Amanpour: CNN Practiced Self-Censorship

[DoveTurnedHawk]

CNN's top war correspondent, Christiane Amanpour, says that the press muzzled itself during the Iraq war. And, she says CNN "was intimidated" by the Bush administration and Fox News, which "put a climate of fear and self-censorship."

As criticism of the war and its aftermath intensifies, Amanpour joins a chorus of journalists and pundits who charge that the media largely toed the Bush administrationline in covering the war and, by doing so, failed to aggressively question the motives behind the invasion.

On last week's Topic A With Tina Brown on CNBC, Brown, the former Talk magazine editor, asked comedian Al Franken, former Pentagon spokeswoman Torie Clarke and Amanpour if "we in the media, as much as in the administration, drank the Kool-Aid when it came to the war."

Said Amanpour: "I think the press was muzzled, and I think the press self-muzzled. I'm sorry to say, but certainly television and, perhaps, to a certain extent, my station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News. And it did, in fact, put a climate of fear and self-censorship, in my view, in terms of the kind of broadcast work we did."

<...>

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2003-09-14-media-mix_x.htm

DTH

[DoveTurnedHawk]

1. Supports Clark's Contention That the WH Tried to Have Him Fired from CNN

I don't doubt that if the Thugs try to make an "issue" of Clark's comment, he will be able to come up with a credible witness supporting his contention.

Oh, and by the way...could Faux be any LESS professional? Could Faux lack journalistic integrity any more strongly?

DTH

[Cush]

2. Gotta love Christiane Amanpour

and the lady from FOX? What a bitch! She could be fired for those comments, but since it's FOX......

[homelandpunk]

80. WHY? it's the same thing each time with the "respectable"

journalists...like Amanpour....they know full well they are part of a propaganda machine driven by fear and boot licking WHILE it is in the process of happening, and then they get to go on some show like this and say "we had pressure that prevented us from being good journalists and mistakes were made."
Aww, fuck, this little ritual is so old, and yet you have some respect for them??? This jingoism and rooting for the home team was done with the same vigor during the first Gulf War, when all these reporters were around. They saw fellow journalists lose their jobs over falling out of line and trying to make actual reports about what was happening to ordinary men and women and children in Iraq. If they came back with a piece that digged into the putrid rot of war, it would be replaced with a piece of drivel about some U.S. sergeant who wanted to tell his wife back in Alabama that he loved her and he was proud and...
I am sick of this. These "journalists" are like the Catholic in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. They partake of the lowest journalistic filth, because they know they can purge themselves later and say "mistakes were made" and the NEXT time this will happen precisely like it always does. Fuck Amanpour and all of the U.S. media...fuck 'em. Fuck the respectable ones just as much: because the only reason they are respectable is cuz they purge their sin by making some confession, and liberals then say "oh see! he/she is one of the good ones." Sorry. Are they U.S. mainstram media? They are? Then they are lowly shit-eaters. Christianne, you get on and tell me how you submitted piece after piece of news items that showed the "war is hell" side, and how your bosses then fired you because they did not want to use it because of their fear of Rove, then I will consider you respectable. But I'm just tired of your confessions. The confessors intend on doing it all over again. I think they like the cycle of sin and repentance. It does something for them. I don't want any part of their twisted trip.

[Sliverofhope]

3. Fox really is more dangerous

than even I thought. I am amazed how I learn that things are worse than I thought, and I think things are pretty bad.

[0007]

30. What a piss poor analogy!

"it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

.......kind of like getting Henry A. Kissinger to investigate 911, 'eh?

The likeness between junior and Hitler are remarkable. Neither men were up front with their people and they both ran a shadowy administration.

[kstewart33]

35. That comment from Fox was atrocious

I couldn't believe that comment came from a news organization. Amanpour stated the obvious, and so she's shilling for terrorists? Unbelievable.

[Zero Gravitas]

57. It didn't come from anews organization

It came from a volunteer Bush/GOP propaganda machine.

