MacFarlane and McKinney's aide, noting that the incident was publicized shortly after McKinney had apologized for a March 29 incident in which she allegedly struck a police officer at a Capitol Hill security checkpoint. Despite Blitzer's conclusion the previous day that the "scuffle" was "by no means unusual," Miles O'Brien advised viewers: "Watch what happens when a television reporter tries to question McKinney outside the Capitol."
By contrast, CNN has not once mentioned or aired a video from Houston TV station KPRC shot during an April 6 press conference held by former Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX), who is running for Texas' 22nd District seat that is currently held by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), who announced his intention to resign from Congress on April 3. Lampson had called the press conference to demand DeLay resign his House seat immediately, a conference that was disrupted by DeLay supporters in a protest organized by DeLay's campaign manager. Lampson issued a press release noting that the KPRC footage, which involved a DeLay supporter and 69-year-old Lampson supporter Marsha Rovai, shows the DeLay supporter "grabbing Ms. Rovai's hat and jerking it down over her face." The footage was posted to the website Crooks and Liars.
From the April 6 broadcast of CNN's The Situation Room:
BLITZER: [Correspondent] Brian [Todd], stand by for one moment. I want to show our viewers a little video we just got, video that shows yet another modest confrontation involving someone working for the congresswoman and a reporter. This happened just a little while ago on Capitol Hill. Take a look at this tape that we received from our affiliate station, WSB. Listen to this.
[begin video clip]
MacFARLANE: Hello again. Ms. McKinney, did you speak to the grand jury at all? Have you spoken to a grand jury, Mrs. McKinney? Have you spoken at all to the grand jury about anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to put your ass in jail the next time you push me.
MacFARLANE: Sir, do you work for the Capitol Police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't work for the Capitol Police.
MacFARLANE: Who are you a police officer with, sir?
[end video clip]
BLITZER: All right, that's the video. Brian Todd, have you had a chance to speak with her office and get some comment on this videotape?
TODD: Wolf, I did call her office just a short time ago and spoke with her communications director. He told me that she does not -- there are no bodyguards that are in her employ, at least not here in D.C. So this gentlemen on the tape here, apparently, is not a bodyguard. I asked if there were any aides involved in this. He said there were aides walking along with her and with her the time of this incident and later on inside the Capitol. But what he told me just a short time ago was that none of her aides would act with what I believe he characterized as the level of unprofessionalism or impropriety as to commit such an act when I described to him what was on this tape. So we're getting a little bit of conflict, at least from her office on this.
BLITZER: All right, Brian. I got to tell you, having been involved in these kinds of incidents myself over many, many years, covering politicians and others when you're trying to get a comment, obviously, you get a little bit aggressive. This is by no means unusual, this little bumping and shoving that was going on. Clearly, this happens all the time, especially when a reporter is anxious for some sort of direct comment and the individual doesn't necessarily want to give that direct comment. There's always a little exchange going on. That's not unusual at all. Brian, thanks very much for your good reporting.
From the April 7 edition of CNN's American Morning:
MILES O'BRIEN: But even as McKinney tries to put this one to rest, another scuffle to tell you about. This time involving a man in the congresswoman's entourage. Watch what happens when a television reporter tries to question McKinney outside the Capitol.
[begin video clip]
MacFARLANE: Hello again. Ms. McKinney, did you speak to the grand jury at all? Have you spoken to a grand jury, Ms. McKinney? Have you spoken at all to the grand jury about anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to put your ass in jail next time you push me.
MacFARLANE: Sir, do you work for the Capitol Police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't work for the Capitol Police.
MacFARLANE: Who are you a police officer with, sir?
[end video clip]
O'BRIEN: All right. You heard McKinney's assistant there and driver tell the reporter he's a police officer. An aide to McKinney, however, describes him as the congresswoman's driver and a personal friend.
[...]
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN: Cynthia McKinney is accused of hitting the officer when he tried to stop her from entering a House office building last week. A grand jury is investigating the case. Even as McKinney tries to put the issue to rest, another little scuffle to tell you about. This time involving a reporter and a guy who's in the congresswoman's entourage. Take a look. A television reporter runs up to the congresswoman, tries to question her. This happened right outside the Capitol.
