Springtime for Mahmoud
Diane Sawyer sat down to ask Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [MA] some tough questions today, and a weather report broke out. Having spent last week in Syria, Diane is now in Iran on the second leg of her All-Dictator Tour. She began her interview of MA, televised on this morning's GMA, by asking him "are you sending Iranian weapons into Iraq?"In lieu of an answer, MA went Sam Champion on Sawyer: "Let me…
The NewsBusters Weekly Recap: February 3 to
This week, Chris Matthews' anti-Bush bigotry spilled over into a profanity laden rant. The "Hardball" host dropped the F-bomb during a live interview with Don Imus. Meanwhile, CNN’s Paula Zahn connected opposition of illegal immigration to, you guessed it, the Ku Klux Klan. This is the same network, however, that tried to downplay proven religious bigotry by a blogger for the John Edwards…
Rosie and Joy Agree Air Pelosi Story's a "Distraction" and Hail Anti-G
The co-hosts of Thursday’s The View discussed the controversy surrounding Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her air travel preferences. Joy Behar downplayed it by shifting the blame to the vice president stating sarcastically, “the fact that Halliburton and Dick Cheney were in bed together for many years making money in Iraq, that’s too complicated. This is easy.” Rosie O’Donnell agreed asserting that “…
After Week of Silence: Network Morning Shows Finally Cover Pelosi Plan
After more than a week of ignoring the controversy over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s request for access to an extravagant plane, the three network morning shows finally covered the subject on Thursday, albeit briefly. CBS and ABC both offered full reports during the 7AM hour of the February 8 shows, while only CBS included a quote from a Republican lawmaker who criticized the possible ethical…
Newscasts Leave Out Liberal Label in Court Ruling Against Wal-Mart
Sometimes media bias can be found in what the networks don’t say. On Tuesday, Wal-Mart suffered a major blow when the liberal 9th Circuit Court in California ruled that a class action lawsuit claiming sex discrimination could proceed against the company. All three evening newscasts reported the story, with ABC and CBS noting that a "federal appeals court" had sided with the female plaintiffs.…
Bozell Column: ABC, Apple-Polishers for Autocrats
Never try to say ABC anchor Diane Sawyer hasn’t been tough on oppressors. In one interview in 1998, she stared one in the face and said, "You’ve been compared to Saddam Hussein. Nero. To Torquemada, who was head of the Inquisition." Oh, forgive me. That wasn’t a dictator she was questioning. It was Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel investigating Bill Clinton’s lying under oath. This was a…
Sawyer Gushes Over ‘Peaceful’ First Lady and ‘Quiet’ Syrian Pr
On Tuesday’s "Good Morning America," anchor Diane Sawyer continued to gush over the dictator of Syria. As already noted on NewsBusters, the ABC anchor gingerly questioned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the country’s political and cultural repression. But she also defended him, reminding American viewers that "change must come slowly." A second segment focused on Assad’s wife, Asma. In this…
Sawyer's Sympathy for the Syrian Dictator
Imagine that during the days of apartheid in South Africa, Diane Sawyer had just completed an interview of the white leader of the regime. What are the odds she would have emerged to inform viewers, in sympathetic tones, that the leader had reminded her of an old Afrikaaner saying to the effect that change must come slowly? Yet that's just what Diane did after her interview with Syrian…
GMA’s Sawyer ‘Grills’ Syrian Dictator on Shania Twain, Video Gam
As already noted on NewsBusters, ABC’s Diane Sawyer threw softballs to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in an interview for Monday's "Good Morning America." However, GMA featured a section segment that was, amazingly, even worse. In the piece, the hard-hitting journalist probed the dictator about pertinent issues such as his favorite movies ("Pursuit of Happyness"), music (Shania Twain and Faith…
Ego Unchecked: Does Rosie Think The Show's All About Her
On Monday’s The View, co-host Rosie O’Donnell made light of a near-verbal mistake which may clue in to what she is thinking. In a nutshell: this is really MY show, with three sidekicks who chime in occasionally.When opening a segment on fashion on a budget, O’Donnell stated "it is budget week here on The View. I almost said the Rosie O’Donnell Show [laughing]. That would have been a mistake!"
Diane Doesn't Challenge Despotism of Syria's Assad
When a despot you're interviewing denigrates the value of democracy in another country, wouldn't your journalistic instincts prompt you to ask him about the utter lack of democracy in his own? Not in Diane Sawyer's case.The ABC powerhouse is in Syria this week. This morning's GMA aired an interview she scored with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Joe Biden would surely declare Assad "articulate…
Whoopi on Vulgar Bush Remark in 2004: ‘Democrats Disappeared Like Co
On Friday, NewsBuster Justin McCarthy reported the interesting discussion that ensued on ABC’s “The View” concerning Nazi-style censorship of entertainers such as the Dixie Chicks. During this segment, Whoopi Goldberg shed some light on what really happened at a DNC fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall in 2004 (video available here courtesy of our friend at Ms Underestimated).It seems her much…
