Syrian Official from Sawyer Interview Actually a Government Propagandist

On February 8, in the midst of Diane Sawyer’s Dictator ‘07 Tour, a whirlwind trip that saw her offer softball questions to both the dictators of Iran and Syria, the "Good Morning America" anchor sat down to speak with a group of Syrian women. As already noted on NewsBusters, Sawyer portrayed the brutal Syrian regime as a family friendly paradise. An onscreen ABC graphic identified one female, Bouthaina Shaaban, simply as a "top ranking female in President’s cabinet." Sawyer afforded Shaaban a platform to bash America for its failure to help women balance home and career:

Diane Sawyer: "What do [Syrian females] think of American women? They say we have so many opportunities, yet they'd give us something from Syria, safety on the streets, family to help with children, and the government helping too."

Bouthaina Shaaban (Top ranking female in President’s cabinet): "They could be a lot better, family and professionally-wise in making family life in balance with the profession. I feel the U.S., as a very rich and strong country, could have offered a lot more for working women."

As it turns out, slamming the U.S. is a common action for Shaaban. She’s actually a fierce propagandist, as well as virulently anti-American and anti-Israel. Last year on CNN, she likened the actions of Israel in Lebanon to those of the Nazis in World War II, an outburst that drew no response from Wolf Blitzer. And in February of 2005, Shaaban hinted that the United States and Israel were behind the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. In her role as Syrian Minister of Expatriates, she stated:

As to motive, Shaaban said, 'The main incentive behind the assassination is the strategic objective of continuous military presence in all the countries in the region. It has become clear to everyone today that the rationale behind the U.S. expedition into Iraq is neither 'freedom,' nor 'Democracy,' nor even 'weapons of mass destruction.' Certainly, the reason was neither the 'Iraqi people,' out of whom more than a hundred thousand civilians have been killed to the moment in massacres in Falluja, Najaf, Samerra and other cities, as well as in the torture cellars of Abu Gharib and similar prisons,' she said.

Think it might have been a good idea for Sawyer to mention any of these allegations or advise GMA’s audience of Shaaban’s role in the Syrian government? Apparently not. Instead, Sawyer allowed the propagandist to espouse her thoughts on love, life, and the United States:

Diane Sawyer: "What do they think of American women? They say we have so many opportunities, yet they'd give us something from Syria, safety on the streets, family to help with children, and the government helping too."

Bouthaina Shaaban (Top ranking female in President’s cabinet): "They could be a lot better, family and professionally-wise in making family life in balance with the profession. I feel the U.S., as a very rich and strong country, could have offered a lot more for working women."

Dana Dbbous (Violinist, Syrian Natl. Symphony Orchestra): "I think relationships here are much better, like family-wise. The children stays (sic) at their parents' home 'til they get married. So this is really a very, very different point, like, it's not like in the United States."

Shaaban: "We have a, a very cheap and much better kindergarten and nursery. I put my children in nursery since they were two-month old, and that's how I was able to keep my career and have a family. It's much easier for me to, to be a career woman with a family in Syria than it is in the U.S."

Sawyer: "What about marriage? These women say family influences your choice, but if there's someone you love, there's always a way."

Shaaban: "I think, Diane, if you want to find someone who love somebody in Syria and wasn't able to marry him because of family pressure, you wouldn't find any. There are always ways. You - you talk to your uncle and to your aunt and to grandmother and the father, and the uncle interferes. You know, I loved an Iraqi, you know, I came from Britain. I loved him in Britain. And I came here and managed to marry him."

A fuller transcript of the Febuary 8 interview can be read here.