Finally: 56 Days Later, ABC Ends Blackout and Covers Gosnell ‘House of Horrors’
[Newsbusters.org]
By Scott Whitlock | May 13, 2013 | 18:56
Fifty six days after the grisly trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell began, ABC broke its self-imposed blackout and finally offered coverage. World News anchor Diane Sawyer belatedly told viewers that Gosnell was convicted on three counts of first degree murder against newborn babies, as well as on a slew of other charges. Terry Moran explained, “For two months, jurors heard often shocking, grisly testimony.” He described the details as a “house of horrors.” A house of horrors that ABC took 56 days to notice.
As the Media Research Center has aggressively documented, ABC went from March 18, 2013 (the trial’s start) through Monday afternoon with no coverage. Yet, during the same time, the network devoted a staggering 187 minutes (or 70 segments) to other shocking criminal cases, such as Jodi Arias and Amanda Knox.
Moran noted that “Opponents of legalized abortion seized on this case.” The journalist quoted Jeanneane Maxon, the vice president of Americans United for Life. She asserted, “Well, Gosnell’s not an aberration. Abortion clinics are unregulated and every year we see the deaths of women inside these clinics.”
Nightline’s Moran first highlighted the Gosnell case on Twitter, way back on April 12. But he has failed to cover the story until now.
GMA Devotes 109 Minutes to Other Trials, But Not One Second for Gosnell Horrors
[Newsbusters.org]
By Scott Whitlock | April 29, 2013 | 11:22
Forty two days ago, on March 18, 2013, abortionist Kermit Gosnell went on trial, charged with the grisly murder of multiple babies and a patient. Yet, in the seven weeks that followed, ABC News has permitted no coverage, discussion or mention of the case, not even a single utterance of Dr. Gosnell’s name.
But that’s not due to lack of interest in shocking criminal cases. Over the same 42 days, the Media Research Center found that ABC’s Good Morning America has aired 41 stories — about one per day — on other sensational criminal cases, including the Amanda Knox re-trial and the Jodi Arias case, totaling 109 minutes of coverage.
So it would seem that ABC doesn’t have a problem delivering the gruesome details of murder cases to morning show viewers, suggesting that the networks’ blackout of the Gosnell case has more to do with the negative light it shines on the abortion industry.
Over six weeks of weekday and weekend coverage, GMA featured the Arias case 22 times. Arias is accused of stabbing and slitting the throat of Travis Alexander, her ex-boyfriend. Clearly, the producers and hosts of the morning show aren’t worried about discussing stomach-churning details. The Associated Press recounted the graphic accusations against Gosnell, including testimony by some of the abortion clinic’s workers that they “‘snipped’ babies’ necks after they were born alive to make sure they died.”
What? ABC Indignantly Chides Romney’s U.K. Trip: Advisers Question President’s ‘Heritage’
[Newsbuster.org]
By Scott Whitlock | July 26, 2012
ABC kicked off Mitt Romney’s visit to London, Thursday, by hyping “controversial” comments from the candidate’s advisers. A Good Morning America graphic adopted the worst possible interpretation for remarks by anonymous Romney aides that the President doesn’t respect the “Anglo-Saxon heritage.” The network graphic blasted, “Romney Takes London: Advisor Quote Questions Obama Heritage.”
Saying that Romney aides “questioned Obama’s heritage” hints at birtherism or other charges that the operatives clearly did not make. Reporter David Muir included the quote from one adviser who suggested that the White House “doesn’t fully appreciate the shared history” Britain and America have. Other remarks, not mentioned by Muir, include attacking Obama as a “left-winger” and promising to return the bust of Winston Churchill. How, exactly, do these comments question Obama’s heritage?
Parroting the Democratic line, Muir quoted a tweet by David Axelrod: “Mitt’s trip off to flying start, even before he lands, with stunningly offensive quotes from his team in British press.”
Perhaps trying to lower Romney in comparison to Obama, Muir reminded viewers of the Democrat’s 2008 tour of Europe: “A trip that will inevitably be compared to then-candidate Barack Obama’s overseas trip four years ago. A thick crowd of two hundred thousand in Berlin.”
Muir has a pattern with this. On July 1, he hyped Obama’s Bain attacks, insisting that the Republican “can’t escape” attack ads.
