Stossel Admits He Could've Had Breitbart's ACORN Scoop But Passed Due to ABC's Politics
Despite slipping mostly under the radar, John Stossel disclosed something on his FBN program last Thursday that should have garnered a lot more attention.
As he chatted with guest Andrew Breitbart, Stossel admitted that the conservative publisher had offered him the James O'Keefe/Hannah Giles/ACORN scoop, but the former ABC Newser declined due to politics at the network he used to work for (video follows with transcript and commentary):
JOHN STOSSEL, HOST: Speaking of the mainstream media, I am a little bit ashamed of this one, but I am revealing now for the first time publicly that when I worked at 20/20, you, who I didn't know at that time, pitched me with this story about ACORN and the sting. And I didn't cover it. And you remember that I assume?
ANDREW BREITBART: Oh, do I ever? I mean, I've referenced it in speeches that I went to ABC to a producer because I realized you can't just break a story on a blog. You have to get the mainstream media to cover it as well and so I thought what the hey.
I'll call up John Stossel. Seems like an honest guy. Seems like he'd think that the president's vaunted community organizing group -- treating a fake prostitute and a fake pimp with service with a smile in every office except for one, I thought maybe there is a story here.
STOSSEL: What did I tell you?
BREITBART: You said that it is a story and that you would probably commit a month to a story like this because it is so blatant, but you said that the politics within ABC were just, you know, that you couldn't do it.
STOSSEL: And that's true. I had all kinds of good stories I couldn't get on, but, well, I didn't. I could have had that scoop and I blew it. I'm so annoyed
Just imagine how much news organizations like ABC don't disclose to the public because the story's don't fit their liberal agenda.
Makes you proud to be an American, doesn't it?
(H/T Big Journalism)
# # #
- Noel Sheppard's blog
- Login to post comments
Comments
Sorry.....
Submitted by NeoKong on Sun, 06/26/2011 - 11:31pm.
We only do stories that hurt Republicans.
It certainly makes me proud.....
Submitted by pbthinker on Sun, 06/26/2011 - 11:34pm.
Makes me proud that I fought for my country, during the Vietnam War. Makes make proud that our forefathers put in the 1st Amendment to the constitution, so we could have a free press. Make me really proud that someone has to really dig down deep to find a news organization willing to put the story out. It also makes me very PROUD that we have a country that has such a news organization that is willing to put the story out and take the hits from the rest of the protected media for doing it.
Keep up the good work, Andrew, John, and Fox News.
The 3 major networks are
Submitted by jkwtrading on Sun, 06/26/2011 - 11:37pm.
The 3 major networks are digging a hole they cannot get out of .
NBC affiliation with GE, ABC with Disney and CBS heck they are on their own already..
a fall in stock prices will signal deep problems in these three networks..
I expect one more large rally until late November but from then forward..nope.
Stossel was lucky
Submitted by alvin on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 12:57am.
Since the story turned out to be bogus and the video turned out to be selectively edited and laws were broken by secret taping, he was lucky he didn't use it
Chipmunk turds!
Submitted by Denny Crane on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 1:22am.
Eating rotten acorns make them smelly. Please deposit them somewhere that your fellow trolls might believe them.
We Are The 53%
Denny---
Submitted by matthewdean on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 2:54am.
A bone-headed chipmunk.
I always figured that Simon and Theodore were the smart ones.
Ol' "alvin" proves it.
MD
LOL
Submitted by Bob K on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 1:50am.
Bogus? Laws were broken? Funny I seem to recall that ACORN was de-funded and closed up shop. The people who were filmed were fired within days. And when exactly does the pair who posed as "pimp & ho" get out of jail? Oh that's right, they were never arrested or charged. LOL. Go away little troll.
Alvin - is it that hard to get Seminar Posters today?
Submitted by acaiguana on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 4:45am.
Geez alvin, you are a perfect example of how far the Seminar Caller and Seminar Poster market has fallen.
One would think that you guys could come up with better during those strategy sessions.
Oh well, keep on truckin' my friend. And don't turn up the temperature setting on the A/C because it won't help your IQ rating go up.
ACA
...
Quoted from: 'Acaiguana notes from the Underground' (Soon to be at theaters near you)
Seems Alvin the troll has no problem with ACORN goons willing to
Submitted by Dave. on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 6:19am.
...go along with the sexual exploitation of children.
I wonder if Alvin is one of those balding, middle-aged bloated fat guys that works children's birthday parties as a clown on the side?