[begin video clip]
MacFARLANE: Hello again. Ms. McKinney, did you speak to the grand jury at all? Have you spoken to a grand jury, Mrs. McKinney? Have you spoken at all to the grand jury about anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to put your ass in jail the next time you push me.
MacFARLANE: Sir, do you work for the Capitol Police?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't work for the Capitol Police.
MacFARLANE: Who are you a police officer with, sir?
[end video clip]
O'BRIEN: You heard McKinney's guy tell the reporter that he's a police officer. An aide to McKinney, however, says the man is the congresswoman's driver and also a personal friend. Well, maybe that settles it all.
Oh my another vicious assault of a white man running up on Cynthia McKinney. Looks like he bent his pinkie when he was trying to push the black man out of his way. And how dare that uppity negro use such vulgar language? I smell another grand jury. These people must learn reporters are just doing their jobs and there is never a reason to not do what they say.
Yeah black men and women should always have the right to whack and threaten Whitie when ignoring a security check or being asked a question. Makes perfect sense to me.
heru grasp your ears firmly and remove your head from your ass.
Do you think people are always obligated to answer questions from reporters? Not sure what you are inferring here.
Whitie has become such a favorite term used by right wingers. You know, I've been Black now for 48 years and I rarely rarely ever hear any Black people use this term. The ones that I've met that do use this kind of language generally have lots of issues beyond their challenged vocabulary skills. Do you guys really think that we sit around talking like this, using terms like "whitey'" and "the man." ?
Honky blue-eyed devils. I like that one. It has a certain tang to it. Like, um, Tang.
When an issue involves a person the media is targeting, they go out of their way to denigrate the person as MMFA documents in this report. Blitzer coddles and excuses the overzealous reporter who was too aggressive in his reporting (the reporter should apologize) and O'Brien misreports that incident after looking squarely at the video (an apology is due by CNN). Being a progressive, McKinney is a target. Yet when the issue involves someone the media wants to protect (the VP), they claim that a guy walked into the bullet's path.
The woman's a disgrace to the Congress, a racist, and a NUT!
She must really be doing a whole lot of good to make forked tongue devils so hoppin mad. Next they'll accuse her of lynching the police and oppressing the white man ROFLMAO
She fits right in, with all the right-wing racist nutjobs. This is just another attempt to divert the attention from Delay and his cronies. Let's see where it all goes before you cast stones. That's what the right wing has been telling us to do about The Bugman. Innocent until proven guilty and all.
Be honest.
Don't you really mean that you were hoping that Delay would divert the attention away from McKinney?
Let's look at the media's focus in the last few days. There have been 3 major stories, but the one most focused on seems to be the McKinney story. She has not been charged with anything as of yet.
Tom Delay on the other hand has been indicted in Texas. He has been reprimanded 3 times by the House ethics committe. He has been mentioned in connection with the Abramoff scandal. He resigned from congress. But as he made the rounds on the news shows this week, the moderators of the various shows are treating him as if he were someone being forced out of office.
Then we have Scooter Libby implicating G.W. Bush & Dick Cheney in the leaking of classified documents. Here again, the media makes excuses for them.
So we have 3 cases, and two are being soft peddled. Both could envolve corruption at the highest levels of government. The one case they are focusing on has no natioonal importance whatsoever. The person involved is a member of congress, but what she's allegedly done was between her and a police officer. It should be investigated and dealt with by the local police in DC.
McKinney's incident is minor at best and of interest to the police in DC and to McKinney's constituants. The leaking of classified documents and the possible corruption of the former House Majority Leader concern the entire country.
A grand opportunity ... MISSED.
The cop observes a person behaving improperly, entering a closed area, avoiding the security check.
He approaches her from behind, she fails to acknowledge his verbal commands to stop. He seeks to prevent her advancing, grabbing an arm to spin her around and confront her. She spins and slugs him.
So far, this seems to be what happens, the COP in "just doing his job" mode.
The NEXT part is curious. The way it SHOULD go is this: Confronted with a violent reaction, the cop takes the perp down, by any means necessary. He calls for backup. His cuffs are out immediately, and the perp is rendered helpless with them. Other cops secure the area, looking for possible "accomplices". The perp is then carried away to a safe location to be questioned.
