"Pull My Finger" Journalism on ABC

[babylonsister]

"Pull My Finger" Journalism on ABC
by Bob Patterson | April 18, 2008 - 7:29pm


The questions used Wednesday night echoed topics that had been covered relentlessly by conservative talk show hosts, but when ABC visited those subjects some would see it as a manifestation of quality journalists being undeterred in the quest for answers to questions that were crucial to the selection of the next President.

Where were he advocates of "tough questions" when candidate George W. Bush cavalierly dismissed questions about his military service and the possibility that he went AWOL?

The use of a lapel pins is essential information that voters must have for an informed decision, but snooping into assertions that the pilot training wasn't completed and/or that George W. Bush went missing (AWOL) for a year is the kind of inconsequential and innocuous story that would only interest amateur journalists who are lunatics. Really?

The conservative talk show hosts are unanimous in their defense of the ABC fiasco. Newspaper writers are outraged by the ineptness of Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. Gee, do the conservative talk show hosts ever get appointed to the Pulitzer Prize selection committee?

There are omnipresent talking points you hear constantly on conservative talk radio. Are they an example of repeated remarkable coincidences (typing monkeys produce a Shakespeare play) or is their ubiquitous use strong circumstantial evidence of premeditated orchestration? If it appears on conservative talk radio by design, does the same material just happen to pop up on the ABC debate or was it planned?

more...

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/14124

[KansDem]

1. "Tough questions" indeed...

Like, "Mr. President, why did you sit and do nothing when told that America was under attack?"

When will the Charlie Gibsons and George Stephanopouloses of the Fourth Estate ask this question, because I'd like to know!

[tanyev]

2. "The conservative talk show hosts are unanimous in their defense of the ABC fiasco. "

That in itself proves how wretched the debate was. Usually, they are whining ad nauseum about "the liberal media". Once in a while, even Fox News and the Washington Times drift a little too far left for their tastes.