The McCain campaign isn't taking Andrea Mitchell's cheating claim made on Sunday's "Meet the Press" lying down.
Politico reported moments ago that campaign manager Rick Davis has sent a strongly-worded letter to Steve Capus, president of NBC News, sharply criticizing Mitchell's suggestion that the Arizona senator had somehow cheated at Saturday's Saddleback Civil Forum.
In it, Davis expressed concern that: "the level of objectivity at NBC News has fallen so low that reporters are now giving voice to unsubstantiated, partisan claims in order to undercut John McCain;" "Mitchell did what has become a pattern for her of simply repeating Obama campaign talking points," and; NBC News was "following MSNBC's lead in abandoning non-partisan coverage of the Presidential race."
Partial text of the letter below the fold:
August 17, 2008
Mr. Steve Capus
President, NBC News
30 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10112
Steve:
We are extremely disappointed to see that the level of objectivity at NBC News has fallen so low that reporters are now giving voice to unsubstantiated, partisan claims in order to undercut John McCain.
Nowhere was this more evident than with NBC chief correspondent Andrea Mitchell's comments on "Meet the Press" this morning. In analyzing last night's presidential forum at Saddleback Church, Mitchell expressed the Obama campaign spin that John McCain could only have done so well last night because he "may not have been in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what the questions were to Obama." [...]Make no mistake: This is a serious charge. Andrea Mitchell is repeating, uncritically, a completely unsubstantiated Obama campaign claim that John McCain somehow cheated in last night's forum at Saddleback Church. Instead of trying to substantiate this blatant falsehood in any way, Andrea Mitchell felt that she needed to repeat it on air to millions of "Meet the Press" viewers with no indication that 1.) There's not one shred of evidence that it's true; 2.) In his official correspondence to both campaigns, Pastor Rick Warren provided both candidates with information regarding the topic areas to be covered, which Barack Obama acknowledged during the forum when asked about Pastor Warren's idea of an emergency plan for orphans and Obama said, "I cheated a little bit. I actually looked at this idea ahead of time, and I think it is a great idea;" 3.) John McCain actually requested that he and Barack Obama do the forum together on stage at the same time, making these kinds of after-the-fact complaints moot.
Indeed, instead of taking a critical journalistic approach to this spin, Andrea Mitchell did what has become a pattern for her of simply repeating Obama campaign talking points.
This is irresponsible journalism and sadly, indicative of the level of objectivity we have witnessed at NBC News this election cycle. Instead of examining the Obama campaign's spin for truth before reporting it to more than 3 million NBC News viewers, Andrea Mitchell simply passed along Obama campaign conspiracy theories. The fact is that during Senator Obama's segment at Saddleback last night, Senator McCain was in a motorcade to the event and then held in a green room with no broadcast feed. In the forum, John McCain clearly demonstrated to the American people that he is prepared to be our next President.....We are concerned that your News Division is following MSNBC's lead in abandoning non-partisan coverage of the Presidential race. We would like to request a meeting with you as soon as possible to discuss our deep concerns about the news standards and level of objectivity at NBC.
Sincerely,
Rick Davis
Campaign Manager
John McCain 2008
This is certainly getting interesting.
—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters. Follow him at Facebook and Twitter.
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Comments Policy
Of course, Noel...
August 18, 2008 - 00:10 ET by AgentAmericanThe Obama Nation at the Politico website is referring this letter as whining and crying on the part of McCain, sometimes in childish tone.
I'm glad someone is finally standing up to the National Barack Channel, and calling them out to the street.
Olbermann is probably going to respond to this in his erratic style. I need more comedy!
Drill ANWAR
IOW Mitchell
August 18, 2008 - 00:16 ET by Cool ArrowI n other words, Arianna Mitchell:
I ♣ my seal
more please
August 18, 2008 - 00:22 ET by JWF"Make no mistake: This is a serious charge."
It is about time someone started swinging back.
JWF They don't care
August 18, 2008 - 00:36 ET by Cool ArrowNBC is complicit with its parent company GE, in effecting the deaths of American Soldiers in Iraq via their support of Iran.
Arianna Mitchell is the old lounge singer hanging around at the sleaziest piano bar in town. We know what she's really selling, but the elderly gentlemen are kind enough to put tips in her jar because they know Alan Greenspan too, and they love to snicker behind his back.