This is PROCEDURE. It was not followed. The question is, WHY NOT? If the cops DO NOT follow procedure, by the book, then they accept for themselves the DOWN position, the appearance they THEY made the mistake.
So now, the question is, what mistake did they make? We find out quickly that security at this building is not what it should be. It relies on VISUAL IDENTIFICATION, which requires the cops to know and excuse a great many people from the normal security procedures. This VISUAL ID is slightly bolstered by the wearing of a "PIN", which has neither identification info NOR a photo ID ... it is for all purposes a piece of jewelry, useless in indentifying these people, and easily obtained by potential terrorists as a "pass" into the area.
So, security in this area is woefully LAX, and it becomes clear why the cops might believe they have made a mistake.
Perhaps McKinney shouldn't have "struck" the cop; but when grasped from behind in a "surprise" assault that has never taken place under the same circumstance repeated daily for years, the instinctual reaction to being grabbed is to push back, to free oneself from unknown danger.
The outcome of this incident may be a GOOD one. The cops may identify that their security system here does not work, and new procedures need to be implemented which do not rely on a visual identification alone. When the SYSTEM is not proper in the first place, mistakes will be made, ON BOTH SIDES. And worse, a "pass" may be granted on the basis of a bogus "PIN".
Yeah... we need a little diversion from all the Democrat misconduct! That's rich. You wish.
delay's campaign manager sends out an e-mail to "wreck" lampson's press conference. cnn ignores that. at the same time soledad o'brien says "you heard mckinney's guy tell the reporter that he's a police officer". he did not say that. if she is unable to accurately portray the news she needs to be let go.
He (McKinney's body guard) told the reporter he'd have him thrown in jail. Sounds like he was trying to give the impression that he was a Police Officer now don't it? Soledad O'Brien made the right call.
he said "next time you push me" you'll go to jail. and o'brien said he claimed he was a police officer. he did not say that. but you appear not to have a problem with false statements. we disagree on that.
He (McKinney's body guard) told the reporter he'd have him thrown in jail. Sounds like he was trying to give the impression that he was a Police Officer now don't it? Soledad O'Brien made the right call. - from
If someone assaulted me or someone I was with, I could easily picture myself saying I'd have him thrown in jail. All it would mean is that I'd call the police and press assault charges. It requires a huge leap of logic to see that statement as pretending to be a cop.
The exact quote was : "I'm going to put your ass in jail the next time you push me."
Just to be fair here, by saying " I'm going to" could easily, IMO, been construed as being a "threat" from a law enforcement officer to have you "arrested". The reporter Scott MacFarlane OBVIOUSLY thought just that as he asked : "Sir, do you work for the Capitol Police?" When McKinney's aide said he did NOT... MacFarlane asked "Who are you a police officer with, sir?"
HOWEVER, Soledad O'Brien took a HUGE leap when she said : "All right. You heard McKinney's assistant there and driver tell the reporter he's a police officer" He said no such thing. Though clearly MacFarlane was under that impression he was a Police Officer. O'Brien of course should not have put words in the aide's mouth. MacFarlane ASSUMING he's a cop is one thing...O'Brien claiming we HEARD him saying he was a cop is another thing--and it was false...she should know better.
the reporter thought he was a cop. on the other hand he could have just have been being a reporter and trying to put more into the guy's statement than was there.
Shoving someone is, technically, assault. Threatening someone with jail for repeating it, however that threat is phrased, whether "I'll put your ass in jail" or "I'll see your ass in jail" or however else, is within the common use of language. I don't believe that Scott MacFarlane is that divorced from everyday speech and I know full well that in MacFarlane's place I would not have made the assumption some are claiming he made.
Which means that I don't think that MacFarlane thought for a single instant that the other guy was a cop. It was just a verbal gimmick designed to put him on the defensive, a more urbane version of "Wadda you, some kinda cop?"
Beyond that, Miles O'Brien's statement "You heard McKinney's guy tell the reporter that he's a police officer" is not a "leap" or a reach or a stretch; it's a flipping lie.
And notice another verbal trick: The assertion is made after the video, not before it. Done then, viewers, who probably weren't paying close attention to the exact words, can easily be misled into thinking that the aide did say that.
