obeygiant
May 20, 2008, 09:41 AM
WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121124763345805881.html?mod=googlenews_wsj)
The White House got involved in a media feud, criticizing NBC for its handling of a recent interview with President Bush and questioning whether its cable talk-show hosts are skewing the broadcast network's point of view.
The broadside by White House counselor Ed Gillespie, in a letter to NBC News President Steve Capus, elevated a battle over network coverage that has previously pitted MSNBC's left-leaning Keith Olbermann against Fox News's conservative Bill O'Reilly. Recently, each has intensified his attacks on the other's parent company and on executive higher-ups. Fox News is owned by News Corp., which also owns Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. NBC is owned by General Electric Co.
In his letter, Mr. Gillespie describes NBC's editing of the Bush interview piece as "deceitful...misleading and irresponsible," and asked the network to air Mr. Bush's complete answers to a couple of questions. The administration's primary concern appeared to be that the correspondent, Richard Engel, suggested Mr. Bush views negotiations with Iran as "pointless" under any circumstances, when the administration's policy is that it would negotiate with Iran if it verifiably suspended its uranium-enrichment program.
More broadly, the letter accused NBC of perpetuating a "media-manufactured storyline" that Mr. Bush had targeted Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Barack Obama when the president criticized "appeasement" by those who advocate talks with Iran or with terrorist groups or sponsors. Mr. Engel, the NBC correspondent who conducted the interview with Mr. Bush on Sunday in Egypt, has been an occasional target of Mr. O'Reilly, who has said Mr. Engel was being too critical of the Iraq war.
In a reply letter to Mr. Gillespie, Mr. Capus wrote that "We appreciated President Bush's decision to do the interview with NBC News, and believe Mr. Engel's reporting accurately reflects the discussion with the President." He also said that "the notion this was, 'deceitful editing to further a media-manufactured storyline,' is a gross misrepresentation of the facts," and that the full Bush interview was posted Sunday on its Web site.
He then offered: "Editing is a part of journalism. We take the collective body of information surrounding a story, distill it and produce a report. We strive in all cases to be fair and accurate. In some instances, where appropriate, we offer interviews in their entirety -- in live broadcasts, or posted on our website."
The White House letter cites a number of grievances, including questioning NBC's use of the term "civil war" to describe the Iraq conflict, beginning in late 2006. Mr. Gillespie suggests that recent military gains have proved that characterization either wrong or no longer valid.
Almost reminds me of this gem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTO5eAuxAbs).
Open Letter to NBC News from the White House: link (http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/white_house_slams_nbc_news.php)
The White House got involved in a media feud, criticizing NBC for its handling of a recent interview with President Bush and questioning whether its cable talk-show hosts are skewing the broadcast network's point of view.
The broadside by White House counselor Ed Gillespie, in a letter to NBC News President Steve Capus, elevated a battle over network coverage that has previously pitted MSNBC's left-leaning Keith Olbermann against Fox News's conservative Bill O'Reilly. Recently, each has intensified his attacks on the other's parent company and on executive higher-ups. Fox News is owned by News Corp., which also owns Wall Street Journal publisher Dow Jones & Co. NBC is owned by General Electric Co.
In his letter, Mr. Gillespie describes NBC's editing of the Bush interview piece as "deceitful...misleading and irresponsible," and asked the network to air Mr. Bush's complete answers to a couple of questions. The administration's primary concern appeared to be that the correspondent, Richard Engel, suggested Mr. Bush views negotiations with Iran as "pointless" under any circumstances, when the administration's policy is that it would negotiate with Iran if it verifiably suspended its uranium-enrichment program.
More broadly, the letter accused NBC of perpetuating a "media-manufactured storyline" that Mr. Bush had targeted Democratic presidential front-runner Sen. Barack Obama when the president criticized "appeasement" by those who advocate talks with Iran or with terrorist groups or sponsors. Mr. Engel, the NBC correspondent who conducted the interview with Mr. Bush on Sunday in Egypt, has been an occasional target of Mr. O'Reilly, who has said Mr. Engel was being too critical of the Iraq war.
In a reply letter to Mr. Gillespie, Mr. Capus wrote that "We appreciated President Bush's decision to do the interview with NBC News, and believe Mr. Engel's reporting accurately reflects the discussion with the President." He also said that "the notion this was, 'deceitful editing to further a media-manufactured storyline,' is a gross misrepresentation of the facts," and that the full Bush interview was posted Sunday on its Web site.
He then offered: "Editing is a part of journalism. We take the collective body of information surrounding a story, distill it and produce a report. We strive in all cases to be fair and accurate. In some instances, where appropriate, we offer interviews in their entirety -- in live broadcasts, or posted on our website."
The White House letter cites a number of grievances, including questioning NBC's use of the term "civil war" to describe the Iraq conflict, beginning in late 2006. Mr. Gillespie suggests that recent military gains have proved that characterization either wrong or no longer valid.
Almost reminds me of this gem (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTO5eAuxAbs).
Open Letter to NBC News from the White House: link (http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/05/white_house_slams_nbc_news.php)
