Tag Archives: world-news

ABC’s World News Runs White House Produced Pro-ObamaCare Video as ‘News’

Posted on September 24, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Comments Off on ABC’s World News Runs White House Produced Pro-ObamaCare Video as ‘News’

Back in 1992, ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings told viewers his network would skip coverage of “routine” campaign events, unless they actually contributed new information that viewers could use. In an effort to keep ABC from being used as a propaganda arm for politicians, Jennings declared “there will be less attention to staged appearances and sound bites designed exclusively for television.” He later elaborated to the Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz, saying he did not want to be “‘seduced by pictures as we’ve been so easily seduced in the past. I don’t think any of us ever wants to be in the flag factory situation again,’ referring to a 1988 Bush campaign event.” Evidently, times have changed. On Thursday’s World News, ABC anchor Diane Sawyer ran as a “news” item a White House-produced video — complete with schmaltzy background music — of President Obama taking a phone call from a cancer patient who, Sawyer informed viewers “is now able to get health insurance” thanks to ObamaCare. “This is an honor. I want to thank you, so much,” Gail O’Brien told the President. The video is not even new — Sawyer identified it merely as a conversation that took pace “recently,” but “today we got to listen in,” indicating that Thursday was the day the White House chose to drop this out there for sycophantic news networks to plug into their newscasts. For the record, CBS and NBC refused to take the bait (at least on Thursday night’s broadcasts). Here’s the transcript of the brief item, which set up a story about how the new provisions would lead to higher premiums for many customers: DIANE SAWYER: This is the day significant changes in health care insurance go into effect in America. And today we got to listen in on a phone call — President Obama talking recently to Gail O’Brien, a cancer patient in New Hampshire who is now able to get health insurance. PRESIDENT OBAMA [On screen: “White House video,” background music playing]: Hi, Gail? VOICE: Hello. OBAMA: How are you? GAIL O’BRIEN: I’m doing really well, thank you. This is an honor. I want to thank you, so much.

Read the original here:
ABC’s World News Runs White House Produced Pro-ObamaCare Video as ‘News’

Comments Off on ABC’s World News Runs White House Produced Pro-ObamaCare Video as ‘News’

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

Qur’an Burning Threat Leads Network News to Discover Wisdom of Palin and Pope

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

“Anti-Muslim bigotry is a problem, but it is only exacerbated by the media’s tendency to exaggerate and sensationalize it,” the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto observed Wednesday in looking at the media’s focus on the threat, to burn Qur’ans, by one widely condemned Florida pastor with barely a few dozen followers. On Wednesday night, for the second night in a row, two of the three broadcast network evening news shows led with Terry Jones (ABC and CBS on Tuesday, CBS and NBC on Wednesday.) But what I found amusing is how network journalists decided Sarah Palin, the Pope – and even Pat Robertson – are now sources of wisdom worth publicizing. Over aerial video of the Vatican (screen capture below), Katie Couric teased the CBS Evening News: “Tonight, despite condemnation from the Vatican and a personal plea from Muslims, that Christian minister in Florida is going ahead with plans to burn copies of the Qur’an.” “This is the news,” an excited Diane Sawyer announced on ABC, “not only is Billy Graham’s son Franklin trying to reach out to him, so is Sarah Palin.” Terry Moran relayed how “late today, Sarah Palin tweeted her opposition, writing: ‘Please stand down.’ And long-time televangelist Pat Robertson blasted Pastor Jones this morning.” In the second of two reports at the top of the NBC Nightly News, Andrea Mitchell touted how “the Florida pastor even got the Vatican’s attention” and aired a clip of a Vatican spokesman declaring: “This act would only call for new hate and violence.” Mitchell concluded by approvingly paraphrasing a political figure normally the object of journalistic scorn: “Sarah Palin has now tweeted that Pastor Jones should please stand down , that people have a right to burn a Qur’an but that it is insensitive and an unnecessary provocation that will feed the fire.” Palin’s tweet: “Koran Burning Is Insensitive, Unnecessary; Pastor Jones, Please Stand Down” Back to ABC’s World News, Terry Moran saw sinister views of Islam held by Americans, but failed to point out attitudes have held steady for years and are not spiking: Still, Jones vows to go forward, convinced he speaks for many Americans. A brand new ABC News poll confirms some disturbing facts. 26 percent of Americans admit to feelings of prejudice against Muslims and only 54 percent of Americans see Islam as a peaceful religion. 31 percent say mainstream Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims. In reciting the same numbers online , however, ABC News polling chief Gary Langer added a crucial fact which undermines the implication that negative views of Islam are growing: Just 54 percent call Islam a peaceful religion, while a substantial minority, 31 percent, thinks mainstream Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims. This view has held steady since 2003 , after doubling from 2002. From the WSJ’s online “Best of the Web Today” for September 8 , a perceptive take from James Taranto: …Anti-Muslim bigotry is a problem, but it is only exacerbated by the media’s tendency to exaggerate and sensationalize it – and by the adversarial and snobbish attitude many journalists and some politicians have adopted toward the vast majority of Americans, who are not bigoted and who see the Ground Zero mosque as an affront. The obnoxious pastor and the obnoxious media have a confluence of interests here. It is no credit to the latter that their behavior has been no worse than that of the former. Sawyer set up Moran’s September 8 story: The chorus of voices grew louder today denouncing that Florida pastor who plans to burn the Qur’an on Saturday, the anniversary of 9/11. And, as we told you last night, Terry Jones’ church has only a couple of dozen members, but tonight, this is the news: Not only is Billy Graham’s son Franklin trying to reach out to him, so is Sarah Palin. And, we have a new poll showing what Americans really think and know about Islam. Here’s Terry Moran. …. TERRY MORAN: Late today, Sarah Palin tweeted her opposition, writing: “Please stand down.” And long-time televangelist Pat Robertson blasted Pastor Jones this morning. PAT ROBERTSON: Imagine a pastor that is so egotistical that he would sacrifice the lives of missionaries and soldiers to go forward with something. This is so stupid. CBS Evening News, September 8: After Couric’s tease quoted above (“Tonight, despite condemnation from the Vatican and a personal plea from Muslims, that Christian minister in Florida is going ahead with plans to burn copies of the Qur’an”), she related in her opening: “And the Vatican said quote, “This act would only call for new hate and violence.’”

