ABC Features Kids Around the World: Obama Means 'Peace' and 'Yes, We Can!'

ABC's World News on Wednesday night used limited news time to feature a silly piece with soundbites from naive kids around the world sputtering beauty pageant-like simplicities about how President Barack Obama will bring “world peace” and inspires them to say “yes, we can!” Reporter Jim Sciutto touted how “we heard children around the world expressing hope and fascination with the new American President.” Viewers heard a boy in Russia yearn for “peace, democracy and friendship” and a girl in the United Arab Emirates assert “he's interested in giving peace to the world and stopping wars,” all before a boy from Indonesia promised: “He's going to change the world and make world peace.” From Gaza, a kid hoped Obama will “prevent Israel from attacking us.”

From Pakistan, Sciutto relayed, “hope for an American President with a Muslim father.” A boy then wished “he can make the citizens of the U.S. recognize that we, not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims.” And what story on foreign reaction would be complete without input from France? A French girl: “I think that he may stop the war in Iraq. At least I hope he will.”

Sciutto ended by trumpeting how “that familiar campaign theme has gone global.”

Girl in South Korea: “Yes, we can.”
Boy in Italy: “Yes, we can.”
Barack Obama: “Yes, we can.”
Girl in France: “Yes, we can.”

Sciutto's story followed a similar one, but on kids in the U.S., narrated by Sam Champion on Wednesday's Good Morning America. Check Scott Whitlock's posting: “ABC Touts Messages from Kids to Obama: Stop the Wars! Save the Earth!”

The MRC's Brad Wilmouth corrected the closed-captioning against the video to provide this transcript of the story on the Wednesday, January 21 World News on ABC:

CHARLES GIBSON: Worldwide reaction to Barack Obama: In the Middle East, many newspapers are taking note of the President reaching out to Muslims in his inaugural address, promising new relations. The headline of one Palestinian daily paper read: "Obama is Committed to Open New Page with Muslim World." And closer to home, Cuban President Raul Castro today said he wishes President Obama good luck, and that Obama, quote, "seems like a good guy." But it is not only adults and world leaders who have something to say about President Obama. Children around the world are welcoming him and weighing in with their reactions and their advice. Our Jim Sciutto has been sampling kids' reaction from around the world.

BOY IN RUSSIA: Peace, democracy and friendship.

BOY IN INDONESIA: Freedom and hope.

GIRL IN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: He's interested in giving peace to the world and stopping wars.    

JIM SCIUTTO: From the Far East-

GROUP OF CHILDREN SHOUTING: Hello, Mr. Obama!

SCIUTTO: -to the Middle East-

SCIUTTO: Do you place a lot of hope in him?

BOY IN ISRAEL: Yes, I do.

SCIUTTO: -from his childhood school in Indonesia-

GIRL IN INDONESIA: It's amazing.

BOY IN INDONESIA: He's going to change the world and make world peace.

SCIUTTO: -to his father's home in Kenya-

GIRL IN KENYA: He's prestigious, peaceful, and he wants to change America.

SCIUTTO: -we heard children around the world expressing hope and fascination with the new American President.

GIRL FROM THE PALESTINIAN WEST BANK: No one's better than anyone. We're all the same. We shouldn't discriminate anyone.

SCIUTTO: No matter where they're from or how young they are, children here all have something to say about Barack Obama, and some advice to give. In Israel and Gaza, it's hope he'll bring lasting peace. "We hope he will be fair to the Palestinian people," he said, "and prevent Israel from attacking us." And in Pakistan, hope for an American President with a Muslim father.

BOY IN PAKISTAN: He can make the citizens of the U.S. recognize that we, not all Muslims are terrorists and not all terrorists are Muslims.

SCIUTTO: We found children in many countries are aware of his promise to withdraw troops from Iraq

GIRL IN FRANCE: I think that he may stop the war in Iraq. At least I hope he will.

SCIUTTO: And wherever we went, children spoke about how Obama's inauguration renewed their hope in the American dream.

BOY IN PALESTINIAN WEST BANK: This thing shows that America is the land where everybody has the chance to be something important.

SCIUTTO: That familiar campaign theme has gone global.

GIRL IN SOUTH KOREA: Yes, we can.
                        
BOY IN ITALY: Yes, we can.

BARACK OBAMA: Yes, we can.

GIRL IN FRANCE: Yes, we can.

SCIUTTO: Jim Sciutto, ABC News.