That quote illustrates how these scum have poisoned debate in this country. If you're not out there shilling for Bush* you must be a treerorist supporter. :eyes: :puke:

[Lorien]

65. Well, Faux proved her point for her

their McCarthyesque tactics are disgusting!

[Lefty48197]

71. That comment didn't come from a news organization

It came from F.O.X. That's the media branch of the Republican Party.

[JPace]

55. "What a piss poor analogy!"

"it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The true nature of this statement is revealing,
it is the "borg" like culture of the republican
party. It is succinctly stated in AWOLs statement;

"You are either with us, or against us"

[WhereIsMyFreedom]

58. Yup, typical black and white thinking

But look at the bright side. The next time your conservative friends claim that Faux is 'fair and balanced' you can show them this and tell them that Faux admits to being a foot soldier for Bush.

[5thGenDemocrat]

62. Actually, as I was taught in j-school years ago

It's best if you aren't viewed as either.
Objectivivity and all that. Dan Rather was crying crocodile tears some time ago about how the media is manipulated and pressured to slant the reporting regarding our Fuehrer and his war, but CBS keeps right on slanting. CNN is no better.
John
The press is supposed to lead and shape public opinion, not follow it. And they're also supposed to have an adversarial relationship with government and the use of governmental power -- but that's been gone for years.
The press, finally and by and large, are hooers.

[The Zanti Regent]

31. But CNN is STILL a GOP propaganda machine

Just look at Aaron Clown and Larry Thing.

Both of them are always armed with GOP talking points

CNN and BSRNC lie just as much as 19th Century Fox!

[Democat]

4. Bush trying to stop a free press, more attacks on the constitution

Let's hope that Amanpour is going to put out a book on Bush's attacks on the first amendment.

[Alenne]

5. I guess there is only either/or with Fox. nt

[DrBB]

39. False duality--the essence of right wing thinking

Or rather, the mental process that substitutes for thinking among these people. A little glimpse inside the totalitarian brain. How lovely.

[AP]

6. How can this be a surprise to anyone. And saying this now does not forgive

anyone for the bullshit that came out of their mouths during the war coverage.

[Unknown Known]

7. I'm shocked - shocked, I tell you!!

When these MFs are tried for war crimes, we need to make sure the mediawhores are sitting right next to them.

[stickdog]

8. Fox: "Either your with Bush, or your with the terra'ists!"

Fairly Unbalanced, as usual.

[gottaB]

11. No kidding

Irena Briganti--what a dope. Who really believes this crap?

[w13rd0]

9. Are they saying (FOX) that's she's a...

..."spokeswoman for al-Qaeda"? Couldn't she sue over that? So it's an either or situation, eh Fox? Either a foor soldier for the Bush regime or a spokesperson for al-Qaeda? Fair and balanced my ass...

[Occulus]

10. Oh MY

"Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

Uhh.... isn't that a rather blatant admission that what Amanpour said is essentially true???

"Fair and balanced"?? HAH!!!

Talk about a racist comment. Amanpour is a source I trust and respect. She alone is able to get to the bottom of the Arabic angle, and that is a source of information we the people desperately need.

I hope she responds to what the FAUX spokeswoman said. And I hope CNN runs FAUX into the ground over this. Maybe a CNN expose into FAUX's journalism tactics and connections is warranted here.

Just a thought.... for any of you CNN people on here.

Oh, come on. One thing we aren't is stupid.

[IndianaGreen]

12. CNN is still referring to US troops in Iraq as "coalition" troops

which still feeds the myth that the invasion of Iraq was a multi-lateral thing.

The only "coalition" in Iraq are Paul Bremer's two testicles!

[Nashyra]

13. It absolutely disgusts me that Faux news can be the #1 news

show. It is simply unimaginable to know, not think, know that there are that many stupid Americans. What the F*&^ have we become? Faux news and the majority of the reporters are hate and fear mongering greedy people. Go Christine, I recently read an article about her and her husband, said they were probably the smartest couple alive today. Her husband was Madeline Albrights assisant Sec. of State in the Clinton Administration.