View post:
Qur’an Burning Threat Leads Network News to Discover Wisdom of Palin and Pope

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

ABC’s Diane Sawyer Promotes ‘Change Agent’ Arianna Huffington and Her ‘Innovative Solutions’

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC’s Diane Sawyer gave Arianna Huffington a rare gift on Tuesday night: An entire World News segment devoted to promoting the left-winger’s new book, Third World America: How Our Politicians Are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream , and her Huffington Post site. Though a matching ABCNews.com posting described Huffington as a “liberal commentator,” no iteration of liberal passed Sawyer’s lips. As if Huffington’s book does any such thing, Sawyer wondered: “What if we pulled together in one place all the innovative ideas for creating jobs?” The generous on-screen heading beneath Huffington’s picture: “Change Agent.” After highlighting Huffington’s wish to absolve troubled mortgage-holders of much of their responsibility, Sawyer trumpeted: Arianna Huffington’s new book is called Third World America, and on her Web site, she’s been gathering innovative solutions to keep that Third World from happening. The articles posted on the Huffington Post page with “innovative solutions ,” a page the ABC segment displayed, sound more like the usual liberal carping: “Work Until You’re Dead? That May Be the Only Option for Many Americans,” “Thousands Crowd Atlanta Area Housing Authority for Section 8 WAITING LIST, Fights Break Out,” “The 10 Highest-Paid CEOs Who Laid Off the Most Workers: Institute for Policy Studies” and “Income Inequality: ‘The Most Profound Change In American Society In Your Lifetime.’” Huffington hailed: “It’s one person’s idea, like, that’s what I love. It’s like, somebody imagined that, and is making it happen.” Sawyer then showcased an idea that’s failed: “One solution we heard about, Gene Epstein, a self-made millionaire who’s going door to door in Philadelphia, asking every small business to hire one more employee, just for six months. He says if ten percent of businesses do that, one half million people will be employed.” She had to acknowledge, however, he’s “got only one signature.” Not raised by Sawyer in her friendly session with Huffington – the title’s racial overtones. Imagine if a conservative had written a book warning President Obaam’s policies could turn the U.S. into a “Third World” nation? From the Tuesday, September 7 ABC World News: DIANE SAWYER: And finally tonight, what if we pulled together in one place all the innovative ideas for creating jobs? Arianna Huffington has just written a book which begins with some tough statistics about Americans faltering in this economy. SAWYER TO HUFFINGTON, IN MOCK DISBELIEF: Every 30 seconds, someone goes bankrupt in America. Every 30 seconds? ARIANNA HUFFINGTON: Every 30 seconds. And almost three million homes were lost in the last year and about three million or more are expected to be foreclosed in 2010. SAWYER: Foreclosures on mortgages. You think it should be required that every one be negotiated? HUFFINGTON: We need to help people in the middle class who are losing their homes. SAWYER: You don’t think there will be a wave of people shouting, “it’s just not fair, I scraped and saved to make my mortgage payment”? HUFFINGTON: There’s an awful lot that’s happening that’s not fair. But I feel that’s something that, in the end, is going to have a positive impact on every community in the whole country. SAWYER: Arianna Huffington’s new book is called Third World America, and on her Web site, she’s been gathering innovative solutions to keep that Third World from happening. HUFFINGTON: It’s one person’s idea, like, that’s what I love. It’s like, somebody imagined that, and is making it happen. SAWYER: One solution we heard about, Gene Epstein, a self-made millionaire who’s going door to door in Philadelphia, asking every small business to hire one more employee, just for six months. He says if ten percent of businesses do that, one half million people will be employed. GENE EPSTEIN, BUSINESSMAN: People will be buying, stocks will be moving, people will start spending the cash that they’ve had in hand, waiting to spend. SAWYER: So far, he’s undaunted, though he’s got only one signature, a carpet company. EPSTEIN: Businesses have created what we are in the United States. Why can’t they be the salvation for what we are in the United States? SAWYER: Just one person, six months. You think you can pay it forward that way? HUFFINGTON: Yes, I totally believe you can pay it forward. Truth is that democracy’s not a spectator sport. When people take action, it’s the greatest antidote to despair. SAWYER: The rest of the interview’s on ABCNews.com, and give us your innovative ideas.

