11/05/2001
What is going on at ABC News? Media bias observers have been steadily complaining about them since September 11. This week, 57% of the items in the Media Research Center's CyberAlerts dealt with ABC. Here are a few examples:

• David Westin, ABC News President, during a talk with students at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism on Oct. 23, refused to say that the Pentagon was not a legitimate target for a terrorist sneak attack.

  After observing that thousands of innocent civilians were killed in the attack on the World Trade Center, a student asked, "Do you believe the Pentagon was the legitimate military target, even if the missile [probably a reference to the hi-jacked airplane] was not?"

  Westin's response: "The Pentagon as a legitimate target? I actually don't have an opinion on that and it's important I not have an opinion on that as I sit here in my capacity right now . . .. (A)s a journalist I feel strongly that's something that I should not be taking a position on. I'm supposed to find out what is and what is not, not what ought to be."

  The story was reported by the Media Research Center in the October 29 CyberAlert. Matt Drudge then featured the story on his web site and the New York Post "honored" Westin with an editorial. Rush Limbaugh, too, helped publicize the situation.

  By Wednesday afternoon, Westin was compelled to apologize. He e-mailed this statement to the MRC:

  "Like all Americans, I was horrified at the loss of life at the Pentagon, as well as in New York and Pennsylvania on September 11. When asked at an interview session at the Columbia Journalism School whether I believed that the Pentagon was a legitimate target for terrorists, I responded that, as a journalist, I did not have an opinion. I was wrong. I gave an answer to journalism students to illustrate the broad, academic principle that all journalists should draw a firm line between what they know and what their personal opinion might be. Upon reflection, I realized that my answer did not address the specifics of September 11. Under any interpretation, the attack on the Pentagon was criminal and entirely without justification. I apologize for any harm that my misstatement may have caused."

• Cokie Roberts thinks she knows who is to blame for her network airing the Taliban's propaganda - the Pentagon, of course.
  

  Her question for Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld on ABC's This Week, October 28: "There's some sense that we're losing the propaganda war and those pictures we saw of those children at the beginning to the program have taken the place in our minds of the picture of the World Trade Center being blown up. Why not allow more press access so that the United States press can show pictures that fight the Arab press?"

  Rumsfeld responded that the U.S. military has been "enormously forthcoming" with the media, but that it was not practical or safe for reporters to be parachuted into Afghanistan.

  Given that ABC reporters in Afghanistan and Pakistan have not seen fit to contradict the Taliban propaganda, it seems unlikely that increased access would help much.

• The war is moving too slowly for John McWethey. On Monday, Oct. 29, he complained, "Two weeks after the Pentagon said Taliban forces had been 'eviscerated' by U.S. bombing, the Taliban still appear to be firmly in control."

• On Sunday, October 28, terrorists murdered 16 Christians attending church in Pakistan, but ABC News gave it no mention. Instead, David Wright focused his report on civilian casualties of the bombing in Afghanistan.

• Reporter Dan Harris became a guest of the Taliban to assist them by disseminating propaganda. After two weeks in Pakistan reporting on Al-Jazeera video of U.S. atrocities and victim interviews at the Afghan border, he was allowed to visit the Kandahar region. By videophone with Peter Jennings:

  Jennings: "Why do you think they want you there?"

  Harris: "I would say it's because of the rising civilian casualties, what they claim is a rising number of civilian casualties. I think they see that this is an enormous public relations boon to them."

  "What they claim" is what Harris has been reporting as fact.

  On Wednesday, October 31, Harris stated, "We expected a completely joyless, rigid society . . .. (T)oday, in fact, we saw a young boy flying a kite." He then followed this lovely image by sharing the Taliban's case that indiscriminate U.S. bombing has killed hundreds of civilians.

  Peter Jennings asked if the Taliban was trying to "guide" his news coverage. Harris replied, "Nobody is checking our scripts. Nobody is standing here as I do this discussion with you."

• Jeffrey Toobin, the legal analyst for ABC News, is promoting his new book, Too Close to Call: The Thirty-Six-Day Battle to Decide the 2000 Election. A quote from the book:

  "The wrong man was inaugurated on January 20th, 2001, and this is no small thing in our nation's history. The bell of this election can never be un-rung and the sound will haunt us for some time."

  Talk about being out of step! It's enough to cause a person to heave a deep, Al Gore-like sigh!

• Peter Jennings must be feeling Hillary Clinton's pain. He thought it would be a "good" sign if the fans at Yankee Stadium would boo President Bush at the opening game of the World Series:

  "Just one last thing. We are always looking for signs that the country is behaving like its old self again. Tonight at the World Series, if the Yankee fans boo the President, it won't mean necessarily they are unhappy with his leadership, but he did say that he would cheer for anyone but the Yankees in the series. So if New York fans give him the business it just means they're acting like their old selves. And that's probably a good sign."

  Sadly for Peter Jennings, the Yankee fans greeted the president with applause, cheers and chants of "U.S.A, U.S.A". Even more telling of Jennings' attitude, he saw no need to update his viewers the following day.

Good journalism has been lost in the quagmire at ABC. A thorough housecleaning ought to be in order. Media bias activists must make a point of NOT watching ABC News and must encourage their friends and family to do the same. More balanced coverage is available elsewhere. I see no point in e-mailing anyone at ABC. Let's write to ABC's parent company, Disney. Below is the contact information.

Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista St.
Burbank, CA 91521
Phone 919-560-1000

Disney Feedback Select "Television" from the "To:" field drop-down menu. Sample letter Feel free to copy and paste. -->

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