I ♣ my seal
She got this from a post
August 18, 2008 - 01:02 ET by d1carterShe got this from a post Capus left at Kos...
KOS post
August 18, 2008 - 01:11 ET by Cool ArrowWhich opens the door for Arianna Mitchell to employ the tired old "there are those who say" herring.
I ♣ my seal
Followed with "then there
August 18, 2008 - 05:07 ET by USA4freedomFollowed with "then there are others.. that say"
HOW TRUE!!!!
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
I predicted this. The
August 18, 2008 - 01:22 ET by deerjerkydaveI predicted this. The liberal media was "in love" with John McCain and helped him win the Republican nomination over Mitt Romney. The moment McCain became the nominee the liberal media they turned their backs on him and he is now facing their wrath. Why did we let the liberal media choose our candidate?
deerjerkydave, Some how,
August 18, 2008 - 04:14 ET by USA4freedomdeerjerkydave,
Some how, some way, this nation needs a one day primary.
It will be more fair, and will take some of the cross voting out it, as well as take some of the power away from the MSM.
I’m sick of N.H. and Iowa getting all of the attention. We here in NC never get to vote in a primary when it matters. They are on a victory lap by the time they get here.
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
Believe it or not
August 18, 2008 - 04:39 ET by sarcasmoA convention fight, instead of a boring, scripted balloons & confetti extravaganza nobody I know wants to watch, might also be a good way to choose a candidate. That's what used to happen at political conventions, after all. I was hoping it would happen this time, but Mitt dropped out early for some reason. I don't think months of McCain (or anyone else, if they'd gotten the nod instead) as a foregone conclusion nominee has done him or the Republican party very much good, but it's certainly been good news for Jon Stewart & Steven Colbert.
A contested convention might not have quite as much pageantry & political ass-kissing as the rehearsed crapola we've slowly gotten used to over the years, but it would make up for that by actually being interesting. The Democrats seem to sense this, so they're going to try to put on a fake version of it with Hillary in their script, but it'll still be boring because it's fake, and by "contested" I mean a real contest between candidates where nobody knows who will win.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
Yep, when the conventions
August 18, 2008 - 05:05 ET by USA4freedomYep, when the conventions come around, I might be looking back to those exciting times of Chinese ping pong or.. the ever popular men’s field hockey between Pakistan and England.
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
Or
August 18, 2008 - 05:08 ET by Cool ArrowThe day Musharef resigned as President of Pakistan.
I ♣ my seal
Yep. Ronald Reagan,
August 18, 2008 - 05:14 ET by USA4freedomYep.
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
My wife keeps telling me:
August 18, 2008 - 05:27 ET by USA4freedomMy wife keeps telling me: stop yelling at the TV. The idiots that are broadcasting the Olympics are brainless. We get badminton, more badminton, badminton doubles. We get ping pong, more ping pong, ping pong %$^&# doubles! Field hockey..men and women (and the girls don’t even wear the short field hockey skirts anymore..) Water polo.. (not too bad but too much)
Hell, give my anything else, the shot put, the hammer throw, sprints, sailing, baseball, soccer.
I think if I see 4 men hitting a little ball on a sheet of plywood with a net, one more time I will need a new TV.
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
They're just not very creative...
August 18, 2008 - 05:48 ET by sarcasmoI think a helmet-cam view of one of the various military-derived Olympic events where they make you run/ride-horses until you're out of breath and then try to shoot at something would make for excellent TV. Remember when they used to try to televise poker tournaments before the advent of those hole-card cams? It used to be kinda dull, and this is the same kind of idea. Aside from air conditioning the outdoors (something we Floridians have been trying to do for decades...) NBC seems to be making very little creative use of technology, despite obvious opportunities.
JMR
The tax & spend drug war looks racist in the real world.
All I wanted to watch was
August 18, 2008 - 09:25 ET by ksennishAll I wanted to watch was the Track Cycling events. I don't even think NBC knows thats an olympic sport.
It is about time
August 18, 2008 - 01:26 ET by well99The msm has been spewing lies for the DNC and it is about time they got called on it.