Go here to see the original:
ABC’s Diane Sawyer Promotes ‘Change Agent’ Arianna Huffington and Her ‘Innovative Solutions’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Nets See ‘Mixed Picture,’ ‘Mixed Bag’ and ‘Silver Lining’ in Rising Unemployment Rate

Posted on September 3, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

The Labor Department announced the unemployment rate rose a tenth of a point, to 9.6 percent in August so, as the AP noted , it “has exceeded 9 percent for 16 straight months,” while the economy lost 54,000 jobs. Yet, without avoiding the dire numbers, ABC, CBS and NBC managed to find a “mixed picture,” “mixed bag” or even a “silver lining” for President Obama and Democrats two months before election day. “It’s a mixed picture here, but it’s giving some encouragement to those who are out there looking, some who are hanging onto their jobs and their businesses by a thread,” Brian Williams insisted on Friday’s NBC Nightly News. On the CBS Evening News, fill-on anchor Erica Hill saw “a bit of a mixed bag” before Anthony Mason asserted that “weak as the job numbers were, they were better than Wall Street expected” and he touted: “With American businesses creating 67,000 jobs in August, the private sector has now added jobs for eight straight months.” Over on ABC, fill-in anchor David Muir elevated Obama’s spin, teasing World News: “More jobs lost and the President, just today, taking the Republicans on. Are they standing in the way?” He introduced the subsequent story: “This country lost another 54,000 jobs in August, and the President today took on the Republicans, saying they’re the ones blocking help for small business.” In a lengthy set up leading into a report from Jake Tapper, Muir trumpeted: But some economists say there is still a silver lining in these new numbers, because if you take away the 115,000 temporary government jobs – those Census jobs we knew were going away — a slightly different picture emerges. The crucial private sector actually adding 67,000 workers in August, health care and construction leading the way. And that comes after the private sector added 107,000 in July, 61,000 in June… Nice that Muir realizes the private sector is “crucial”!   Earlier today, from Julia Seymour of the MRC’s Business & Media Institute : “ CNN’s ‘Glass One-Quarter Full’ Spin: Emphasize Private Job Gains ” David Muir, on the Friday, September 3 ABC World News: We do turn now to the political storm brewing in Washington over the new jobs numbers out today. This country lost another 54,000 jobs in August, and the President today took on the Republicans, saying they’re the ones blocking help for small business. That, in a moment, but first, the numbers. Word that the nation’s employers cut another 54,000 jobs in August, marks the third month in a row that this country has seen a net loss of jobs. But some economists say there is still a silver lining in these new numbers, because if you take away the 115,000 temporary government jobs – those Census jobs we knew were going away — a slightly different picture emerges. The crucial private sector actually adding 67,000 workers in August, health care and construction leading the way. And that comes after the private sector added 107,000 in July, 61,000 in June. It’s growth, but still not the number of private sector jobs needed to keep one the nearly 15 million Americans still looking for work. And as I mentioned, the President was quick today to frame the numbers his way and so lets turn right now to Jake Tapper. CBS Evening News: ERICA HILL: Back home, a new sign the economic recovery will be a long, slow journey. Today the Labor Department reported private businesses added 67,000 jobs in August, but overall the economy lost jobs as the Census Bureau laid off more temporary workers. And the unemployment rate inched up to a tenth of a point, a tenth of a point, rather, to 9.6 percent. Wall Street was encouraged by the news that businesses are hiring, though. The Dow jumped 128 points today for its first positive close week in a month. Anthony Mason is our senior business correspondent. So overall, Anthony, it’s a bit of a mixed bag? ANTHONY MASON: Yeah Erica, weak as the job numbers were, they were better than Wall Street expected and seemed to give investors confidence the economy can avoid a double-dip recession. With American businesses creating 67,000 jobs in August, the private sector has now added jobs for eight straight months… Brian Williams on the NBC Nightly News: Turning to the U.S. economy and the latest reading on the job market for August. Employers cut 54,000 workers from their payrolls, less than what analysts had predicted. The unemployment rate ticked up a notch: 9.6 percent now as discouraged workers restarted their job search. It’s a mixed picture here, but it’s giving some encouragement to those who are out there looking, some who are hanging onto their jobs and their businesses by a thread…

Read more:
Nets See ‘Mixed Picture,’ ‘Mixed Bag’ and ‘Silver Lining’ in Rising Unemployment Rate

