Posted on 03/04/2003 8:33:26 PM PST by Angelwood
Members of the DC Chapter were invited by Nightline to participate in a town hall meeting on the pending war with Iraq because, as we were told, they didn't want the audience in the show to be taken over by those against the war. We were told that they wanted the audience to represent the national trend in the country, which is currently 65-35 in favor of the President's policy on Iraq.
What we experienced during the hour and forty-minute taping was the exact opposite of what we had been led to believe.
The show started out balanced. The questions went pro, anti, pro and then, with the exception of the neutral question to the ambassadors, it was all "anti" after that.
The members of the DC Chapter were not surprised, but were still angered at the blatant propaganda technique being used by ABC News.
After the show, I went up on stage, took a picture for Aziz with him and Ted Koppel, and then waited my turn to speak to Ted Koppel. We shook hands and I told Mr. Koppel that I thought the panel was great, that both sides presented their views with conviction, but that the questions from the audience were terribly biased. There were 12 anti-war questions asked, two pro-liberation questions and one neutral question to the French and German Ambassadors about how their relationship with the United States would be in the future if we went to Iraq.
I told him that I had been invited on the pretext that they wanted a balanced audience and that I felt that I had been sold a bill of goods considering the way the producers had selected the people to stand at the microphones.
At the beginning of the show, we all filled out questions on cards and submitted them. He apologized that I wasn't chosen to ask my questions. I told him that, "No. It wasn't about me looking for camera time. The bias presented in the audience didn't reflect the mood of the country nor the attendance at the event."
And in true Bill Clinton style, Ted Koppel said, "I accept the responsiblity." He said that when they do these town halls, and he's done a lot of them, the producers bring people to the mikes and they tell him through his earpiece who to call on; he took it upon himself to mix it up and call on people just by looking at their faces.
Two of the people were Democratic Representatives, one of whom was Jessie Jackson, Jr. The other was Congresswoman Schakowski from Illinois, who actually asked three questions at once when she was called on by Ted.
Another person Ted picked from the audience was an Arab man who denounced America for "killing 1,000,000 Iraqi children with enriched uranium bombs during the Gulf War." Then, he went on to denounce Israel and say "why aren't we disarming them?"
Another person Ted picked was a man sitting in the front row wearing a D.C. Statehood Green Party sticker (it was a large sticker) who, surprisingly, was anti-war.
Another person Ted picked was a black minister who, surprise, surprise, was also anti-war. The other six anti-war questioners were led to the microphones by the producers.
One other anti-war person at the end just took hold of a microphone by himself in the middle of Ted's closing statement, started talking against the war and held up pictures of what war looked like. In response, Aziz stood up in the audience and held up a book opened to photos of Iraqi Kurds gassed to death by Saddam. They exchanged words until Koppel took back control of his show.
The show is well worth watching just for James Woolsey. McCain was good too -- especially to see the way he took the French Ambassador to task.
All three on the "pro" side of the panel were very good. Richard Land was excellent. They really demolished the argument on the other side whether it was the other side of the panel or the questioner.
Ted was really fair to the panel and let them air their views and make sure to go back to them, but it was at the expense of getting questions from the audience. The show was billed as the panel answering the audience questions in a town hall meeting and not a debate show.
About two-thirds of the way through, as we were keeping score of the bias, Connie (sitting on the end) ducked up the aisle and read the riot act to one of the producers who were spread out in the audience. He must have realized she had a very valid point, because he came running back with a microphone. However, that turned out to be the last segment and we were not called on to present a question.
The DC Chapter is not complaining about not getting the mike, but that the questioners chosen from the audience by Koppel and the producers did not represent the opinion of the audience as a whole nor the American people. I encourage folks to watch the show, to hear Aziz, Woolsey, Land and even John McCain.
Now you know what it's like to sit in a Nightline Town Meeting from a FReeper's eye view.
P.S. My question was neutral. My question was basically, "What is the human rights case for and against removing Saddam Hussein?" I prefaced it by saying that since President Carter, human rights has been a cornerstone of American and foreign policy.
_________
Preliminary report -- audience 50-50 but the producers asked everyone to write their questions and they picked those to ask their questions -- skewed it anti-war questions 12-2-1 (French and German ambassadors there and a girl asked them a question). After editing we will have to see how the program comes out.
Aziz Al-Taee was fabulous and got the floor for a few minutes. And, believe it or not, John McCain wasn't too bad -- he was looking at the French ambassador he said, "With all due respect, Mr. Ambassador, France will not come on board."
James Woolsey was excellent.
Kevin Martin stood at a microphone for an entire hour and he was never called on to ask a question. They just skipped over him to go to anti-war people.
They skewed the questions from the audience to make it appear that the overwhelming majority of the people in attendance were against the war with Iraq.
BOYCOTT DISNEY: a vortex of seductive evil™
The sun rises in the east, too. What other obvious statements will you post tonight?
A walk out, protesting this blatant type of liberal media propaganda, would have been highly appropriate, under the biased set of circumstances.
No?
Sure, he changed just for this show.. Wonder how many times he rehearsed this response? He probably recognized Kevin and wouldn't dare risk calling on him!
Thanks for the heads up.
Aziz nuked her by holding up his book of Halabja pictures and asked her "What about Halabja?"
Koppel got out of this situtation by saying that all sides could furnish pictures of atrocities blah blah blah...
Mainstream media biased? Nah...
Frankly, the only reason I'm watching is to possibly catch a glimpse of my DC FRiends! I certainly don't expect to learn anything from ABC/Nightline's propaganda machine.
HELLO .. can I PLEASE smack her .. pretty please
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