SwiftVets.com

[8dayweek]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX FRI OCT 08, 2004 18:42:03 ET XXXXX

ABCNEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR MEMO SPARKS CONTROVERSY: BOTH SIDES NOT 'EQUALLY ACCOUNTABLE'

**Exclusive**

An internal memo written by ABCNEWS Political Director Mark Halperin admonishes ABC staff: During coverage of Democrat Kerry and Republican Bush not to "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable."

The controversial internal memo, obtained by DRUDGE, captures Halperin stating how "Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win."

But Halperin claims that Bush is hoping to "win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions."

"The current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done," Halperin writes.

Halperin's claim that ABCNEWS will not "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable" set off a sparks in St. Louis where media players gathered to cover the second presidential debate.

Halperin states the responsibilities of the ABCNEWS staff have "become quite grave."

In August, Halperin declared online: "The is now John Kerry's contest to lose."

x x x x x

Halperin Memo Dated Friday October 8, 2004

It goes without saying that the stakes are getting very high for the country and the campaigns - and our responsibilities become quite grave

I do not want to set off (sp?) and endless colloquy that none of us have time for today - nor do I want to stifle one. Please respond if you feel you can advance the discussion.

The New York Times (Nagourney/Stevenson) and Howard Fineman on the web both make the same point today: the current Bush attacks on Kerry involve distortions and taking things out of context in a way that goes beyond what Kerry has done.

Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win.

We have a responsibility to hold both sides accountable to the public interest, but that doesn't mean we reflexively and artificially hold both sides "equally" accountable when the facts don't warrant that.

I'm sure many of you have this week felt the stepped up Bush efforts to complain about our coverage. This is all part of their efforts to get away with as much as possible with the stepped up, renewed efforts to win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions.

It's up to Kerry to defend himself, of course. But as one of the few news organizations with the skill and strength to help voters evaluate what the candidates are saying to serve the public interest. Now is the time for all of us to step up and do that right.

http://www.drudgereport.com/mh.htm

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

So nice to have it straight from the horse's mouth (or some other part of the anatomy?) what we've known for so long.

Azzhats! All of them - freakin' azzhats!

Here, have another sip of KookAde, Mr. Halperin.... maybe it'll make you woozy enough that you won't care while you watch your career go down the same toilet as Dan Blather's.


_________________
~ Echo Juliet ~
Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother

[8dayweek]

If Bush knows about this, he should ask the moderator at the beginning of the debate if this will be fair or just another ABC style ideal about the way the world should work. He needs to really get pissed IMO.

[ashter]

"Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win. "

Does anyone know what is central to Kerry's efforts to win?

[Truegrit]

I don't know how we get MSM liberal bias corrected. It's hard to organize boycotts of advertisers. For newspapers, there are just too many advertisers. Easier done for TV media, but still difficult.

This will be a long project, to help the young Americans starting careers in journalism to free themselves from this destructive group think -- which is damaging our nation's ability to defend itself.

I wonder if Halperin would consider it a "distortion" if Bush were to raise the issue of John Kerry's visits to Paris 30 years ago to enter into negotiations with a hostile power -- negotiations that undermined our government -- while we were still at war with North Vietnam. Would it be a "distortion" for Bush to suggest that this kind of behavior by Kerry -- veritably a betrayal of Kerry's oath to defend the constitution, as a Naval officer -- makes him unsuitable for the Presidency? Well, Bush flubbed that opportunity when, to the contrary, he labeled Kerry's service to the nation "honorable." (I won't shed tears for Bush if he loses; I will shed tears for America, however, because a Kerry Presidency will, ultimately, pose much more risk to America's security and probably increase the likelihood of a nuclear exchange at some point with one or both of the remaining members of the Axis of Evil. Appeasment is a trade off; it buys time for the appeaser, but at much greater cost in the end, as we saw in the 30's with Nazi Germany.
_________________
Ted Harwood, Ph.D.
Enlisted, U.S. Army ('57-'60)

[Navy_Navy_Navy]

[Hondo]

And I always thought the central element of his strategy was his ability to shovel horse$#!t faster than a speeding Clydesdale . . . .
_________________
"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks nothing worth a war, is worse."
-- John Stuart Mill

[Guest]

[shawa]

Of course none of US is surprised to see the liberal slanting
at ABC but isn't it SOOOO priceless to have actual hard copy proof
of their conspiracy to promote Kerry's campaign!!
TO SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST my a$$! How righteous of them!

This is a hoot!

[Guest]

[Truegrit]

I've emailed ABC News regarding the Halperin memo, which clearly reveals their bias in favor of Kerry. At least Halperin doesn't try to hide the fact of bias, unlike Rather and Mapes and Co. at CBS.

We need to keep the pressure up, to get fairness in media coverage, and to get the media to finally, finally take up the very critical issues of Kerry's character, and why is post-Vietnam era behavior is a very worthwhile topic of inquiry in this presidential election year.
_________________
Ted Harwood, Ph.D.
Enlisted, U.S. Army ('57-'60)

[azpatriot]

This is truly unbelievable the biasness of our Mainstream Media against George Bush is like a Cobra’s poison dripping from their lips. The planning, scheming, backstabbing, manipulating and outright lying has denigrated the MSM from being able to perform “objective reporting!”

In fact they should no longer be considered a reporting/news agency! It would be more accurate to describe them as part of Kerry’s political machine. They have become no better than MoveOn.org or Michael Moore.

Our big question should be, is the mainstream media involved in a conspiracy to overthrow our government?

Do we need to systematically bring each of the big media outlets under the scrutiny of a congressional oversight committee?

Every day we are witness to more and more disturbing actions from our news media. I’ve never been one for conspiracy theories but what’s going on here is quite obvious!

And they’re so stupid that they just keep getting busted!

If you are lurking around reading these posts and need help finding the information to read then please don’t trust the mainstream media outlets, scrutinize everything they say, use your own brains and pc computers to research the information for yourselves. If you need help finding the information to read then please just ask one of us or post a question. Any of us would be glad to help you
_________________
Proud to be an American! and member of the PAJAMAHADEEN
FedEx Kinko's: When it absolutely, positively has to be forged overnight

[1AD]

The way to go after this is not to direct your attack solely at the ABC HQ. Send a copy to the local affiliate. On the CBS trash memo debacle another poster stated the affiliates are the weak link. They are correct. Remember one affiliate changed their "affiliation."

[Stevie]

this was on Fox and friends this a.m. - not that they said very much about it.....

does anyone have a list of the abc affiliates?
_________________
Stevie
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should
be arrested, exiled or hanged.

[Stevie]

and we might as well hit nbc and cnn while we're at it.... we may not have the written proof, but we have our eyes and ears !
_________________
Stevie
Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage
morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should
be arrested, exiled or hanged.