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Olbermann Mocked Horowitz for Exposing Stoning of Women in Iran, Ignores Actual Stoning Threat

Posted on August 31, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

While MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was recently dismissive of conservatives for highlighting radical Islam’s persecution of homosexuals in some countries, the Countdown host also has a history of showing more interest in mocking conservatives who complain about the persecution of women by radical Muslims than of actually reporting on such mistreatment. Last July, Olbermann ignored a story about an Iranian woman accused of adultery who was sentenced to death by stoning – a story carried by the NBC Nightly News and ABC’s World News – but on September, 28, 2007, when conservative activist David Horowitz mistakenly cited an image from a movie as if it were taken from an actual stoning, the MSNBC host pounced to slam Horowitz, calling him a “right-wing fringer,” naming him “Worst Person in the World,” as he sarcastically mocked the conservative activist’s attempt to draw attention to such persecution. Olbermann: The image is actually from a 1994 film made in Holland… [The actress] has made at least three appearances on Dutch TV since. Evidently she’s okay. But keep plugging away, Mr. Horowitz. Let’s keep spending billions of dollars to stoke up religious hatred and send our kids to their deaths on the battlefield so we can prevent Dutch actresses from having to do scenes in which their characters are buried alive in a movie. Right-wing water carrier David, “I saw it in the movies, it must be real,” Horowitz, today’s “Worst Person in the World!” By contrast, on July 8, 2010, NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams set up a story about a woman who was awaiting the sentence of stoning to death in Iran, and treated the issue with the seriousness that it deserves: Fair warning, this next story is tough to watch. It’s about a tough subject that is not for any children who may be in the room. It’s about an international outcry tonight over an ancient and brutal form of punishment, one you might think had vanished from the modern world: a woman in Iran convicted of adultery scheduled to be stoned to death. And her own son is risking his life to save hers. It’s a story that’s captured attention around the world. Before informing viewers that the Iranian government had apparently backed down and chosen not to carry out the sentence, correspondent Dawna Friesen recounted: “Stoning in Iran is less common than it once was. Amnesty International knows of just six cases since 2006. When it does happen, men are buried up to their waists, women up to their breasts. If they manage to struggle free, the death sentence is commuted, but women, buried more deeply, rarely do.” On the July 9, 2010, World News, ABC anchor Diane Sawyer introduced a piece on the subject: “And all eyes are on Iran tonight, where a wave of international outrage may be causing the ayatollahs to stop an awful execution – a mother of two, the charge, adultery. She is scheduled to be stoned to death slowly.” Correspondent Jim Sciutto informed viewers: “Six Iranians have been put to death by stoning since 2006, a brutal punishment following a set of arcane rules. Men are buried up to their waists, women to their chests, and the stones, the penal code says, must not be large enough to kill instantly or too small not to be called a stone.”

Go here to see the original:
Olbermann Mocked Horowitz for Exposing Stoning of Women in Iran, Ignores Actual Stoning Threat

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

ABC Confounded Stabber Not Right-Winger, Still Exploits ‘Knife Attack That’s Cut Deep Into National Debate Over Faith and Fear’

