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So, instead of merely reporting the news, now reporters are the news? Apparently Charlie Gibson thinks he is, anyway. He gave an interview to the Toledo Blade on October 5 as if his opinions of the race for the White House are somehow more important than the news of the candidates. You remember the candidates, don't you Chuck? You know, those guys who are actually going to be elected, the ones that you are supposed to be reporting on? Gibson spoke to the Toledo Blade's TV beat reporter Kirk Baird about an upcoming visit to Ohio's Bowling Green State University...

I'm a Director in Hollywood. I've also created visual effects for movies and commercials for 23 years. I'm not disclosing my name at this point, because frankly I've already suffered enough job loss because I was "outted" as a conservative. But enough about me. I caught a commercial teaser for the Charlie Gibson interview of Sarah Palin and something caught my attention as a Director immediately: The use of the position and choice of lenses to minimalize Governor Palin. To be objective to see if I was jumping to conclusions, I immediately reviewed Mr. Gibson's interview with Senator Obama. Take...

I watched ABC News Anchorman Charlie Gibson interview Governor Palin last night and was horrified by his blatant disdain for her and by the Grand Inquisitorial nature of the interview. He was not there to draw her out but to trap, shame and expose her as an unqualified fraud. He never smiled. He never paused. He literally looked down at her as he peered through his half-lowered glasses. He grilled her relentlessly, on and on, and when he thought she did not have the right answer e.g. as to what the Bush Doctrine really is, he “failed” her right on...

Electoral victories of Democrats is a matter the media elites take immensely personal. Bill Clinton’s victory in ’92 was seen as their victory, the ascension to power of all children of the 60s (although Clinton is more conservative than they are, we must bear in mind that perception always trumps reality when it comes to the whimsical allegiances of superficial media elites) . Their fierce allegiance has now transferred to their replacement hero, Obama, who is far more radical than Clinton ever was and who may be even more radical than the media elites are themselves. So it’s understandable that...

The bold choice of Governor Sarah Palin to be John McCain’s Vice Presidential running mate is one that caught many observers, including some contributors to this blog off guard. It was and remains a risky choice, and Governor Palin is not without negatives, but to Senator McCain’s credit, his choice of running mate has ignited a degree of enthusiasm and support across the political spectrum that has propelled him into the lead for the first time in this presidential contest. Whether Governor Palin was a wise choice will ultimately be determined on Election Day, and that will partly be determined...

I admit, this is a pure vanity post. Personally, I was THRILLED by the way Governor Palin took all the snide slings and ambush arrows ABC could hurl at her last night. From now on, at least for me, Sarah Palin is The Thrilla From Wasilla !

The Rumblings In The Jungle – Journalists Turn On Charlie Gibson. The phone lines are again rumbling in New York and Washington. The overriding question: Et Tu, Charlie? I have spoken with a number of old TV journalist friends in last 12 hours. The haze of amazement hanging over the network newsroom is palatable. It’s as if old truths have been proven wrong, old friends abandoned their dearest comrades, and we all awakened up to find out that 2 + 2 really does equals 7. Charlie Gibson’s (well, he has been “Charlie” for years, but since he apparently is not...

ABC News Sarah Palin Defends Experience, Takes Hard Line Approach on National Security Republican VP Candidate Speaks with ABC News' Charlie Gibson in Exclusive Interview By RUSSELL GOLDMAN Sept. 11, 2008— On the anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history, Gov. Sarah Palin took a hard-line approach on national security and said that war with Russia may be necessary if that nation invades another country. In her first of three interviews with ABC News's Charles Gibson and the only interview since being picked by Sen. John McCain as his Republican vice presidential nominee, Palin categorized the Russian invasion...

EXCERPTS: Charlie Gibson Interviews Sarah Palin (September 11, 2008)THE BOLDED & UNDERLINED PARTS WERE EDITED OUT OF THE INTERVIEW GIBSON: Governor, let me start by asking you a question that I asked John McCain about you, and it is really the central question. Can you look the country in the eye and say “I have the experience and I have the ability to be not just vice president, but perhaps president of the United States of America?” PALIN: I do, Charlie, and on January 20, when John McCain and I are sworn in, if we are so privileged to...