[Marlie]

15. Christine is great

She's also a lucky gal, as she was John F. Kennedy, Jr. roomate
in college. What happy memories she must have. Anyway, the drip,
drip continues and good for her. Just hope she manages to keep her
job as she's truly exceptional.

[Blue_Roses]

33. she was his roommate in college?

wow! She truely is lucky them...

[Newsjock]

24. #1 in a small field

Even during the height of the war, Fox News Channel attracted only about 4 million viewers, compared to 3.6 million for CNN.

By comparison, the three major network evening newscasts are watched by about 24 million people.

The impact of Fox News Channel is out of proportion to its small audience. How do they get the power? People let them have it. Lawmakers agree to appear on their air. People continue to buy products advertised on the network. People continue to shop at stores that play the channel. Print media treat the channel as some type of journalistic "equal" to CNN. Everybody is scared out of their gourd what might happen if people called Fox News Channel what it really is.

Guess what, folks? Things can't be any worse than they are now. Go ahead, call Fox News Channel what it is -- a mouthpiece for the Bush administration. Stop calling it a "news" channel. Let them blather all they want -- it is, after all, their money -- but tell everyone you know, in every way possible, that Fox News Channel is *not* news at all.

[StandWatie]

46. the audience is all old white men

That's actually the main audience for all the 24/7 news channels so it's not suprising that one based on the Rush strategy would play well to the same demographic that listens to his radio show.

Most normal humans don't watch any of them and if they watch news at all it's the ABC/NBC/CBS news.

[Dover]

48. How is FOX's #1 status determined? I'd be willing to bet that's also faux

news.
I just wonder how much the Pentagon is paying them to be its mouthpiece.

[scottxyz]

74. High ratings doesn't mean people actually believe FOX

Lots of people watch things like Jerry Springer too.

Sometimes you get high ratings because channel-surfers stop on your station when they notice some blowhard screaming his head off. Happens a lot on FOX. Might be amusing to watch, certainly attention-getting - but I think less and less people are taking FOX seriously as an actual source of NEWS. It's more just entertainment.

[fabius]

14. Faux News - Wholly without Merit

Also good for Christiane, she's one of real reporters.

[Dover]

49. HOLY without merit.

..

[Jester_11218]

16. Details on the media's coverage of the invasion here. Many articles.

http://tvnewslies.org/html/invasion_coverage.html

The media has blood on their hands!

[veracity]

40. Will this be on CNN????

Yeah, right.....

[Fridays Child]

17. This comment proves that Fox is the defacto propaganda ministry...

...for the bushistas:

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

[The_Casual_Observer]

18. You could see it from the expressions on their faces

On the nightly reports they would strain while trying to maintain the pro invasion position. The fear of backlash from the Jingoists
must have been horrible. Now that the whole thing is falling apart for Cheney and Co. they must feel safer in reporting the facts as THEY see them.

[bluestateguy]

19. Mouthpiece for Team Bush

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

Fine, but then don't call yourself "fair and balanced". Call yourself what you are: a state run news agency that is a mouthpiece for the Bush Administration.

[sventvkg]

20. so what do we do as informed Americans, about this??????

Please give me some insight as to how we can get it all back???? I moved to Alaska to just get away from it as much as I can and be left alone...VERY VERY independant up here..I do not have faith in the average American anymore and I believe the SERIOUS FIX is in for the 04 election and the American Sheeple will do nothing about it..We are fucked.

[MaineDem]

37. Welcome to DU!

:hi:

And to answer your question, we talk all we can about this. We strive to inform the people we know. We keep on our elected officials as much as we can. We don't allow this to continue.

[roguevalley]

81. Hi sweetie. Welcome to Alaska.

I live on the Kenai Peninsula. In Soldotna. We in our borough voted out the Patriot act and so did the state. We are an odd mix, thinking wise but very independent on some things. We are glad to have ya.