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC News sure wanted to paint Michael Enright, the 21-year-old charged with stabbing Muslim cab driver Ahmed Sharif in Manhattan, as a bigoted hate crime perpetrator who is the inevitable result of Islamophobic opposition to the mosque near Ground Zero. And the network didn’t let the facts get in the way of their agenda – though they were confounded by how he “has a baffling profile” since “he volunteers with a church group that promotes peace and understanding” which “actually support[s] putting that Islamic center down here near Ground Zero.” Sighed Diane Sawyer: “Really confounding, the story of that suspect.” Sawyer, who made the incident her top story (CBS ran a short item, Katrina-obsessed NBC skipped it and most other news), led the Thursday World News by imparting great meaning: “This might have been a small story in another time, but it’s touched on a deeper wave of concern because of all the tension over that mosque and cultural center planned near Ground Zero. At the center of the story, a Muslim cab driver, stabbed two days ago.” Reporter Jeremy Hubbard also saw a larger significance as he played off the weapon used: “It is the knife attack that’s cut deep into a national debate over faith and fear.” Hubbard, who at least did acknowledge very few criminal acts are targeted at Muslims, soon relayed the spin of those who see anti-Muslim hate: “The attack, some Muslims are certain, was fueled by what they call fearmongering over the Islamic cultural center and mosque planned for this site near Ground Zero. There are three flash points cited by Muslims across the country where the rage is evident…” Earlier Thursday, on Good Morning America, Hubbard wondered if the stabbing was “proof the rhetoric surrounding the proposed Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero has created a heightened fear and prejudice against Muslims.?” More on Thursday morning coverage in this post by Scott Whitlock: “ ABC, CBS: Did ‘Heightened Fear and Prejudice’ of Ground Zero Mosque Prompt NYC Violence? ” Monday night: “ ABC Works to Rehabilitate Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s Reputation After Pining for George W. Bush ” From the ABC World News of Thursday August 26, transcript provided by the MRC’s Brad Wilmouth: DIANE SAWYER: Good evening. It was a remarkable moment today in the season of headlines about religious tolerance, and what it is to be Muslim in America. This might have been a small story in another time, but it’s touched on a deeper wave of concern because of all the tension over that mosque and cultural center planned near Ground Zero. At the center of the story, a Muslim cab driver, stabbed two days ago. And by his side today, the Mayor of New York. Why? Jeremy Hubbard on the attack and fallout. JEREMY HUBBARD: It is the knife attack that’s cut deep into a national debate over faith and fear. AHMED SHARIF, STABBING VICTIM: I said, “Please, do not kill me, I am very hard worker. I work very hard.” HUBBARD: Ahmed Sharif – who’s driven a cab for 15 years – slashed across the head, neck and shoulders. MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, NEW YORK CITY MAYOR: This should never have happened. Violence and being disrespectful to each other is not part of why America was formed. HUBBARD: The suspect, 21-year-old Michael Enright has a baffling profile. An honors film school student, he volunteers with a church group that promotes peace and understanding. The only clue to possible bias, war journals on him at the time of his arrest. Diaries he filled out during a recent trip to Afghanistan, where he made a college film about U.S. troops serving there. Those journals, police say, talked about Afghans who were ungrateful for the American military presence in their country. Still, the attack, some Muslims are certain, was fueled by what they call fearmongering over the Islamic cultural center and mosque planned for this site near Ground Zero. There are three flash points cited by Muslims across the country where the rage is evident. A radical church in Gainesville, Florida, gaining worldwide attention for its plan to mark September 11 by burning hundreds of copies of the Koran. Then, there’s the mosque in Madera, California, vandalized three times in a week. And Murfreesboro, Tennessee, where hundreds filled city hall, openly hostile over plans for a mega-mosque that some locals  fear will breed terrorists. An ABC news poll last year showed that nearly half of Americans held an unfavorable opinion of Islam, many of them believing the religion encouraged violence. On the other hand, the most recent FBI crime stats show in 2008, there were 123 anti-Islam bias crimes nationwide a number that paled in comparison to at least one other religion [1,055 against Jews]. And even in New York, police say crimes against Muslims are not on the rise, despite what happened to the cabbie who made an appeal for us all to get along. SHARIF: This is the city of all color, races, all religion, everyone will live here side by side peacefully. HUBBARD: There is one other note about that suspected stabber that muddies the water even further. That peace group he volunteered with, they actually support putting that Islamic center down here near Ground Zero where we are tonight. The suspected stabber, by the way, is charged with attempted murder as a hate crime, Diane. SAWYER: Really confounding, the story of that suspect. Thank you, Jeremy Hubbard, reporting from New York tonight.

Read more:
ABC Confounded Stabber Not Right-Winger, Still Exploits ‘Knife Attack That’s Cut Deep Into National Debate Over Faith and Fear’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , ,

ABC Works to Rehabilitate Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s Reputation After Pining for George W. Bush