Suppose, on the other hand, instead of punctuating the clip with "You heard, etc.," O'Brien had lead into it by saying "You will hear, etc." With that, people would be listening for the words and would very likely come away either saying "No, he didn't" or at least confused by the obvious contradiction.
Deception comes in many forms: It can be in what you say, what you don't say, how you say what you say - and, as in this case, when you say it.
It amazes me that these "news" people have - not only no shame, but no intelligence. O'Brian states immediately after airing the clip that McKinney's person told "the reporter he's a police officer." That immediately after we saw the actual tape, where McKinney's person specifically told the reporter he was not a police officer. They'll look you directly in the face and lie to you.
I've started a process of writing to these news organizations and decrying their lies and distortions every time MM posts them. I don't know what good (if any) it will do, but I've got to do something. This must stop. Somehow, someway, we must bring this to a stop.
..to take serious the allegations that this entire dispute started from a black woman that thinks "whitey" is out to get her. Look at the way the story is presented!
And I'm curious, has there been any video of the alleged incident? I want to see!
I like to come to MMFA message boards for some witty insight, wether it be from the right or left. But Diogenes has gone over the deep, when he/she suggests that an aide of McKinney's saying "I'll put your ass in jail" is even remotely comparable to DeLay's theft of the tax-paying public.
Who did the pushing Jeter2? Couldn't I say to you, just as easily, "Your going to jail for this," if you were to strike me? In no way would that mean that I was presenting myself as a police officer.
In fact, what I read from this broadcast, is that the unnamed reporter initiated physical contact, and MacFarlane responded, as any sensible person should, without physically contact. He let the anonymous reporter know that he would seek recourse, which could lead to being put in jail.
Beyond that, the ghost reporter's question of "Who are you a police officer with? (when he/she obviously knows is not)" is infantile and obviously meant to cause confrontation, which said reporter had already initiated.
Please use common sense.
"Who did the pushing Jeter2? Couldn't I say to you, just as easily, "Your going to jail for this," if you were to strike me? In no way would that mean that I was presenting myself as a police officer."...by trutheau
=====
No doubt the reporter in THIS instance did the "pushing" grabbing" --take your pick, he was OBVIOUSLY the aggressor. HOWEVER, do TRY to get McKinney's aide's quote correctly. He did NOT say (as you wrote) : "Your going to jail for this"
Once again the EXACT quote was : "I'm going to put your ass in jail the next time you push me."
"I'm going to" could indicate and be easily be interpreted by any REASONABLE person that he (the reporter) was in fact being spoken to by a law enforcement officer. Did I write that McKinney's aide was TRYING to present himself as an officer? NOPE. Never said THAT. I simply suggested the REPORTER obviously ASSUMED he was.
----------------------------------------------------
"In fact, what I read from this broadcast, is that the unnamed reporter initiated physical contact, and MacFarlane responded, as any sensible person should, without physically contact."...by trutheau
=====
You've got it mixed up. The REPORTER was named --HE is MacFarlane. McKinney's "bodyguard" was UNnamed. IF you're going to argue about FACTS, at least get them straight.
--------------------------------------------------
"Beyond that, the ghost reporter's question of "Who are you a police officer with? (when he/she obviously knows is not)" is infantile and obviously meant to cause confrontation, which said reporter had already initiated."...by trutheau
=====
Again the reporters NAME is Scott MacFarlane [if you took the time to ACTUALLY read the article--you'd KNOW this]. And where does it indicate that the REPORTER, Scott MacFarlane, KNOWS that McKinney's aide is NOT a police officer? HERE'S a CLUE--it does NOT... He OBVIOUSLY didn't know this or he wouldn't have asked: "Sir, do you work for the Capitol Police?" or "Who are you a police officer with, sir?"
---------------------------------------------------------------
"Please use common sense"....by trutheau
=====
My "common sense" is just fine, thank you. Though yours could use some fine tuning
And please do brush up on YOUR reading comprehension.
I REAL SAY THIS IF MCKINNEY JUST SAID SHE WAS SORRY TO THE OFFICE IN THE FIRST PLACE AND NOT PLAYED THE RACE CARD IT WOULD HAVE BE OVER WITH. BUT THE MEDIA DO OVER KILL STORIES WHEN THE PERSON IS NON WHITE OR A DEMOCRATE. MARK MY WORD IF SHE GO TO TRIAL THE MEDIA WILL BE ALL OVER THIS STORY AND MOSTLY FOX NEWS .