RV

[scottxyz]

76. I loved your comment - forwarded it to FOX

Dear Mr. Lewis and Ms. Briganti -

I found a funny comment on your idiot PR director Ms. Briganti on a website - couldn't resist sharing it with you:

>>>begin quote>>>

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

Fine, but then don't call yourself "fair and balanced". Call yourself what you are: a state run news agency that is a mouthpiece for the Bush Administration.

<<<end quote<<<

Go ahead and check out the rest of the website where such comments are published.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=114621&mesg_id=114621

It must pain you so much to see that your PR person can't even figure out how to do PR right.

You guys do have the highest numerical ratings (4 million I hear, against 3.6 million for CNN). But I imagine it's just because you have so many blowhards like O'Reilly yelling at people to SHUT UP all the time. It's arresting when you're channel-surfing to come across a screaming freak like that - but don't let it go to your head. People don't take FOX seriously as a news channel anymore. Between O'Reilly and Hannity and that very badly worded, childish lawsuit against Franken, and now this outburst from your so-called PR director, you, like all conservatives, are just digging your own grave.

There's a reason why conservatives accuse liberals of being "elite". It's because we're so much smarter than you guys. We know how to handle money (unlike Mr. Bush, who has driven every business he ever touched into bankruptcy), we know how to protect the country, the workers, the environment - AND have enough cash left over to provide little niceties like healthcare. All you guys know how to do is run around accusing everyone smarter than you of "treason".

Enjoy your high ratings. Enjoy having the lumpenproletariat on your side. Enjoy being footsoldiers for Bush. The national dialog is taking place at a much higher level than the poison being spewed forth by FoxNews.

XXX
XXX

[Whoa_Nelly]

21. Typical USA Today

Al Franken was in with the group being asked:

...if "we in the media, as much as in the administration, drank the Kool-Aid when it came to the war."

So, where was Franken's response????

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

[jamesinca]

22. Well she just lost here job

And there will be no offers coming from FOX anytime soon.

[waldenx]

23. Anyone remember on CNN

when Wesley Clark was giggling with glee as bombs rained down on Iraqi civilains.... and when Brown and him were in pure extacy during firefights.... I wish they would have censored that vampire.

[SoCalDem]

25. I saw a panel on cspan2 last week.. It was all journalists, EXCEPT

Tori Clark was "sitting in" on the panel discussion.. Apparently it was part II of another panel discussion that I missed.. They were slamming the defense dept right and left and boy, she was like a momma tiger, cutting them off and all but calling them liars..

The press is slowly waking up, but gheeeeez..it took them almost 3 years to figure out what we all knew from DAY ONE.. TYhat does not give me much comfort..


If all but the butt sniffing losers at Fox, jumped on W & Crew with both feet, he would have no choice but to answer their questions or suffer the consequences of proving that he only caters to the rightwing press..

The Dems should totally boycott all Fox/CNN/MSRNC shows , and call a press conference explaining why.. It would not take long before people got tired of watching a video version of rightwing radio..

The time has come to put the media on notice.. The dems should not be Alan Colmes wannabees..

[Robin Hood]

26. So what's the difference?

A soldier for the Bush reich or a soldier for Al Qaeda. Either one is following a crazed religious idiot.

Fox don't get it. We're not supposed to follow any mad man. Jeez, you'd think that was a given.

[Bush_has_Parvo]

27. Very brave of her to offer her opinions

especially with the big guns loaded against her. Christiane is a true journalist, and that's saying alot in this world.

[tlb]

28. Christiane's thesis seems weak.

Reading the article, Christiane thesis is self-contridictory. She accused the administration and Fox of " intimidating " CNN and then:


Brown then asked Amanpour if there was any story during the war that she couldn't report.

"It's not a question of couldn't do it, it's a question of tone,"


Censorship and intimidation that don't control what you say is pretty weak intimidation and censorhip. And TONE ? Isn't reporting FACTS what news is. It's undefined by her but I am supposing by TONE she refers to the display of American flags and such.