Posted on August 23, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

ABC News set out Monday night to rehabilitate the reputation of the iman behind the proposed mosque near Ground Zero, Feisal Abdul Rauf, trying to discredit criticism of him from the right as Sharyn Alfonsi portrayed him as a model of religious tolerance who condemns suicide bombers, terrorism and Hamas and who deserves admiration because he “eulogized Daniel Pearl.” The night before, in a Sunday World News story on protests over the mosque, ABC expressed sudden respect for former President Bush as reporter Linsey Davis used him to undermine opponents: “In an attempt to make a clear distinction between Islam and terrorism, within days of 9/11 President Bush went to a mosque.” Alfonsi generously began with how “he candidly discussed his beliefs with Barbara Walters for her 2006 special on Heaven” where he promised her “the Jews, the Christians, whoever believes in God and does good will be saved.” As for whether “one man’s suicide bomber is another man’s martyr?”, Alfonsi assured viewers: In his book, the imam wrote: “The truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong and no argument or excuse, no matter how deeply believed, can ever make it right.” Playing a clip of Rauf saying “United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened” on 9/11, Alfonsi noted that’s why “critics called him a terror sympathizer,” but, she countered, “a spokesman for the imam tells us the comments were, quote, ‘taken out of context.’”   She concluded with another endorsement for Feisal Abdul Rauf’s character: And while all of the imam’s writings and interviews are now being thoroughly examined, many critics have overlooked one of his more memorable speeches. The imam actually eulogized Daniel Pearl, the journalist murdered by Islamist terrorists in Pakistan, and, Diane, he asked forgiveness for what’s been done in the name of Islam. Sawyer chirped in: “That’s right, he was there at that memorial.” A couple of columns with facts and concerns ignored or dismissed by Alfonsi: From the August 23 New York Post, “ Rauf: a moderate? Beware imams’ doubletalk ,” by Hoover Institution media fellow Paul Sperry. And from National Review online over the weekend, a piece by Andrew C. McCarthy: “ Which Islam Will Prevail in America? That is the real question at hand in the Ground Zero mosque debate .” Sunday night, anchor David Muir announced: “Tonight, we take you to the protest, and we take you back to the days right after 9/11 when then-President Bush offered his own words about Islam.” From that story: LINSEY DAVIS: In an attempt to make a clear distinction between Islam and terrorism, within days of 9/11 President Bush went to a mosque. FORMER PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH, SEPT 17, 2001: That’s not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. DAVIS: But in recent weeks, many prominent Republicans have suggested otherwise… Earlier on Sunday: “ Amanpour on One-Sided This Week: ‘Profound Questions About Religious Tolerance and Prejudice in the U.S .’” The story on ABC’s World News from Monday, August 23, transcript provided by the MRC’s Brad Wilmouth: DIANE SAWYER: Back here in New York, several hundred people spent Sunday in loud and dueling protests about the mosque near Ground Zero – for and against. The head of the mosque is on his third stop in the Middle East sent by the U.S. to spread a positive word about being Muslim in America. And Sharyn Alfonsi asked some more questions today about who he is.      SHARYN ALFONSI: He candidly discussed his beliefs with Barbara Walters for her 2006 special on Heaven. BARBARA WALTERS: Do only Muslims go to Heaven? IMAM FEISAL ABDUL RAUF: The fundamental thing is you must accept God. You have to believe that there is a creator. The Jews, the Christians, whoever believes in God and does good will be saved. ALFONSI: Rauf, who watched his father, a Muslim scholar, pioneer interfaith dialogue in the 60s in New York, went on to do the same thing after the September 11 attacks. Rauf was the imam – or head priest – of a New York mosque just 12 blocks from Ground Zero. WALTERS: Do you believe that a suicide bomber goes to Heaven? RAUF: One of the things that we are taught is never to say somebody will go to Hell or somebody will go to Heaven. It is up to God to decide. WALTERS: So one man’s suicide bomber is another man’s martyr? RAUF: Well, the expression that I’ve heard is, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s hero.” ALFONSI: But, in his book, the imam wrote, “The truth is that killing innocent people is always wrong and no argument or excuse, no matter how deeply believed, can ever make it right.” He’s been praised for being moderate. But it was this interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes after the September 11 attacks that has drawn scrutiny. RAUF: I wouldn’t say that the United States deserved what happened, but United States policies were an accessory to the crime that happened. ALFONSI: Critics called him a terror sympathizer. But a spokesman for the imam tells us the comments were, quote, “taken out of context.” He went on to describe the mistakes the CIA made in the 1980s by financing Osama bin Laden and strengthening the Taliban. And what about claims that the imam sympathizes with Hamas? Asked if the State Department was correct to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization: RAUF CLIP #1: I do not want to be placed, neither will I accept to be placed, in a position where I am the target of one side or another. RAUF CLIP #2: The targeting of civilians is wrong. ALFONSI: And while all of the imam’s writings and interviews are now being thoroughly examined, many critics have overlooked one of his more memorable speeches. The imam actually eulogized Daniel Pearl, the journalist murdered by Islamist terrorists in Pakistan, and, Diane, he asked forgiveness for what’s been done in the name of Islam. SAWYER: That’s right, he was there at that memorial. Good to see you tonight, Sharyn. Thank you.

See the original post:
ABC Works to Rehabilitate Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf’s Reputation After Pining for George W. Bush

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CBS, NBC Skip Pelosi Threat to Investigate Opposition to Ground Zero Mosque

Posted on August 19, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Only Good Morning America’s Jake Tapper on Thursday mentioned the call by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to investigate those who oppose the construction of a mosque near Ground Zero. CBS’s Early Show and NBC’s Today both skipped any discussion of the subject. So did Wednesday night’s network newscasts. Tapper explained, “And the House top Democrat also called for transparency for who is funding the opposition to the Islamic center.” He then featured a clip of Pelosi advocating, “And I have joined those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded.” However, Tapper also described GOP opposition to the Ground Zero mosque this way: ” Some of the opposition is being ginned up by the group founded by Republicans William Kristol and Liz Cheney, which has started running this web video, featuring family members of 9/11 victims.” “Ginned up” is not a term often used for liberal organizations A transcript of the August 19 segment, which aired at 7:04am EDT, follows: ASHLEIGH BANFIELD: Some developments in the controversy over the Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero. Two New York leaders, Governor David Paterson, and the leader of the Catholic Church in the city, have suggested that the center be moved to another site. The issue is following the President, too, as he begins his vacation today on Martha’s Vineyard, where we catch up with Jake Tapper this morning. Jake? JAKE TAPPER: Good morning, Ashleigh. Well, that’s right, President Obama arrives here later today, hoping to get a break from the depressing economic news, the grueling reports from the front lines in Afghanistan and, of course, that contentious debate of that proposed Islamic center two blocks from Ground Zero. The President went to Ohio to campaign for Democrats and to talk about jobs. BARACK OBAMA: We are moving in the right direction. TAPPER: But, inevitably, he was asked whether he had any regrets about joining the controversy over the proposed Islamic center near Ground Zero, so overwhelmingly opposed by the public. OBAMA: The answer is no regrets. TAPPER: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed the President’s support for freedom of religion. She also called for transparency for who will pay for the project, which some estimates price at $100 million. And the House top Democrat also called for transparency for who is funding the opposition to the Islamic center. NANCY PELOSI: And I have joined those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded. TAPPER: Some of the opposition is being ginned up by the group founded by Republicans William Kristol and Liz Cheney , which has started running this web video, featuring family members of 9/11 victims. UNIDENTIFIED MAN: This mosque, it’s wrong. It’s so wrong. TAPPER: Not every Republican agrees. Ted Olson, the Solicitor General for President George W. Bush, whose wife was killed on 9/11, said President Obama is right. TED OLSON: We don’t want to turn an act of hate against us, by extremists, into an act of intolerance for people of religious faith. TAPPER: And, Ashleigh, on the heels of this debate, a new Pew poll indicates that a growing number of Americans believe, wrongly, that president Obama is a Muslim. It’s 18 percent believe he’s a Muslim. That’s up from 11 percent last year. They were wrong last year. And the 18 percent are wrong this year. Ashleigh? BANFIELD: Wow. So much for vacation, huh? All right, Jake. Thanks very much.

