Is moderator Bob Schieffer biased? Your take please.

[JDPriestly]

Schieffer is a friend of Bush.

Media Matters reports:

On the October 12 edition of Wolf Blitzer Reports, Blitzer asked the following of CBS News chief Washington correspondent and Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer, who is scheduled to moderate the final presidential debate on October 13:

BLITZER: Well, what happens, though, what do you do if -- if what happened the other night in St. Louis happens, that John Kerry says something really, really nasty at the president and it's time for you to move on to another subject, but the president is obviously anxious to respond and he just starts talking? How do you -- he's the president of the United States.

SCHIEFFER: Well, I don't suppose I could tell him to go take a time out, could I? That might be -- I don't suppose you could ask either one of them to do that. But I would try to accommodate that, but I think what I would do, Wolf -- and we won't know until it happens, if it does -- I would always make sure that if I let one of them do something and run over, I would try to make sure that the other got the same opportunity.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200410130003

Have we let something slip that we should have been protesting?

Moderator: sorry if there is already a post on this.

[Gabi Hayes]

1. he's a pompous JAGOFF!

and his fricking brother is the ambassador to Australia!....not to mention a partner in the Rangers with the chimp

think they "might" have discussed what the questions are going to be tonight?

do ya?

huh?

[annerevere]

2. Shieffer is just fine

I've followed his work abit and read his book, This Just In. He favors neither side on his program, Face the Nation. I'm glad he's the moderator tonight.

[Minimus]

4. I have always found him unbiased and he was actually quite

charming on The Daily Show last week talking about the debate.

Only time will tell.

[arbusto_baboso]

8. I thought his TDS appearance was great too!

He actually seemed like quite the Jon Stewart "Fanboy" and came off like a giggly little kid.

Hardly the face of Republican media bias.

[omnithrope]

3. He's okay.

nt

[LVdem]

5. He's one of the good guys in journalism

He's old school.

[Gabi Hayes]

6. riliiiiight

guess you missed the thread here the other day, in which he was quoted after one of the 2000 debates, when he was CLEARLY in Bush's quarter, despite all evidence to the contrary

the responses there were enlightening; Schieffer was unmasked for the FAUX non-partisan he is

just remember who his fricking BROTHER is

[LVdem]

14. So who is either noncommital or left leaning in journalism?

There's gotta be someone...

[peacetalksforall]

7. I judge many of 'news people' by the way they joined in the character

assasination of the Clintons and Al Gore. He may be towards the bottom of the list of right radicals, but he is definitely on the list, imo.

You asked if we should we be protesting? Yes, but. If we prioritize the importance of the participation, there are many ahead of him that deserve louder protests.

[Fleshdancer]

9. I hope not.

Granted, I don't know all that much about him, but I liked him on the Daily Show (last week?) He came across as nice, low key, and he's apparently pretty nervous about moderating his first Presidential debate. I guess we'll find out in a little less than 2 hours.

[Gabi Hayes]

10. he's nervous cause he's a week kneed PUSSY

who's afraid for his JOB and all the perky perks that come with it.

these greedheads care ONLY about themselves. why else would they be nervous at the chance of unmasking two megalomaniacs who think they have anything close to what it takes for this job.....one of whom obviously is much more suited than the other

these creeps make me puke

[Aunt Anti-bush]

11. Yes, he's biased.

He's golfed with Bush on many occasions and stayed at the white house. But, I am not worried about it. Biased or not, Bush is not exactly a master debater lately so he can't help the shrub.

[TrustingDog]

12. "something really really nasty?" you got to be kidding!!!?

wtf was that awful nasty thing Kerry said? I must have missed it.
I don't believe all this shit/crap/excremental/cacapoopoo coming out of some of these 'journalists'!

feh.

[Julien Sorel]

13. I think the "bias" in that passage is Wolf Blitzer's.

What did Kerry say that was "really, really nasty" to Bush, that prompted Bush to go off the deep end? If I remember, it was a simple attack on Bush's record of building coalitions, then Bush went off on his "YOU TELL TONY BLAIR" head bobbing rant.

Blitzer is covering for Bush here, and in fact, that's the only reason for this exchange as far as I can tell.

[shelley806]

15. Blitzer asked a biased question and Bush was the nasty one!

This election has changed the way I watch news. I used to watch CNN all the time, then discovered Keith O. and Hardball but I'm beginning to see bias in Matthews. I started watching Rather again is support of him (I'd been watching Peter Jennings for years.) I am especially concened about media bias--Sinclair, Halliburton criminal cover ups, and the role that the media played post 9/11 and the war (I hold them partially responsible). I do not want to waste my time on any biased reporter at this time.

I'm new to this site, so I don't know how to set up a poll, but I've voted in several set up by DUers. Is there anyway someone could set up an on-line poll for DU site so we could rate media bias? List of TV news reporters and bias?

[Rosco T.]

16. People thought Charlie Gibson was gonna be biased..

but the general concensus seems to be that he was ok for Kerry (shoulda been harder on the Chimp, but didn't seem to give Kerry much grief)

[Hamlette]

17. his commentary at the end of his Sunday show is usually very fair

and he's taken on a few hard issues...and come down on the right side.

One week he said something about there being no atheists in a fox hole. I was screaming mad, but as an atheist I'm used to that kind of crap. The next week he profusly apologized. I almost fainted. He read letters he'd received from troops in the field and others and he agreed with them that it is insulting dismissive and demeaning to say "no atheist in a fox hole".

I gave him a gold star that day.

He doesn't bug me. I've always liked him the best of the Sunday morning talking heads.

Speaking of which, has anyone else noticed how untweety like tweety is on sunday morning? He's almost rational. Like two different people. I'm thinking the audience but who knows why. I even saw Novak called for commentary on a network broadcast and he seemd down right human. Makes you think these shrill political hate fests are all for ratings.