Mitchell's technique
August 18, 2008 - 01:41 ET by KC Mulville"Obama's people would, you expect, immediately deny the rumor that he's back on cocaine. They're also trying to prevent any evidence of marital infidelity from getting out to the public." By reporting the denial of the rumor, you get to re-tell the text of the rumor. And, by attributing it to the Obama campaign, it gives the flavor of insider-knowledge.
If there's nothing to the accusation, don't report it. If there' something to the accusation, don't take the campaign's word for it, investigate it. Then, when you report what you found, that's when you can claim some objectivity to the report. To report the Obama campaign's suspicions without proof, as Mitchell did, is amateur-night journalism. Sloppy, biased, and prejudicial.
Didn't NBC have any replacement to Tim Russert as editor?
Is John confused? Andrea is
August 18, 2008 - 04:09 ET by USA4freedomIs John confused? Andrea is NOT.. a conservative. He must begetting cranky I “only” thought that he hated "us". That old maverick.....................
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
FOX smacks Mitchell
August 18, 2008 - 05:20 ET by Cool ArrowFOX is teasing Arianna Mitchell's Obama talking points for its next segment.
I ♣ my seal
Verified Sources
August 18, 2008 - 05:41 ET by CpickeringIsn't the lack of verified sources the reason the MSM gave for not reporting John Edwards' escapades?? It's OK to report on Dem's allegations without any verification, but if the story involves a Dem, it is only reported if he confesses!!
Its hard to win the game
August 18, 2008 - 05:52 ET by USA4freedomIts hard to win the game when they keep moving the goal post..
No verification this way, need verification from God himself that way.
Well we cant believe them, they are the National Enquirer, well it has to be the truth it’s the Daily Kos..!
Ronald Reagan, 1962: I did not leave the Democratic party, the party left me.
Insert: your name, 2008, and the Republican party.
Good for McCain fighting
August 18, 2008 - 06:21 ET by Red JeepGood for McCain fighting back. Meet the Press is the highest rated Sunday talk show which NBC proudly proclaims, but what is not reported by NBC is that only 1% of the country, 3 million people watch it. 99% of the country , 297 million people, have better thing to do than watch lying and spin.
Andrea, and her co-workers at NBC, should join Linda Douglass the former CBS reporter who joined the Obama campaign. Haven’t heard from Douglass since, but…
Excellent
August 18, 2008 - 07:27 ET by JoelCTGood coverage, Noel. Please, please keep us updated on this worthwhile story. We need to know NBC's reaction and any follow-up to that reaction. NBC needs to be hammered relentlessly on their coverage of this campaign.
Mitchell - MSNBlah, et.al
August 18, 2008 - 07:35 ET by oopsIsaiditagainC'mon, you cannot be surprised by Mitchell's regurgitation of BHO's talking points! When has she ever had an original thought? Has anyone watched her attempt to report BREAKING news? Thank God Rick Davis and Newsbusters are defending themselves.
Let's hear from Pastor Warren
August 18, 2008 - 08:05 ET by OldfogeyI wonder when we will hear from Pastor Warren on this matter. His credibility also comes into question for allowing the so-called cheating to occur. This would besmirch the Saddleback Church as well. Time for someone to take Andrea Mitchell to task for her obvious bias and rumor spreading. How do the members of the Saddleback Church feel?
Mrs Greenspan's statements:
August 18, 2008 - 09:09 ET by buzzyboopMs Mitchell responded, as per the Politico:
"I wasn't expressing an opinion," Mitchell said. "I was reporting what they were saying."
That in fact is correct, from the earlier DS Hube post, Ms Mitchell stated:
"...what they're putting out privately is that McCain may not have been
in the cone of silence and may have had some ability to overhear what
the questions were to Obama.
I guess it depends on the definition of what 'they' is. No doubt it's Obama or MoveOn lackeys that put that out, probably even before McCain came out and shook Obama's hand. (which I now note that Noel already reported on, sorry Noel.) What a... never mind.
That's right
August 18, 2008 - 09:14 ET by VonuMake Mitchell the issue, she can't help shooting her mouth off and when cornered, (like when she insisted everyone in her cozy little group knew Plame was CIA before the Novak column) looks like a deer in the headlights.
