In an open letter sent today to ABC News President David Westin, NewsBusters.org Publisher Brent Bozell questioned the ethics of ABC as a "news" network and wondered "how in the world can anyone take ABC seriously" after it was announced that ABC News has hired Democratic donor Dr. Richard Besser to be their new Senior Medical Editor.
The letter begins here, and continues in its entirety below the fold.
July 30, 2009
Dear Mr. Westin,
It was reported today that you have hired Dr. Richard Besser as your new Senior Medical Editor. By now you also know Besser is a Barack Obama donor, having contributed $400 to his campaign in 2008.
As your new senior health correspondent, he will play a pivotal role in your coverage of the health care debate going forward. How in the world is this ethical?
And it's not as if ABC News was up until now the paragon of unbiased reporting on the issue. Dr. Tim Johnson, who currently holds this position, has long been an advocate for government-run medicine in America, going all the way back to the early ‘90s, when he told then-First Lady Hillary Clinton on July 19, 1994: "So at least from the physicians represented here, you get a 100 percent vote, including mine, for universal coverage." On March 1 of this year, he said "...We're the only one that doesn't have universal coverage. That's a national shame."
The Media Research Center just released a study which found that from President Obama's inauguration through June 23, ABC has been by far the worst of the three broadcast networks in covering the health care debate, in large part because of Johnson's open advocacy for government-run medicine.
And now Besser stands ready to pick up where Johnson is leaving off.
I ask you: How in the world can anyone take ABC seriously when there is this kind of conflict-of-interest engrained in your "news" network's reporting?
Sincerely,
L. Brent Bozell III
Founder and President
Media Research Center
—Seton Motley is Director of Communications for the Media Research Center and Contributing Editor for NewsBusters.org.
Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Wonder what the response
July 30, 2009 - 15:38 ET by bigtimerWonder what the response will be.
Silence?
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
What could their response
July 30, 2009 - 15:55 ET by SickofLibsWhat could their response possibly be? We've already seen the evidence that all these hacks donated to Obama's campaign at a 20-1 (or higher) ratio, from corporate management down to local affiliates.
It's not just ABC. Seems like the recently upgraded NBC medical flack-hack Snyderman is on every time I turn to an NBC station, beating the Obama drum, too.
That she is...and she's
July 30, 2009 - 16:50 ET by bigtimerThat she is...and she's there for one reason and one reason only...same as the rest of them.
Plus look at all the critters from the msm now in his administration.
These same people would be screaming their heads of 24/7 everywhere they could, from print, radio to the tv screens and blogs any of this had been done by King George as they loved to call him, they would be furious if had named anyone to be a Czar, answerable to no one, but the Prez, not knowing their salaries, they would be demanding congress do something, start investigations etc.
I have never seen anything like what is going on with the hypocrisy....that is crushing us all.
Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea. ~Andrew Breitbart
Their response will be something along these lines,
July 30, 2009 - 20:08 ET by sic721Soft knocks at the door)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's me, Dave. Open up, man, I got the stuff.
(More knocks)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's me, Dave, man. Open up, I got the stuff.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Open up, I think the cops saw me come in here.
(More knocks)
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's, Dave, man. Will you open up, I got the stuff with me.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up.
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave. C'mon, man, open up, I think the cops saw me.
CHONG: Dave's not here.
CHEECH: No, man, I'm Dave, man.
(Sharp knocks at the door)
CHEECH: Hey, c'mon, man.
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: It's Dave, man. Will you open up? I got the stuff with me.
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave, man. Open up.
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave.
CHONG: Dave's not here.
CHEECH: What the hell? No, man, I am Dave, man. Will you...
(More knocks)
CHEECH: C'mon! Open up the door, will you? I got the stuff with me, I think the cops saw me.
CHONG: Who is it?
CHEECH: Oh, what the hell is it...c'mon. Open up the door! It's Dave!
CHONG: Who?
CHEECH: Dave! D-A-V-E! Will you open up the goddam door!
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Yeah, Dave!
CHONG: Dave?
CHEECH: Right, man. Dave. Now will you open up the door?
CHONG: Dave's not here
"Let us disappoint the Men who are raising themselves upon the ruin of this Country."-John Adams
Well, it would seem that ABC is doing exactly...