-Dave
Vote for the American in November
bald fat clowns
Submitted by dostrow on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:27am.
Geez
what do you have against us bald fat clowns
we hate liberals too
Typical chipmunk.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 10:11am.
They let out the little "peep peep!" distress cry, then they disappear.
And Breitbart, O'Keefe, and
Submitted by classicliberal2 on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:00pm.
And Breitbart, O'Keefe, and Giles were lying like rugs about it. They visited 8 ACORN offices, and claimed only one refused to help them in their quest to set up a prostitution operation for underage girls. Actually, they failed to make it clear, in at least two of the visits, that they were trying to set up a house for child prostitution. In a third, when they did make that clear, the ACORN official refused to help them (they originally lied and said no official had refused to help them, then changed their story and said this was the only one, which was also a lie). In still another, an ACORN official recognized them as clowns, and gave them deliberately false and outrageous information. In two others, ACORN officials called the police to report what had happened. Breitbart presented O'Keefe, and Giles as wearing outrageous pimp and prostitute "costumes" during these visits--they never wore them. In fact, in at least six of the visits, O'Keefe presented himself as trying to help Giles escape from an abusive pimp and get out of the prostitution business.
Practically nothing about the way these clowns presented this story turned out to be accurate. ABC made the right call.
In the words of our
Submitted by UpNorth on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:05pm.
esteemed Blonde, "link or slink". I assume you have voluminous sources, other than liberal ones, to back up your claims, especially the one about the ACORN official giving them deliberately false info.
As if, U-N
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:09pm.
ACORN official giving them deliberately false info.
That was to their benefit somehow. So in lou of being corrupt, they want us to think them as dumb as they come?
You can use Google as well as
Submitted by classicliberal2 on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 10:05pm.
You can use Google as well as I--your attempt at a dodge is noted.
Here's a link to the Washington Post, which, in general, joined the New York Times in uncritically reported the misinformation of Breitbart and co. on this matter, but did at least put this in the paper in 2009:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/17/AR200909...
Well she is a moron
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 10:13pm.
If she expect anyone to believe her, and so are those who do.
She told them demonstrably
Submitted by classicliberal2 on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 12:26am.
She told them demonstrably false things, idiot. Why don't you read the article before mouthing off about it.
classicliberal calls poster an idiot---
Submitted by matthewdean on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 1:13am.
in attempt to defend ACORN and demonize Breitbart, O'Keefe, and Giles (not to mention trying to demonize Boudin).
Further insults fly as classicliberal2 asks "Why don't you read the article before mouthing off about it. (sic)"
classiclib, the pseudo-intellectual who pounds upon us with the forever length posts, was so smokin' hot under the collar he not only forgot to put a question mark at the end of his mental fart, he actually composed a post consisting of two, count 'em, only TWO sentences.
One can only hope that was because his keyboard melted down.
Much like the conditional process classicliberal now finds himself in - troll MELTDOWN.
Good on Ya, Boudin !! :o)
MD
MD,next, CL will run
Submitted by UpNorth on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 1:24am.
to the playground monitor and whine that someone took his spot in line to get on the merry-go-round.
Boudin seems to have lit a fire under CL, and we can only hope that the heat will, indeed, melt his keyboard. Think of the bandwidth saved, think of not having to correct the intellectually vacant ramblings of yet another liberal drive-by commenter. And when he leaves, perhaps he can tuck Satchmo under his arm and take him with him. Jer seems to have done a remarkable job of emasculating Ole Satch in the "CNN Question of the Hour" thread.
UpNorth---
Submitted by matthewdean on Tue, 06/28/2011 - 2:19am.
Zackly.
While I do understand the whys and wherefores of "Don't feed the troll(s)", there are certain pleasures to be garnered through poking at them with pointed comments.
The long-winded fools like CL2; the stunningly thick skulled bozos like Ole Satch who just don't get it; the list goes on and on and the supply of morons is apparently endless.
I like your version of Satchmo - "Ole Satch". It closely resembles one of Satan's many names, "Ole Scratch". Just like Ole Scratch, Ole Satch just will not go away.
'S okay, as trolls trolling allow for the opportunity to engage moving targets when we indulge ourselves at our indoor shooting gallery.
Jer cleaned Ole Satch's clock, all right.
I have a feeling, though, that all of Jer's ten ring zingers won't have much effect on one of the living dead.
MD
Still making crap up out of thin air again
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:05pm.
