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Media
Research Center Topic Index
|
S Diane
Sawyer | Bob Schieffer | Harry
Smith | Special
Reports | (CyberAlert, May 22, 2003)
In an interview with Howard Dean, Sawyer pressed him on how his massive health care spending plan would create a huge new bureaucracy and challenged his claim that the Iraqi people are worse off now than before the war.
Sawyer contended that the Jayson
Blair/New York Times type of fabrication “is much less likely to happen” in broadcast journalism “because you've got so many people working on every story that there are more people to ask questions.”
Back in 2001, after Jesse Jackson decided to step out of the public eye, Sawyer worried about the political consequences and effects on his family. But she showed no such sympathy with the Bill Bennett case, remarking to reporter Claire Shipman: “Well, you never know about people, do you?”
Sawyer’s trusted anti-American source in the British Parliament, George Galloway, turned out to have been on Saddam Hussein’s payroll, London’s
Daily Telegraph reported. A piece by Stephen Hayes in the Weekly Standard also tells the story.
Sawyer sided with the spin of the
New York Times about how states, “facing $100 billion in red ink,” had to cut spending, but didn’t mention the soaring spending increases in recent years.
A Media Reality Check documented how Baghdad-based reporters, including Sawyer, were repeatedly wrong about Iraqi public opinion before the war.
A CyberAlert “Special Gloat and Quote Edition” featured several old quotes from Sawyer predicting the disastrous outcome of the Iraq War and describing the “love” of the Iraqi people for their former dictator.
Less than a week into the war, Sawyer worried that American military officials had made a “miscalculation” about the way Iraqis really felt about Saddam Hussein. “What happened to the flowers expected to be tossed the way of the Americans?” she wondered.
During one exchange on Good Morning
America, Sawyer related Saddam Hussein’s statement that the love of the Iraqis for him is greater than that of Americans for their president, because “he’s been loved for 35 years.”
Sawyer was concerned that the war with Iraq would “distract from a concerted, concentrated approach to the war on terror with Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda." She asked the mother of a 9-11 victim, but got the kind of answer she probably wasn’t looking for.
Sawyer asked Treasury Secretary John Snow if Americans were going to “pay the price” for the deficit caused by the cost of a war, the President’s “massive” tax cuts and prescription drug aid.
Sawyer showcased a swipe by a British member of Parliament at how “this born again, right-wing, Bible-belting, fundamentalist, Republican administration in the United States wants war.” She called it “a wake-up call for me,” that such widespread disgust with President Bush and America “really raises the question about what it means to override the United Nations.”
Sawyer interviewed two human shields from Iraq on
Good Morning America and while she offered a friendly explanation for their cause and wondered what would motivate a 63-year-old to participate, she also challenged one about how they could only go where Saddam Hussein allowed.
After reporting news of Saddam Hussein saying he will no longer import or produce chemical or biological weapons, Sawyer asked hopefully if this could “change the momentum toward war.”
Sawyer walked the Baghdad streets relaying Iraqi propaganda, such as the Iraqi children’s love for Saddam Hussein and the preparedness of Iraqi citizens for an attack. Sawyer also urged UN Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix to step out of his role and say “personally, this war is not justified.”
Even Diane Sawyer, who was co-hosting
Good Morning America from Istanbul, Turkey, was appalled by a Turkish man told her that “the United States worries me more than Iraq.” Sawyer exclaimed in a loud and high-pitched voice: "What?! Really?"
Sawyer trumpeted an ad that suggested President Bush’s Iraq policy would lead to nuclear annihilation as “inspired” by a famous anti-war ad from the 1960s. But MRC archives show that in 2000, Sawyer’s show called ad suggesting Gore could draw the U.S. into nuclear war “nasty.”
Sawyer challenged Senator Bill Frist from the left about how Bush’s plan is skewed to the rich, saying “there will not be rejoicing in America by all of these middle-class taxpayers for $42.”