Originally posted here:
CBS, NBC Skip Pelosi Threat to Investigate Opposition to Ground Zero Mosque

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Some Media Tag Serial Stabber as ‘Israeli National,’ Others See ‘Israeli Arab’ or ‘Palestinian Christian’

Posted on August 14, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

When reporting on the nationality of a criminal from another country, it normally would be considered unnecessary or even uncalled for to take the extra step of explicitly identifying the suspect’s ethnicity or religious affiliation as well. But, given that Israelis, the vast majority of whom are Jewish, often face sharp criticism and negative press reaction over conflicts with their Arab neighbors – inflaming anti-Semitic sentiment – if an Israeli citizen who is non-Jewish is implicated in a violent crime, informing viewers that he is non-Jewish would seem to be in order. But so far in the media coverage of serial stabber Elias Abuelazam’s arrest, some major news shows on both broadcast and news networks have avoided explicitly informing viewers that he is not a Jewish Israeli, while others have been more upfront with viewers on the subject. CNN’s The Situation Room, the NBC Nightly News, FNC’s Fox and Friends, and CBS’s The Early Show all directly relayed to viewers at least once that Abuelazam is an Israeli Arab. But ABC’s World News, the CBS Evening News, FNC’s Fox Report, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN’s American Morning and NBC’s Today show have all avoided such a direct identification of ethnicity, although Saturday’s Good Morning America did note that his mother had spoken Arabic in an interview. On Thursday’s World News, ABC correspondent Steve Osunsami described the serial killer simply as an “Israeli national,” and on Friday’s Good Morning America, ABC correspondent Jeremy Hubbard recounted that he was arrested “just as he was about to board a flight to his native Israel.” On Saturday’s Good Morning America, Osunsami again referred to him as an “Israeli national,” but later in the report indirectly conveyed his ethnicity by noting that Abuelazam’s mother in Israel had spoken Arabic in an interview. On Thursday’s CBS Evening News, correspondent Elaine Quijano described him as an “Israeli national.” On Friday’s The Early Show, the initial report on Abuelazam did not mention ethnicity as Quijano reported during the 7:00 a.m. hour that, when he was arrested, Abuelazam was “trying to fly to Israel.” But during a news brief just after 8:00 a.m., Jeff Glor described him as an “Israeli Arab.” On Friday’s CBS Evening News, guest anchor Erica Hill referred to Abuelazam’s “native Israel,” while correspondent Quijano again tagged him as an “Israeli national.” On Thursday’s NBC Nightly News, correspondent Pete Williams not only informed viewers that Abuelazam is not Jewish, but, for those who might be worried that being identified as an Arab might implicate Muslims, the NBC correspondent also relayed to viewers that Abuelazam is non-Muslim as Williams referred to him as “an Israeli man, Elias Abuelazam, a Palestinian Christian.” But the Today show did not take Williams’s approach. On Friday’s Today, the story was included in two news briefs, during one of which NBC’s Juju Chang mentioned that he was trying to fly to Israel. Saturday’s Today show included a full report, with co-host Amy Robach tagging him as “a 33-year-old Israeli national,” while correspondent Ron Mott identified him as “an Israeli citizen.” On Thursday’s The Situation Room, CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer identified Abuelazam as an “Israeli Arab” as he plugged the story, and, after a report by correspondent Jeanne Meserve that recounted the crime spree and the serial killer’s arrest, correspondent Paula Hancocks elaborated on his background in Israel, describing him as an “Israeli Arab,” and she, similar NBC’s Pete Williams, noted that he is from a “Christian family.” On Friday’s The Situation Room, correspondent Susan Candiotti did not mention ethnicity, but relayed that “his family in Israel is a very well-respected member of a Christian organization.” But Friday’s American Morning did not take the same approach as The Situation Room, as neither his ethnicity nor his religion was ever mentioned when CNN’s Meserve appeared at the top of each of the show’s three hours, referring to him as an “Israeli citizen” each time. On Thursday’s Fox Report, anchor Shepard Smith described him as a “33-year-old Israeli citizen.” On Friday’s Fox and Friends, FNC co-anchor Gretchen Carlson twice read a brief item on his arrest, referring to him as an “Israeli citizen,” but, during the 8:00 a.m. hour, FNC’s Geraldo Rivera appeared to discuss the matter in more detail and described him as “an Israeli Arab living here on a green card legally,” and later wondered why an Israeli Arab would feel motivated to target African-American victims. On Friday’s Fox Report, anchor Smith referred to “his native Israel,” and on Saturday’s Fox Report, anchor Julie Banderas referred to him as an “Israeli man.”