Someone tell me...TELL ME
August 18, 2008 - 10:11 ET by Guy Arthur ThomasSomeone tell me...TELL ME...look at this picture from a Star Trek movie character (from the movie "Insurrection") and look at Mitchell's face and TELL ME this is just not a coincidence!
The answer to terrorism IS war. Next Please!
Perhaps, it's time for the
August 18, 2008 - 14:04 ET by Chris NormanPerhaps, it's time for the GOP to borrow a page from the Democrat handbook and announce that they, including McCain, will no longer appear on NBC News programs or debates with NBC personalities (I refuse to call them journalists any longer) because of their clear and rabid anti-Republican bias. They will catch a lot of flak over this, but, at least, it will force the issue to be addressed in public.
McNotObama '08
Andrea, you ignorant slut...
August 18, 2008 - 13:29 ET by cest moiTime to discredit the church thing - Barry HO stunk royally.
Honestly, aren't you people tired of hitching your wagons to this "star" who keeps getting his arse kicked?
I'm tired of all of you....and HIM.
Now hear that both had 2 questions and Obama a 3rd question
August 18, 2008 - 13:35 ET by PawpawNNow hear that both had 2 questions and Obama a 3rd question, so it appears this all in vain for MSM and BHO camp. When they fail, it's always some one else's fault. Guess now they'll say that no one should have been given any questions, or they were given different questions. Rick Warren on "most trusted(or is that trussed) name in news" CNN tonight with Larry "legally dead" King. Wonder if that subject will come to light!
Paw... I heard this too
August 18, 2008 - 13:43 ET by bigtimerPaw...
I heard this too on Rush a bit ago....all Andrea had to do was contact same person Byron York did before she went on national television with her accusations of McCain cheating, she is supposedly an investigative reporter....laugh my arse off....she is nothing and never has been a shill for the dem party, but this Obama thing has her over the top of any pretense of integrity regarding journalism....
I am just looking forward to seeing her in tears again come Nov.
These idiots just do not get it...they are defeating their own obvious purpose.
"America isn't the problem...America is the solution." ~ Rush Limbaugh
"... she is nothing and
August 18, 2008 - 14:10 ET by Chris Norman"... she is nothing and never has been a shill for the dem party..."
She and her bias were probably more effective when she, like many others in the MSM, kept it more subtle and harder to notice and document. Now, that it's on full display with almost no-holds barred, she is making a fool out of herself - nice way to cap off a very, very long career, isn't it?
McNotObama '08
obama news program (MSNBC)
August 18, 2008 - 15:10 ET by dee47Andrea Mitchell: I just listened to about 9 radio broadcast dating from Jan thru aug 2008 downloaded to my Ipod on Jeff Rense (he is not a McCain Fan like you). It is interviews with a man named Larry Sinclair. How come we don't hear about him. At least acknowledge him so BO can throw him under the bus with the rest of his so called comrades. Or is this too controversail much like Edwards.
I really think there are some interesting facet to explore. Highly recommended listening.
"if we don't stand for something we will FALL for anything"......
My own unsubstantiated rumor
August 18, 2008 - 15:12 ET by marvlAccording to my sources, Andrea Mitchell worked as an "entertainer" of German troops in occupied Paris during World War II. Yes, she's that old. And yes, she's that willing to sell out.
Is it any wonder she works as an "entertainer" of DNC campaign workers and of Barack Obama? Of course, an even more intriguing question is, why would anyone want to be "entertained" by a mildewed prune like Andrea Mitchell?
marvl
August 18, 2008 - 15:23 ET by BlondeWell, my sources say she was a French collaborator, or so her colleagues are privately intimating.
David Gregory, do you know which damn network you lie for? ~ Uncle Jimbo, @Blackfive
If it's a Question of Cheating, the MSM lives in a Glass BHOme
August 18, 2008 - 19:37 ET by JayTeePeople living in Glass houses should not throw Rocks they can't carry.
The MSM is now a Propaganda Machine, spewing out Lies and Video Tape.
BHO will not win, and the MSM will not Survive this Election with any kind of audience intact. RIP.
The Republican Revolution will not be Televised
This letter is the model
August 19, 2008 - 11:27 ET by mattmThis letter is the model for what, for the last three decades, should have been standard practice for republicans/conservatives in dealing with the MSM.