ABC found itself in hot water this week after it announced on June 15 it would be airing a primetime special, "Questions for the President: Prescription for America," on June 24 from the White House. ABC also said "Good Morning America" and "World News" would also be broadcast from the White House that day. ABC News' senior vice president Kerry Smith defended the network against critics saying in a letter the hour-long special from the White House will be "devoted to exploring and probing the President's position and the giving voice to questions and criticisms of that position."
Smith also claimed the network has "had many critics of the President's health care proposals on the air - and that's before a real plan has even been put before the country. In the end, no one watching, listening to, or reading ABC News will lack for an understanding of all sides of these important questions."
MRC's Business & Media Institute fact checked that claim and found that from January 20 to June 16 those quoted in health care stories on ABC's morning and evening news shows favored ObamaCare by a 3-to-1 margin (55 supporters to 18 critics).
One participant in ABC's special will be medical editor Dr. Timothy Johnson. His record reveals that he was an ardent supporter of "HillaryCare" and other universal health care proposals for years. Johnson's continual promotion of universal healthcare is advocacy, not journalism. It earned him a spot on the MRC's "Cheerleaders for the Revolution," a list of reporters who are avid supporters of President Obama's liberal policies.
Since ABC has tried to assure the public it will include critics, BMI consulted five experts on the health care issue to find out what they would ask Obama if they were given the chance at the June 24 town hall.
—Julia A. Seymour is an assistant editor for the Business & Media Institute.
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I am sorry that I won't be
June 18, 2009 - 13:55 ET by d1carterI am sorry that I won't be watching this hard hitting investigative session with his Eminence. I am sure that all voices will be heard much like the Tea Party's participants were heard. Don't forget July 4.....
ABC "balance"
June 18, 2009 - 13:59 ET by east tennessee johnSo a 3:1 ratio is "balanced" in your eyes, huh? Such "analysis" explains why you dopes are losing maket share. I bet 50% of the anti-BOs were RINO suck ups.
Balanced
June 18, 2009 - 14:06 ET by cvgbuckeyeIn my experience, I think 3:1 is extremely balanced for the State Run Obama Media. It is usually more like 10:0, or 10:1 RINO. They will have someone like that slime ball of David Gergen represent a supposed Conservative viewpoint. He is a joke.
In the linked Reuters story
June 18, 2009 - 14:05 ET by Chris NormanIn the linked Reuters story Kerry Smith of ABC says, "ABC News is looking for the most thoughtful and diverse voices on this issue,"
Notice how he doesn't actually say if these "thoughtful" and "diverse" voices are critics of Obama's "health" plan with ideas of their own? ABC can load up all sorts of "diverse" people who are all in favor of Obama's nationalized health care - even those who want to go futher immediately. These are just weasel words from ABC.
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
haha
June 18, 2009 - 14:14 ET by bedmondsongood eye.
Ye Olde Bias
June 18, 2009 - 15:18 ET by Chris NormanNotice, too, that the Reuters story ends with a quote from a supporter of ABC News. Like his is the final word, dismissing the whole thrust of the rest of the story. In the old days, ending a story with a liberal's quote was a subtle method of a softer kind of bias. It used to anger me, but compared to the harsh bias now, it's almost quaint...
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
3 - 1 is amazing
June 18, 2009 - 14:14 ET by bedmondsonThat is a large margin and def. not balanced when you take into account the the American public is so split on this issue. ABC needs to rethink the format of their upcoming hour long commercial if they every want even a modicum of credibility in the future.
However I do wonder how people were categorized in the fact check (the link above doesn't work for me). People on both sides still disagree with each other on how health care reform should be done so does someone who went on ABC in Jan. supporting a single payer system that eliminates all insurance companies in favor of ObamaCare (ObamaCare does not support this)? A single payer system is very popular with many liberals but is not what is being proposed. What about Democrats or Republicans that agree with only part of the plan, how do they fit in to that statistic?
Bed, any takeover of private
June 18, 2009 - 15:23 ET by Dan The Man 2Bed, any takeover of private enterprise is troubling and healthcare more so. We must look at the SS and how it was enacted and why and the original purpose. We then look at whaty it is today and should look to the history of SS to determine what is going to happen to government takeover of healthcare. We can look to SCHIP and see the startling progess it has made.
Pravda is here for you, comrade
June 18, 2009 - 14:15 ET by SeftonKerry Smith defended the network against critics saying in a letter the
hour-long special from the White House will be "devoted to exploring
and probing the President's position and then giving voice to questions
and criticisms of that position."
Translated: We're going to show you where you're wrong and Dear Leader is right.
Bonus: Later, we'll watch Obama coerce a cockroach into position before he sends him to insect hell.
If It's So Fair...
June 18, 2009 - 14:22 ET by JDWWhy so much time defending themselves?
The health care draft was just released, the public option was omitted.
JDW
DAILY WAVE
When people fear their government there is tyranny.
When government fears the people there is liberty.
To use the media buzz term
June 18, 2009 - 14:28 ET by Chris NormanTo use the media buzz term popularized by them during the Iraq War, can we now say that ABC is embedded in the Obama White House? Not to mention "in bed" with the Obama White House....
The "Mainstream" Media: By liberals. For liberals.
Primitive Math
June 18, 2009 - 14:55 ET by Pilgrim1949Our math-(un)challenged White House (which uses math without challenge at all by the MSM) seems to now have temporarily deviated from its own fantasy (per)version of the "new fuzzy math" (e.g., numbers are whatever you feel you want them to be) to now resemble some of the barely-post-stone-age, isolated cultures that anthropologists have discovered down through the years where the numbering systems sometimes were akin to:
Hence, the Alabaster Abode now considers anything over zero, as in "we included an opposing viewpoint" (usually one that looks/sounds as freak-a-zoid as possible!) to be counted as "many."
Yup, and we can wish them "many" kind thoughts in return!
Just another
June 18, 2009 - 16:07 ET by NorthCoasterJust another brick in the wall that the Left is building.
Hey, I see that the All Barack Channel is hosting a day of news directly from the White House.
Is there now any question that the MSM is now the propaganda arm of this Socialist President? It's truly "1984" come to reality.
ABC
June 19, 2009 - 11:22 ET by jessieHjessieH The ABC (all barack channel) special is comming to your tv. I don't have to watch this B.S. to know what is going on. I don't trust this guy.