See the original post:
Some Media Tag Serial Stabber as ‘Israeli National,’ Others See ‘Israeli Arab’ or ‘Palestinian Christian’

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

For Climate Change Piece, ABC’s Dan Harris Fails to Mention Agenda of Global Warming Scientist

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Benny Hollywood| Leave a comment

Good Morning America’s Dan Harris on Friday filed a report on extreme weather and failed to mention the agenda of a global warming scientist. Elizabeth Vargas teased the segment by fretting, ” And coming up next, from killer heat waves to fires to those devastating floods in Pakistan and in Iowa, why all the severe weather? Is it global warning?” Harris interviewed no skeptics of man-made global warming for the piece. He did, however, talk to scientist Gavin Schmidt, identified only as working for NASA. Schmidt predicted doom: “The unusual heat waves, the unusual rainfall events will not be unusual in 10, 20, 30, 40 years’ time.” Not mentioned by Harris? Schmidt also writes for RealClimate.org, a blog site that has been endorsed by Al Gore and is hosted by the liberal Environmental Media Services. Citing floods in Iowa and Pakistan, Harris wondered, “But these sorts of extreme weather events are getting more common and are predicted to get even more so. So we’re looking at a planet potentially where the unusual becomes quite usual?” He did pose one challenging question to Schmidt: “But, skeptics push back and ask what about the huge snowstorms over the winter that crippled Washington, D.C.? Doesn’t that seem to argue against this pattern that scientists talk about?” But, no one skeptical of climate change was featured and Harris ended the piece by warning, “And Americans and the world, [Schmidt] says, need to get ready for it.” For more on Schmidt, including some critical comments he made about NewsBusters’ Noel Sheppard, go here . A transcript of the August 13 segment, which aired at 7:45am EDT, follows: 7:41 tease ELIZABETH VARGAS: And coming up next, from killer heat waves to fires to those devastating floods in Pakistan and in Iowa, why all the severe weather? Is it global warning? 7:45 GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: This winter, we were walloped by snow. This summer, weltering heat. Pakistan fighting its worst floods ever. Russia, its worst wildfires ever. Both sparked by extreme weather. That has put the debate over climate change and global warming front and center once again. And Dan Harris put himself right in the thick of it. ABC Graphic: Summer of Heat, Fire and Floods: Is Climate Change to Blame? DAN HARRIS: It has been a long, miserable summer all over the planet. Here at home, we’ve had the hottest year on record. There have been killer heat waves and also those devastating floods in the Midwest. Over in Russia, the hottest summer on record with thousands dead and hundreds of brush fires destroying wheat crops. In Pakistan, the heaviest monsoon rains on record leaving 14 million people homeless. And in the arctic, the largest chunk of ice to break away from a glacier since scientists started monitoring. Add it all up and does it mean global warming is here? Well, scientists say you can’t blame any one weather event on global warming. But these sorts of extreme weather events are getting more common and are predicted to get even more so. So we’re looking at a planet potentially where the unusual becomes quite usual? GAVIN SCHMIDT PHD (NASA): That’s exactly right. The unusual heat waves, the unusual rainfall events will not be unusual in 10, 20, 30, 40 years’ time. HARRIS: And that’s a bad thing for a lot of people. SCHMIDT: That is a bad thing for a lot of people. HARRIS: But, skeptics push back and ask what about the huge snowstorms over the winter that crippled Washington, D.C.? Doesn’t that seem to argue against this pattern that scientists talk about? SCHMIDT: Well, nobody ever said that it would never snow again. I mean, you’re still going to get cold anomalies but they’re just going to happen less often. And soon they won’t happen hardly at all whereas the other anomalies will come more and more frequently. HARRIS: And Americans and the world, he says, need to get ready for it. For Good Morning America, Dan Harris, ABC News, New York.

See the original post:
For Climate Change Piece, ABC’s Dan Harris Fails to Mention Agenda of Global Warming Scientist

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Hollywood, Hot Stuff, News

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,