Maybe you need to review the tape
So I guess if they visited 100 offices and only 50% capitulated, that would redeem them? I thought I read a thread today, were you professed yourself to be above reproach. Phlphlphlphlphl
"So I guess if they visited
Submitted by classicliberal2 on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 10:08pm.
"So I guess if they visited 100 offices"
...but they didn't visit 100 offices. They visited 8, claimed they got help from all of them, and, in reality, didn't get much help from any of them.
Would not matter how many they visited
Submitted by Boudin on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 10:22pm.
Because your a drone. The video proves it, it matters not one wit what you "think"!
I always thought the ABC News
Submitted by Rusty Shackleford on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 12:58am.
I always thought the ABC News was the least biased of the Big 3 networks when it came to the news, but apparently they are still highly biased. I think that I'm biased to prefer ABC News over the others because they had John Stossel for so long, and 20/20 did a pretty damning report on Mumia Abu-Jamal in '99 or '00. I actually still have that report on VHS somewhere and I really need to convert it to DVD.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Matthews: The Joy Behar of MSNBC.
Bill Maher: The Joy Behar of HBO.
Paul Krugman: The Joy Behar of The New York Times.
Wow How Time Flys.
Submitted by Avitar on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 1:11am.
I thought that John Stossel had been at Fox News much longer than that. I remember Jon Steward saying he was embarrassed for being scooped on the Acorn story despite being a fake journalist. Was Acorn the last straw for John Stossel, the last humiliating kowtow to the Democrat Party?
"demand it"
Submitted by mom_rox on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 6:57am.
I've mentioned this before, but Stossel's show needs to be moved to FNC. Only a portion of his show deals with business.
At the very least, put a repeat of his show on FNC at some point during the weekend.
Agreed, mom
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 10:41am.
Maybe (nah, we couldn't get so lucky) Fox will put him in Glenn Beck's 5:00 hour?
Stossel is perceived as being supremely "fair", so his indictment of ABC News vis-a-vis the Acorn story carries a huge amount of "gravitas".
As for your "weekend repeat" idea, let me add on....LOSE GERALDO!
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Exactly
Submitted by hbest on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 11:12am.
Ditto what you said. I can't stand Geraldo. I have always been partly mad at Fox for hiring that Liberal Blowhard.
re:Geraldo
Submitted by mom_rox on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 11:31am.
An oxymoron: that Geraldo is the "balanced" of "fair and balanced", hah!
No "Balance" to Geraldo at all, mom
Submitted by Blonde on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 11:52am.
He falls on his ass every time he tries it!
Sorry, I couldn't resist...I love seeing that video.
BTW, he tries to be all big and macho...he's about 5'4". My friend was in Iraq & Geraldo and he had their pics taken together on the balcony of one of Saddam's palaces. Geraldo barely came up to my friend's shoulder. Geraldo is a shrimp, in more ways than one.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
God bless people like Andrew Breitbart and I hope
Submitted by gmaniac1 on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 7:46am.
he keeps fighting the good fight! Crony liberal organizations like ACORN are always coming back in new forms. They're like the devil as the greatest trick they can do is have people think they've never existed;)
C.S. Lewis put it best....
Submitted by Tom1969ca on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:34am.
C.S. Lewis was describing the Devil when he wrote this in The Screwtape Letters, but he could've just as easily been describing the modern LSM:
It is funny how mortals always picture us as putting things into their minds: in reality out best work is done by keeping things out!
Who will start confronting the Big Three?
Submitted by metaphorsbwithu on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 9:51am.
Someone should compile a list of all the recent stories spiked or mis-reported by ABC (and others) and start asking current and former reporters, editors, etc. questions:
Like" Climate-gate, John Edwards, ACORN, TEAParty rallies and charges of racism, ObamaCare, Arab Spring, government shutdown, attacks on conservative women, all those terrorist incidents initially blamed on conservatives, etc.
The Big Three ARE using public airwaves - correct?
We need answers.
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
Submitted by locomotivebreath1901 on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 12:49pm.
"Stossel Admits He Could've Had Breitbart's ACORN Scoop But Passed Due to ABC's Politics."
bUT, BUT, BUT... ABC is a legitimate news org dedicated to informing the public about the truth (not like that scurrilous wanna-be Brietbart, et al).
Whodda thunk it?
Submitted by DoktorFranken on Mon, 06/27/2011 - 3:36pm.
Whodda thunk that Lawyers would be held in higher esteem than Journalists?
Well, other than practically everyone here, that is.