ABCNEWS POLITICAL DIRECTOR Favors Kerry over Bush

[BigBadBrian]

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 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: "This 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.

[Lqskdiver]

"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"
Piece of fucking human waste!! I demand this guys head along with Mary Maples!! They should not be in charge of news networks and messing with the minds of the impressionable, i.e. OD.

Have you heard there new slogan? "ACCURATE AND CREDIBLE"

Bull fucking shit!!

Hell, even Dean could see through these guys masqeurade!

[Ally_Kat]

so wait -- Kerry mistakens, Bush distorts. If Kerry "mistakens" we let that slide. If Bush "distorts" we jump on it.

I really shouldn't be suprised anymore.

[FORD]

Tell you what.... you get FAUX to fire Roger Ailes, John Ellis (Junior's COUSIN, for Christ's sake), Carl Campaign Hack Cameron, and Hitler Hannity, and I'll personally call Michael Eisner and tell him he needs to talk to this guy.

Deal?

[Sgt Schultz]

Originally posted by FORD
Tell you what.... you get FAUX to fire Roger Ailes, John Ellis (Junior's COUSIN, for Christ's sake), Carl Campaign Hack Cameron, and Hitler Hannity, and I'll personally call Michael Eisner and tell him he needs to talk to this guy.

Deal?

Once again FORD can't take the fact that there is ONE news source that isn't left wing. You guys had it your way for 35+ years and now pee pee your pants if there is a news source whose take on a story doesn't fit what you've been weened on. Get over it. Funny how tolerant leftists who are all for free speech want to shut down Fox (or install "blockers" on cable TV etc). This si always the case for them, if they don't agree with it then try to squelch it.

[FORD]

Originally posted by Sgt Schultz
Once again FORD can't take the fact that there is ONE news source that isn't left wing. You guys had it your way for 35+ years and now pee pee your pants if there is a news source whose take on a story doesn't fit what you've been weened on. Get over it. Funny how tolerant leftists who are all for free speech want to shut down Fox (or install "blockers" on cable TV etc). This si always the case for them, if they don't agree with it then try to squelch it.

Employing the pResident's relatives, his campaign staff and PNAC'ers like Kristol takes it to a level resembling that of Pravda in the old USSR. This isn't just a network with right wing bias, it's a network with close ties to the BCE itself, and that's over the line. Clear Channel is even worse. The BCE's own money founded that operation.

[Warham]

Well, FORD, that's one network to what? 10 for the Libs?

I think you guys have it slanted a little much in your favor, don't ya think?

You've been saying that the media is conservatively biased? Only in your dreamworld. The biggest media outlets are ALL liberally biased, except for FOX. And why is FOX now the most watched news network?
Because people are sick of the liberal spin on these major outlets.

[Big Train]

Ford,

I have a question. Let's put the plates down here and get down to brass tacks. Irregardless of what is happening elsewhere, do you see in the case of this one network bias?

I hear a justification from you saying it's ok, everybody does it. Is this correct?

[FORD]

Show me a network that employs Kerry's relatives, members of Kerry's campaign staff, or ....well, I can't come up with a counterpart to PNAC, because there isn't one They are a uniquely evil fascist front for the Likud party of Israel.

Point is that while this ONE GUY at ABC might have a view different than Michael Eisner's, it's still Eisner who controls the editorial content of the network. And this is the same Eisner who tried to keep Fahrenheit 9-11 from being released, so it's obvious where his bias is.

FAUX is packed from grunt reporters to the head office with BCE/PNAC/GOP operatives. If it's not state controlled media, it's the next "best" thing.

[ELVIS]

Originally posted by FORD
Show me a network that employs Kerry's relatives, members of Kerry's campaign staff, or ....well, I can't come up with a counterpart to PNAC, because there isn't one They are a uniquely evil fascist front for the Likud party of Israel.

Point is that while this ONE GUY at ABC might have a view different than Michael Eisner's, it's still Eisner who controls the editorial content of the network. And this is the same Eisner who tried to keep Fahrenheit 9-11 from being released, so it's obvious where his bias is.

FAUX is packed from grunt reporters to the head office with BCE/PNAC/GOP operatives. If it's not state controlled media, it's the next "best" thing.

Absolute nonsense...

[Big Train]

Your still spinning Ford.

Forget Eisner, forget everyone, are you condoning this man's actions?

[John Ashcroft]

Originally posted by FORD
Show me a network that employs Kerry's relatives, members of Kerry's campaign staff...

Uh, don't Begala and Carville work for a certain news network? What about Chris Matthews, which administration did he work for again before he became a "credible jounalist"? In fact, there's a whole list of Dems from former administrations littering the "news" networks. There's almost no previous Republican staffers on the staff of the "news" networks.

Get your facts straight dude. That was an easy one...

[FORD]

Originally posted by John Ashcroft
Uh, don't Begala and Carville work for a certain news network? What about Chris Matthews, which administration did he work for again before he became a "credible jounalist"? In fact, there's a whole list of Dems from former administrations littering the "news" networks. There's almost no previous Republican staffers on the staff of the "news" networks.

Get your facts straight dude. That was an easy one...

Key word there: FORMER admistrations. FAUX has people closely tied to the CURRENT fraudministration.

It would not have been correct for George Stephanapolous to host a Sunday morning news show while he was working for President Clinton. But he didn't. Pat Buchanan worked for both Nixon and Reagan. But he wasn't hosting the original Crossfire nor his MSRNC remake of the show at the time.

There is a MAJOR difference.

[John Ashcroft]

No there isn't. The "news" networks are littered with liberals from all over the place. It's as simple as that.

But anyway, how do you feel about Begala and Carville's joining the Kerry campaign while still working for a news organization? You see any problem with that?

[FORD]

Originally posted by John Ashcroft
No there isn't. The "news" networks are littered with liberals from all over the place. It's as simple as that.

But anyway, how do you feel about Begala and Carville's joining the Kerry campaign while still working for a news organization? You see any problem with that?

I wasn't aware they had officially joined the campaign. I remember Carville's name being mentioned as an example of the type of "energy" that Kerry needed on his campaign staff, but that's the last I heard of it. But then, being known as one of Howard Dean's most vocal supporters doesn't exactly keep me "in the loop" at Kerry HQ.