I think CNN was less intimidated by Fox or the govt then they were of the Gallup polls showing the public supported the war. A business decision to not offend the consumer is not close to "intimidation" by govt or more successful competitors.

If they could report what they chose, they weren't censored by anyone other then themslves. Blaming anyone but themselves for their own weak journalistic ethics is quite weak. If Christina wants to back up and provide some actual examples of govt interference in CNN editorial decisions thats another matter. However one would think if such happened, she would have included it in the article.

[lindashaw]

29. In journalism, tone is everything...

They will say, "I don't know where you're coming from."
Or, "Do we really want to go in this direction?"
Or, "Now, just what do you want to do a piece like this?"

And you can do the piece if you want to, it just won't make it to the air or get in print. Go read what journalists have said from the Vietnam era or the first Gulf War. Christine knows exactly what "tone" is and how it shapes the philosophy of every media outlet.

How do we think FOX became so shameful? The CEO set that tone and everyone knew they had to accept it or go.

[Snellius]

32. Hey, Christiane. Get with the plan. Get with the "Countdown"

The "Countdown to Iraq". CNN was using that catch phrase for at months before the invasion. As if it was a foregone conclusion. CNN warmongers like Wolf Blitzer are still promoting it.

And was MSNBC any worse than FOX? Christiane is right but reluctant to see the corporate Republican soul of cable news.

[Turley]

38. Agreed

If she's going to go this far, she should name names and talk about specifics. She's basically saying CNN was too cowardly and when pressed for specifics, she showed herself to be too cowardly.

I say, if you're gonna do it, then do it.

[GCP]

60. If you'd ever seen CNN International's coverage of the war

you'd see the difference in tone for yourself. CNN USA was completely self-censored, it was as if they were describing two different wars.

International viewers (BBC, CBC, CNN Int) saw dead Iraqis every day. How many did we see?

[Lefty48197]

72. She's right

Fox and the Bushistas tried to create an atmosphere where anyone that criticizes the war would be jumped on and labeled unpatriotic, anti-American etc. etc. etc. Witness the Dixie Chicks and more recently, Johnny Depp.

[La Resistance]

75. and when you're struggling...

as CNN is, you can't afford to be labeled by the fascists as unpatriotic. This is the kind of thing that results from the corporatization of the media. Bottom line and ratings/circulation come before the TRUTH. CNN made its decision based on the perception that Faux would out-patriot them, and therefore CNN would lose viewership. They're looking out for the stockholders and not the viewers that expect them to tell the truth. What a cynical age we live in.

[Riptide]

34. MSNBC used to have this "Wall of Heroes" that they went to every day...

It was this big wall with photos of soldiers in Iraq. The talking head would show the soldier's photo and read a story written by their family.

Well, it seems the wall has been taken down. Why? Have too many of the soldiers died? That wouldn't make for a very nice, sanitized story! Have the soldiers come back with their legs blown off? Have their spouses who once wrote "my husband is liberating Iraq" now writing, "My husband is a sitting duck!"

The whole pep rally atmosphere the media created around this war was sickening!

[shirlden]

36. Shall we make Briganti's day ????

Here is her e-mail address
[e-mail]

:bounce:

[scottxyz]

78. Write to her boss too

http://newscorp.com/management/foxnewschannel.html

[e-mail]
[e-mail]

Tell Fox you're going to boycott their advertisers.

Write to CNN too - tell them you support Ms. Amanpour.

Feedback is a very simple and powerful thing. Rightwingers pressure the press all the time to change their coverage. If we do it too, maybe the press will start to realize they should just cover the facts, and let the chips fall where they may.

[Sushi_lover]

41. Because if you don't back the White House, you must be Al Qaeda

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

Fox has mastered the basic recipe for jingoism.

[Sticky]

42. Full Transcript of Topic A

Just posted this in another thread. I saw the show and Chrstiane could hardly get a word in.....Victoria Clark did her best to muzzle other panel members. IMHO

http://www.alfrankenweb.com/topicatina.html

[Whoa_Nelly]

53. Thanks for posting the transcrpt!

Much appreciated sweet_scotia! :D

This deserves a :kick: back to the top!