George Zimmerman’s Bond Revoked, Ordered to Turn Himself in Within 48 Hours
[TheBlaze.com]
- Posted on June 1, 2012 at 2:47pm by
Madeleine Morgenstern
SANFORD, Fla. (The Blaze/AP) — A judge on Friday revoked the bond of the neighborhood watch volunteer charged with killing 17-year-old Trayvon Martin and ordered him returned to jail within 48 hours.
Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester said that George Zimmerman and his wife, Shellie, misled the court about how much money they had available when his bond was set for $150,000 in April. Prosecutors claim Zimmerman had $135,000 available that had been raised by a website he set up.
Zimmerman‘s wife testified at the bond hearing that they had limited funds available since she was a nursing student and Zimmerman wasn’t working.
“He can’t sit back and obtain the benefit of a lower bond based upon those material falsehoods,” Lester said.
Defense attorney Mark O’Mara said the fact that Zimmerman and his wife never used the money for anything indicated “there was no deceit.”
Bachmann Hires Top GOP Strategist Ed Rollins
Newsmax.com
Monday, 06 Jun 2011 05:00 PM
By Henry J. Reske
Bachmann already had hired former George W. Bush and John McCain adviser Brett O’Donnell and pollster Ed Goeas.Rollins told ABC News that he will play a key role — probably, campaign manager.“I have talked to her about how you put a campaign together,” said Rollins, who said he doesn’t have a title at this point. “If she chooses to run, I’ll certainly be involved.”
Rollins was Mike Huckabee’s national campaign director in 2008. The former Arkansas governor recently announced he would not be making another run for the White House.
George Stephanopoulos Spins Wikileaks Release of Documents as ‘Important Information for the Public to Have’
Newsbusters
By Scott Whitlock | November 29, 2010 | 12:18
Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos on Monday offered a sympathetic take on the decision of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to release potentially damaging U.S. security documents. The ABC host wondered if it was “important information for the public to have.“
Talking to Congressman Peter Hoekstra, Stephanopoulos read a quote to the Republican, repeating the words of Assange: “If citizens in a democracy want their governments to reflect their wishes, they should ask to see what’s going on behind the scenes.” Stephanopoulos then emphasized, “He says he’s performing a public service.”
In contrast, CBS’s Harry Smith also interviewed Hoekstra and appeared much more concerned about the impact on national security. The Early Show anchor referred to the massive leak as “stunning” and a “real potential time bomb.” Smith followed up, “Is there anything in this…that is potentially catastrophic in terms of the damage it could do?”
Stephanopoulos, however, made the case for the WikiLeaks founder: “But [the documents] also show instances where governments are not cooperating with us. A release showing that for years we’ve been trying to get the Pakistanis to allow us to secure their nuclear material. And now we know they haven’t done that. Isn’t that important information for the public to have?”
Hoekstra aggressively disagreed with the argument being made by the GMA anchor, arguing, “These are functions that need to be done by government. They need to be done by Congress and the executive branch. You know, this guy really is putting into danger our foreign policy and perhaps the lives of certain Americans around the world.”
A transcript of the November 29 segment, which aired at 7:06am EST, follows:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And for more now on the potential damage to U.S. security and what can do about it, congressman Pete Hoekstra. He is a Republican from Michigan, sits on the House Intelligence Committee. Thanks for joining us this morning, Congressman. I want to start up by reading you a little bit more of what Julian Assange, the head of WikiLeaks said this morning. He said, “The cables show the U.S. spying on its allies in the UN, turning a blind eyed to corruption and human rights abuse. If citizens in a democracy want their governments to reflect their wishes, they should ask to see what’s going on behind the scenes.” He says he’s performing a public service.
REP. PETER HOEKSTRA (R-MI, House Intelligence Committee): Well I couldn’t- [coughs], excuse me. I couldn’t disagree more. You know, it’s not his duty or his responsibility to provide this public service to the American people. This is- These are functions that need to be done by government. They need to be done by Congress and the executive branch. You know, this guy really is putting into danger our foreign policy and perhaps the lives of certain Americans around the world. We’ll have to see what else comes out. But those are the consequences of this.
Koppel Responds to Olbermann: ‘Perspective a Little Screwed Up’
TheBlaze.com
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 9:28am by 
Former ABC newsman Ted Koppel has responded to criticism from MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann by saying Olbermann has his “perspective” and his “facts” “screwed up.”