July 30, 2009 - 16:53 ET by Gary HallWell, it would seem that ABC is doing exactly what the Democrats are accusing them of; working so hard at pushing the Democrat's own leftist agenda on health care reform, that even the D's are complaining about the MSM's pressure.
Seems to be a fairly solid bit of evidence here that even the D's understand that the MSM is pushing their agenda - health reform agenda.. Senate Dems blame media for August health deadlineThe MSM should be reporting on the developments [the news] - not demanding that congress get it done the MSM's way and within the MSM's time frame.(;~/ gary
How can anyone take Fox News seriously?
July 30, 2009 - 17:48 ET by wjneillGiven the contributions and allegiances of Roger Ailes to the GOP as well as the many former GOP officeholders (Rick Santorum?) that were not re-elected and now employed by Fox, is there any equitable concern by Mr. Bozell for the taints conspicuously displayed by Fox?
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Or is that a completely different issue and not at all related to the point Mr. Bozell is making about ABC?
Mission statement
July 30, 2009 - 18:01 ET by UnsaneSo, you are whining that there is ONE whole channel whose greatest crime is to present - present - a conservative viewpoint?
Have you read the NB mission statement lately?
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Clueless
July 30, 2009 - 18:23 ET by evilcontractorThere is a big difference in hiring a partisan political figure to be a commentator (Hint: you know where they stand and what their positions are) than hiring a person who is to report "the news". The good doctor ABC hired is not an "objective reporter" but is an advocate (in this case a liberal advocate). This isn't a shock since ABC is no longer a "news organization" but rather a liberal advocacy group. By the way, when is the last time anyone watched an ABC "News" program? Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. Sir Winston Churchill www.btreasures.com
How can anybody take YOU seriously when you come in here...
July 30, 2009 - 18:27 ET by R D Helm...and post mindless drivel such as this?
Both Greta and Shep are hardly conservatives, and they have enough liberal contributors running around the hallways at Fox to fill up a local DNC meeting.
Juan, Kirsten, Bob, Alan, Susan, Mara, and a bunch of others are on their TV shows all the time.
Just exactly how many conservative hosts and contributors do you see regularly turning up at ABCCBSNBCCNNMSNBCPBSNPR?
Other than John Stossel over at ABC, I can think of exactly....
-Dave
Drivel?
July 30, 2009 - 18:41 ET by wjneillPlease quote specific sentences or a paragraph from my comment that is "drivel" and without factual basis so that I can correct it. Thank you.
Since you asked...
August 3, 2009 - 18:57 ET by UnsaneGiven the contributions and allegiances of Roger Ailes to the GOP as well as the many former GOP officeholders (Rick Santorum?) that were not re-elected and now employed by Fox, is there any equitable concern by Mr. Bozell for the taints conspicuously displayed by Fox?
-
Or is that a completely different issue and not at all related to the point Mr. Bozell is making about ABC?
There's your drivel. Get to work!
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
July 30, 2009 - 20:15 ET by jessieHMr. Bozell, no one takes ABC seriously. No one takes the MSM seriously. If not for you & the conservatives in this country, we would all be watching obama on a jumbotron screen, while he tells us what is the truth. I know it sounds like a bad movie, but the people are not as gullible as the govt. thinks we are. I used to watch the "big three" all the time. We don't watch them at all, anymore. Except for our local news, we watch FOX NEWS. Almost 24/7. Maybe in September we can turn things around. I miss the journalists who broke the Watergate scandall. WE don't have a voice in Washington, anymore. Our elected officials think they are royalty. WE the PEOPLE will prevail.........
Barack Obama policies lowering Gas Prices
July 30, 2009 - 20:49 ET by Retired GeekBarack Obama has brought some relief to the American Citizens on gas prices.
Barack Obama policies has caused 2.5 million to 3.0 million people to lose their jobs, Gasoline prices are going down.
Why is gasoline prices being drastically reduced?
People are NOT driving to their jobs, Barack Obama has destroyed them.
Where are the jobs Barack Obama promised?
If ABC were to fire a
July 31, 2009 - 12:45 ET by deerjerkydaveIf ABC were to fire a correspondent for donating money to help Barack Obama get elected then they would also have to fire their entire news department!