[The Backlash Cometh]

43. What about the third option?

What about being a truth finder for the American people?

[reprobate]

44. Wonder how they will react when the rest of the media........

.....has turned on bush (we're starting to see it happen now).At what point will Faux spin in place and start attackin Captain Codpiece?

We know they are whores, so once the prevailing winds have shifted you can bet they will change just like a windsock.

[robbedvoter]

45. But, but,but Faux sez Clark lied about the phone calls

asking him to link 9.11 to Iraq! So she must be lying too!
Well, she is one of the more decent people at CNN - I remember the faces she was making during the statue toppling debacle.

[DemonFighterLives]

47. Christiane was still great

Even though she was obviously muzzled. You could see her steaming inside every time she held back her words.
And it was quite easy to see the intimidation with the embedded reporters and all other reporters coming under fire. How many died trying to cover the news? ? She is one of the last honest ones still standing which says alot about brains. Maybe she doesn't want to end up suicided.

[maveric]

50. Perhaps more news journalists will come forward and tell the nation

about the intimidation from the bu$h reich and the faux propaganda network?

[leftofthedial]

51. what a shame

I always liked Christiane Amanpour. Her Iraq coverage did seem blunted and confined mostly to rehashes of the story of the day.

Now she'll be relegated to Ashliegh Banfield land and only get to cover traffic accidents, hurricanes, and missing dogs.

How dare she speak out and tell the truth. Oh the shame.

[leesa]

52. Trying to pretend they weren't complicit in this treason, huh?

[Neecy]

54. at least someone is speaking out

I'm sure that Amanpour was appalled at CNN's war "coverage". I can still see that nitwit Kiera Phillips breathlessly urging Navy pilots and deck crews to "wave for the camera" during flight operations on an aircraft carrier. She was acting like a drug-addled cheerleader at a football game, and I just sat there and wondered where the 'news' was. When did war reporting become some kind of rally?

Good for Amanpour. CNN's war reporting (and to call it reporting is a HUGE stretch) was a disgrace from start to finish.

[JPace]

56. I think it is possible that Christianes statement...

will echo throughout the halls of the media,
there will be reflection and chatter. I wonder
if they will start noticing the elephant in
the living room that has been denied for three
years now. There might even be some shame and
guilt......could even be some real and palpable
truth printed in the near future.
Wow!

Be careful Christiane.....the AWOL regime cannot
tolerate reporters talking about the elephant.

[LeftistGorilla]

59. It was on last night....

It was weird to watch...

[Cat Atomic]

61. I remember Amanpour during the initial stages of the invasion.

She vehemently countered some official view of an incident.

I can't remember what it was now... it was either the DoD's claim that the missile that hit a Kuwaiti mall came from Iraq, and not from the bay (where American forces were), or it was the incident where the American tank fired on the Baghdad Hotel, and the DoD was trying to say it was an accident.

Either way- I remember Aaron Brown dutifully parroting the official version, and Amanpour kept interrupting him, saying that was not what had happened, and that she'd seen it with her own eyes. I was pretty impressed with her. She's definitely one of the better journalists on television.

[Sticky]

69. Yes, I remember that

It was the Palestine Hotel bombing where journalists were killed. Christiane kept insisting there was no fire coming from the hotel and no provocation for the american military to fire on a site that was known by all to house journalists.

She was adament and pissed!

[peterh]

63. There’s a shakeup going on at CNN right now….

maybe this should have it's own thread, but then it might be somewhat related to this current thread....either way, changes are a happenin'


<http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/entertainment/6777676.htm>

CNN General Manager Teya Ryan Replaced

NEW YORK - CNN's general manager, Teya Ryan, was ousted Monday as the network continues to grapple with the fallout of being the No. 2 cable news network behind Fox News Channel.

Ryan was replaced by Princell Hair, a former television news director in Los Angeles and Baltimore who has overseen the news operations for Viacom's 39 television stations.

