All three networks provided live coverage on Thursday afternoon for Barack Obama's White House speech on a possible deal with Iran. ABC journalist Martha Raddatz echoed talking points and declared a deal to be "historic." The senior foreign affairs correspondent recounted her time in Iran, reminiscing, "I was walking in crowds where they were saying 'death to America.'"
She added, "But most of the people he would come up to see and say, 'It's not the American people we hate or their ways. It's just their policies." Offering a mixed message, Raddatz concluded, "So, this is, indeed, a historic day, but we'll have to see if it's fully implemented." (The deal is historic before people know if it works?)
On NBC, Chris Jansing parroted Obama: "You heard his description. He believes it is robust. It's a good deal. It's historic and one that makes the world a safer place."
On CBS, Scott Pelley hedged, "Negotiators will now spend the next 90 days working out the details, and undoubtedly there will be devils in those details. A long way to go yet but a beginning.
A transcript of ABC's post-speech coverage is below:
ABC
4/2/15
2:44GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: Martha, the President with a big defense there saying, "the work is not yet done." And he's got some more convincing Congress that this deal really can hold up. Meanwhile the Iranians also will have to go back and convince hard liners in their country that the sanctions really will be lifted.
MARTHA RADDATZ: They will certainly have to go back to their own country and say they want those sanctions -- that they want this deal to go forward and to fully implement this deal. As you know, George, I was there a little over a month ago in Iran and you walk on those streets and there are people who want this deal to go through. They really do.
They want to be a part of the world. The hard liners, those are the ones we will have to watch. But they are up against a very young population. They have to engage that population. That population is reaching out to the west. I was walking in crowds where they were saying "death to America." But most of the people would come up to me and say, "it's just your policies. It's not the American people we hate or their ways. It's just their policies." But I got a real sense that the Iranian people really want this to happen. So this is, indeed, a historic day, but we'll have to see if it's fully implemented, George.
STEPHANOPOULOS: That's right. The deadline is June 30 and the devil is always in the details.