It was only after the story was blown up that she began to defend herself against alledged accusations of assault on a police officer. It remains to be seen if she didn't just react instinctively to being grabbed from behind. There does seem to be some reasonable assumption she was talking on her cell and unaware of the officers attempt to get her attention.
I have a friend who was sitting in a park with his wife and daughter when he was grabbed from behind by two police officers in a case of mistaken identity. The police found themselves sprawled upon the ground in less than a second. My friend is a blackbelt in Kuk Sool Won. No charges were filed. The cops were very embarrassed and apologetic. This clown is pressing charges after getting poked with a cell phone by a middle-aged woman.
On the other hand, George Bush put a Scottish police officer on six months disability because he is incapable of steering a bicycle and waving simultaneously.
One should never apologize to a devil. It only encourages them.
Check out this link to read the backstory on McKinney that the mainstream media is not reporting.
[link to www.alternet.org]
I remember hearing about THIS all over the news. I did track down an article from The Washington Post that states Ms. McKinney did in fact IMPLY in a Berkeley, Calif., radio station interview that Bush&other government officials DID have advanced warning of 9/11.
I'll attempt to leave you a link to the article (I still can't figure out which HTML tag to use here) BUT if it doesn't come out correctly you can always copy and paste it into your browser.
HERE is a snipit from the article:
--------------------------------------------------------------
Democrat Implies Sept. 11 Administration Plot
By Juliet Eilperin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, April 12, 2002; Page A16
Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) is calling for an investigation into whether President Bush and other government officials had advance notice of terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 but did nothing to prevent them. She added that "persons close to this administration are poised to make huge profits off America's new war."
In a recent interview with a Berkeley, Calif., radio station, McKinney said: "We know there were numerous warnings of the events to come on September 11th. . . . What did this administration know and when did it know it, about the events of September 11th? Who else knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered? . . . What do they have to hide?"
---------------------------------------------------------
Here's the LINK to the rest of the article[I hope]:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&contentId=A34565-2002Apr11
---------------------------------------------------------
This of course is way OFF TOPIC, but it is interesting. I've ALWAYS been under the impression Ms. McKinney did in fact make those statements...BUT according to the Link you left that appears to be in dispute...IF you have any other info I'd like to read it.
* And to anyone who accuses me of throwing out a strawman here OR trying to pick on Ms. McKinney...PLEASE NOTE that this TOPIC was initiated by the poster Clams Casino*
Leatherhelmet posted this link in another thread:
[link to www.leftwatch.com]
It's a rebuttal of Greg Palast's claim that McKinney never said Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance. Apparently, the actual McKinney quote is, "What did this administration know and when did it know it about the events of September 11th? Who else knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered?"
Obviously the implication is there, so Palast appears to be arguing semantics. Regardless of that issue, I thought that Palast's article still makes its point as to why the Right holds such a grudge against McKinney. Whether or not McKinney believes that Bush knew about 9/11 in advance is beside the point; it's the fact that she actually dared to ask the question that's significant.
It isn't evident on the first clip, but on the subsequent clips, after the guy working for McKinney says he doesn't work for the Capitol Police he says, "I'm a police officer." There is background noise on the clip, so it's possible that the word "not" is between "I'm" and "a police officer", but it didn't sound that way to me. Thus, the reporter's question about what police department the guy works for is directly responsive to his statement, and isn't just a juvenile taunt.
I thinkmost of the points about media focus are correct, but it doesn't do us any good to ignore or distort the facts.
that the clip ends with the reporter asking who are you a police officer with. did he walk away without answering or did he say i'm not a cop. and back to the point, why did not cnn show the tape of a delay supporter assaulting a 60 year old woman? because it was done as a result of an organized attempt to disrupt the news conference. just like delay sent his office workers to fla to pretend they were locals and stop the counting of votes.
Delay thugs trying to subvert democracy, or reporter getting into it with a congressional aide?
What is ommitted is often more important than what is covered, eh?
Once again, we get the the fundamental question that all MMFA items address:
If there really was such a thing as "liberal media bias," would this story have been aired on CNN?