The moves were announced by Jim Walton, president of CNN news group, who oversees all of the CNN networks.

[tlcandie]

64. Watching the War Spin special on LINK ... I believe that

it was stated that at the media building in Iraq that the only channel blasted all over the place was Faux :shrug:

[Mokito]

66. Seems like Conservative Idiots No. 127 has one vacancy less!

Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

[hunter]

67. It's boot licker, not foot soldier, dear Irena

While you are down on all fours cleaning the president's boots with your tongue, the true foot soldiers are out getting killed and maimed in Iraq.

This Bush administration treats you like a cheap whore, and you go back for more. Why?

When will you stand up for yourself and knock the little tyrant down?

[scottxyz]

79. Very good, Hunter

n/t

[davsand]

68. Remember Pravda during the Cold War?

They were viewed as nothing more than a propaganda machine for the Communist government in Russia. I can't count the number of Pravda jokes I heard, nor can I count the number of times they were dismissed as liars for the government.

Am I the only persaon who looks at the statements from the Faux news lady and remembers that time? I have to wonder if SHE does...
Laura

[FlemingsGhost]

70. So what's their excuse for Selection 2000? Or 9-11?

A $100/hr "escort" is a whore none the less.

[scottxyz]

73. I sent a nasty note to Fox, and a note of support to CNN for Amanpour

Here's the contact info for FoxNews:
http://newscorp.com/management/foxnewschannel.html
Here's the feedback webpage for CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/
(Scroll down to where it says 'Comment on our anchors')

= = =

To: [e-mail]
Cc: [e-mail]
Subject: Briganti Accuses Amanpour of Supporting Al Qaida
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 2003 17:20:03 -0500

Dear Mr. Lewis:

I would like to call your attention to some rather misguided comments
in 'USA Today' from your PR Director Irena Briganti regarding
Christiane Amanpour.

>>Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's
comments lies on Iraq]: "Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a
foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for
al-Qaeda."<<<

http://www.usatoday.com/life/columnist/mediamix/2003-09-14-media-mix_x.htm

It is surprising that a PR Director for a news organization could
make so many mistakes. She really put her foot in her mouth in so
many ways:

(1) The discussion was about Iraq, not Al Qaida. Bush has tried to
conflate the two - perhaps Ms. Briganti is being a foot soldier for
Bush here?

(2) Is FoxNews finally admitting you really ARE just a "foot
soldier for Bush"? I thought your motto was "We report, you
decide". When I want fiction, I can read a novel. I expect a news
station to give me news, not spin.

(3) Debating where to allocate scarce military resources does not
equate to supporting the enemy. Many military experts feel that Iraq
was not as big a threat as, say, North Korea or, indeed, Al Qaida. As
the Meacher article in the UK Guardian richly illustrated this past
Saturday, the people who really wanted to invade Iraq were the PNAC
neocon chickenhawks, and they wanted to do it way before 9/11/2001.
Many intelligent strategists feel that invading Iraq is an overpriced
waste of time. Would Ms. Briganti characterize such analysts as
"foot soldiers for Al Qaida"? If we do as Ms. Briganti says
and become blind followers, we will not be able to have a discussion
to figure out how to protect ourselves. Please remember we live in a
democracy; dissent and discussion are healthy because they allow the
best ideas to win.

FoxNews has acquired a reputation for being ignorant, obnoxious and
slanted. Ms. Briganti's remarks are unprofessional and unpatriotic:
the poor woman confused Al Qaida with Iraq, she implied that a
journalist might consider being a "foot soldier for Bush",
and - worst of all - she essentially equated debate with treason.

You are of course free to keep such an ignoramus on-board as your PR
person - and we the viewers are of course free to boycott your
advertisers if we see that your ignorance is a threat to our robust
democracy.

XXX
XXX

cc: Ms. Briganti

[scottxyz]

77. Fox's New Slogan: "Footsoldiers for Bush"

Fair and Balanced Footsoldiers for Bush.

This could be the new FOX slogan.