Did ABC cheat in Palin interview? Perhaps. It’s not unusual for news anchors to wear almost hidden earpieces during their live anchoring. It allows the producers to clandestinely talk to the anchors during the newscast and anchors to hear reporters in the field, receive time cues and other important audio. It’s not unusual to see anchors holding their earpiece a little tighter into their ear if they are having trouble hearing what is being fed and said to them. But an earpiece during a supposedly one-on-one interview would be very unusual. Why would the interviewer need support from producers or...

A transcript of the unedited interview of Sarah Palin by Charles Gibson clearly shows that ABC News edited out crucial portions of the interview that showed Palin as knowledgeable or presented her answers out of context. This unedited transcript of the first of the Gibson interviews with Palin is available on radio host Mark Levin's website. The sections edited out by ABC News are in bold. The first edit shows Palin responding about meeting with foreign leaders but this was actually in response to a question Gibson asked several questions earlier: GIBSON: Have you ever met a foreign head of...

EXCERPTS: Charlie Gibson Interviews Sarah Palin (September 11, 2008) THE BOLDED & UNDERLINED PARTS WERE EDITED OUT OF THE INTERVIEW

If Democrats and the media can't stop talking about Sarah Palin and "The Bush Doctrine" for the next week, take heart - it's going to be OK.   Following the first night of the Sarah Palin interview with Charlie Gibson, the big headlines of "Sarah Palin: Tough on National Security, Unsure of Bush Doctrine, Disagreed with McCain on ANWR" are fine by me.   And I don't think that America is going to laugh Sarah Palin out of presidential politics for not knowing what "the Bush doctrine" is. (In fact, I thought she handled the question pretty well.  Sure,...

Here is the third and fourth parts of Charlie Gibson's interview with Gov. Sarah Palin which aired tonight on World News Tonight. Gibson continued in "gotcha" mode, not really wanting to get to know who Sarah Palin is, but trying every conceivable angle to trip her up. . . . (see videos at link)

But that may be a result of the ham-fisted editing - which seemed to cut her off mid-thought on many answers. ABC should release the entire, unedited interview, so that Americans can judge her more fairly.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- There were no surprises, no knockout zingers, but also no bloopers Thursday night in Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's first TV interview since becoming the Republican vice presidential nominee. Charles Gibson of ABC News was out for blood and inherently applied a double-standard compared with the kid gloves George Stephanopoulos used on Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois on Sunday night. Gibson was out to embarrass Palin and expose her presumed ignorance from the word go. By contrast, when Obama referred to his "Muslim faith" on Sunday and did not correct himself, Stephanopoulos rushed...

".....but that’s what he gets for relying on the Associated Press, which took the liberty of bowdlerizing her quote mid-sentence in order to make it fit the narrative they were trying to build of her as some fundie who thinks she can read God’s mind..."

Hubris was indeed revealed in the ABC interview with Sarah Palin, and it wasn't coming from Sarah Palin, but Charlie Gibson. But there was more than Charlie's sneering condescending tone, looking down over the rim of his glasses like some snobby intellectual that bothered me. Twisting her words into a fabrication feeding the fear of theocracy was utterly insulting. It was especially insulting to claim that these were her "exact words" after being challenged on it. Watch this video excerpt from the interview to see the exchange. Here is the transcript of the exchange: GIBSON: You said recently, in your...

Tonight, Sarah Palin sat down with Charlie Gibson for an interview, and ABC showed us Charlie’s first two segments. The first portion dealt with her readiness for leadership, and the second dealt with foreign policy. I’ll let you watch and be the judge, but I think Sarah’s ready for her closeup. Others in the blogosphere thought she didn’t do well, but seeing as Charlie had his questions prepared, Sarah did not have her answers prepared, and the fact that I do not believe these questions have ever been asked of an other V.P. candidate, I’m still pleased with her performance....

ABC News anchor Charles Gibson may have thought he was giving a fair but “tough” interview to Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska, in the first press contact with the new vice-presidential candidate. But ABC did itself no favors. Viewers watching the dagger-and-sheath interview — aired on national television last night and endlessly replayed on “YouTube” — could easily draw a different conclusion. Unconsciously or not, Gibson’s manner and language fairly dripped with condescension and disbelief. It was the flourish of a trial attorney who chooses to substitute body language for substance, in persuading the jury that the witness is unworthy....