In an op-ed on Sunday, Koppel charged that polarizing figures such as Olbermann and O’Reilly detract from the journalism profession. Olbermann responded by attacking Koppel and his false promise of “objectivity,” adding that Koppel doesn’t understand the complexities of “modern news.”
“I think Keith Olbermann is a very bright and clearly passionate man, but I think he has his perspective a little screwed up, and he has his facts screwed up too,” Koppel told NPR on Wednesday.
He went on to discuss news giants such as Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite and what made them great. “What made those pieces so powerful as they they came out of a lifetime of objective, and not subjective, reporting,” Koppel said.
You can listen to Koppel’s response here.
Email Reveals ABC News Walked Back ‘Bigs’ Publisher Participation in Election Night Coverage
BigGovernment.com
Posted Oct 31st 2010 at 6:48 pm
In response to the announcement that I would provide my analysis on ABC News from Arizona on election night, like-clockwork, from the George Soros-funded Media Matters to Keith Olbermann to Huffington Post to Daily Kos to Talking Points Memo to Twitter (#boycottABCNEWS), the institutional left began on Friday to inundate ABC News with a wave of partisan objections and unfounded allegations against me.
Make no mistake: this is a calculated “astroturf“ intimidation campaign by the well-funded and frightened-for-their-political-lives institutional left to quash dissenting voices. It’s what they do.
What was ABC News’ response? Not standing up for free speech and the 1st Amendment. Not sticking by their original invitation. Not standing up for diversity of opinion.
Instead, on Saturday, ABC News issued an official statement that was immediately heralded as a victory by the anti-free speech forces on the left:
Since conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart announced on his website that he was going to be a participant in ABC’s Town Hall meeting at Arizona State University, there has been considerable consternation and misinformation regarding my decision to ask him to participate in an election night Town Hall event for ABC News Digital. I want to explain what Mr. Breitbart’s role has always been as one of our guests at our digital town hall event:
Mr. Breitbart is not an ABC News analyst.
He is not an ABC News consultant.
He is not, in any way, affiliated with ABC News.
He is not being paid by ABC News.
He has not been asked to analyze the results of the election for ABC News.
Mr. Breitbart will not be a part of the ABC News broadcast coverage, anchored by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos. For the broadcast coverage, David Muir and Facebook’s Randi Zuckerberg will contribute reaction and response gathered from the students and faculty of Arizona State University at an ABC News/Facebook town hall.
Even America’s liberal elites concede that Obama’s Presidency is crumbling
UK Telegraph
By Nile Gardiner World Last updated: September 8th, 2010
Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party. They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster. The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of picking up the 39 seats it would need to take control of the House. Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer than a dozen of these are held by Republicans.
Political handicappers now say it is conceivable that the Republicans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without the Senate following suit.
Is this a piece from National Review, The Weekly Standard, The Wall Street Journal or Fox News.com, all major conservative news outlets in the United States? No. It’s a direct quote from yesterday’s Washington Post, usually viewed by conservatives as a flagship of the liberal establishment inside the Beltway. The fact The Post is reporting that not only could Republicans sweep the House of Representatives this November, but may even take the Senate as well, is a reflection of just how far the mainstream, overwhelmingly left-of-centre US media has moved in the last month towards acknowledging the scale of the crisis facing the White House.
Stimulus Signage Stirs Up GOP Angst Over Wasteful Spending
FoxNews.com
By Kelli Morgan
Published July 15, 2010
AP
Some local officials are spending freely to post street signs that let people know the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — better known as the stimulus bill — has funded a highway project in local neighborhoods, an expense that has Republicans blistering over why taxpayer money is being used to promote how taxpayer money is being used.
State governments are estimated to be using millions of dollars to put up the signs that say what a great job they are doing spending money. Some examples:
– In Washington, D.C., the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spent $10,000 for a single 10-by-11-foot sign displayed at a highway project, advertising that the $15 million in stimulus funds the District received were provided by the stimulus.
– Illinois spent about $650,000 during the last 14 months for 950 signs to be placed on 850 highway projects, Department of Transportation spokesman Josh Kauffman told FoxNews.com.
– Pennsylvania spent $157,477 of the $1 billion in stimulus funds it received on 70 signs for 37 projects, Department of Transportation press officer Alison Wenger told FoxNews.com. The average cost of each sign was $2,250.
– Tennessee bought 324 signs for $12,931, ABC News reported.
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