Sawyer demanded that director and actor Spike Lee offer some proof of his assertion that Trent Lott is a member of the Ku Klux Klan in a “metaphysical” way. “You can't come on and say somebody's a card carrying member of the Klan!" Sawyer exclaimed.
Sawyer blamed a falling Dow Jones average to President Bush’s nomination of John Snow as Treasury Secretary. When CNN’s Lou Dobbs disputed her claim, she (rather gleefully) called attention to the CNN Web site, which bore the headline “Bush pick falls flat with investors.”
Sawyer said she “loved” Charles Gibson’s wife for the anti-military spending propaganda she, his wife, displayed. According to Gibson, his wife had in her office a sign that read, “Won't it be a great day when the Air Force has to hold bake sales to get a new bomber and the schools have all the money they need?” Seconds after Diane Sawyer demanded of Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill that the government spend more to save private companies like bankrupt airlines, she suddenly became concerned about government spending, wondering about the cost of the economic conference she said people were calling a “PR shenanigan.” (CyberAlert, August 14, 2002)
In a rare moment, Sawyer raised a conservative point, when she asked CNBC’s David Faber if adding more statutes to the 300 criminal codes for fraud and misrepresentation that already exist would actually bring about more ethical behavior by CEOs.
Sawyer’s admission that she once dreamed about Bill Clinton “after pepperoni pizza and banana milkshakes” was a runner-up in the Best
Notable Quotables of 2001 “Good Morning Morons Award” category. Sawyer was also named a runner-up for the “Selected Not Elected Award for Claiming Bush Is an Illegitimate President,” for her description of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris who “from Day One” (after the 2000 election) was “completely inflexible, insisting on the narrow letter of the law.”
A CyberAlert recalled the time that Sawyer read her own, “Creator”-less version of the preamble to the Declaration of Independence during a July 4 special on ABC in 2001.
Sawyer confirmed that she had “engaged in a wrestling match on a beach” with her step son while she was “wearing a bikini." The bizarre admission occurred during a taped interview with one of Sawyer’s husband’s ex-wives.
After an ABC special Prime Time Thursday devoted two hours to the pro-gay adoption cause of liberal actress and activist Rosie O’Donnell, Sawyer gave more airtime to praising the effectiveness of O’Donnell’s efforts.
Sawyer lunched with Bill Clinton, former Texas governor Ann Richards, Billy Crystal, Robin Williams and others, according to the March 28, 2002
Washington Post “Reliable Sources” column. The reasons for the gathering were unclear.
In a conversation with George Stephanopoulos, Sawyer celebrated the passage of campaign finance reform as a “big, big moment in Washington…and American politics.”
In a Good Morning America segment devoted to the Bush administration’s supposed excessive secrecy, Sawyer wondered if the Bush administration was “using public support for the war to shut out others from the decision-making process.”
Sawyer boasted about nine former Florida legislators who expressed regret over voting in 1977 for a ban on gay adoptions and hope that it would be overturned. Her comments followed a two-hour
Prime Time Thursday that promoted the personal political agenda of Rosie O’Donnell.
Sawyer told her audience, “You need to hear what she has to say,” before introducing laudatory profile of Jane Fonda and “her passion for improving the lives of young girls around the world.”
Two of Sawyer’s quotes – her praise of George Stephanopoulos’s objectivity and her admission to dreaming about Bill Clinton -- were featured in the MRC’s Best
Notable Quotables of 2001.
Sawyer’s admission that she once dreamed about Bill Clinton “after pepperoni pizza and banana milkshakes” was a runner-up in the Best
Notable Quotables of 2001 “Good Morning Morons Award” category. Sawyer’s description of Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who “from Day One” (after the 2000 election) was “completely inflexible, insisting on the narrow letter of the law,” was a runner-up for the “Selected Not Elected Award for Claiming Bush Is an Illegitimate President.”
On Face the Nation, Schieffer fussed about the plight of the states like California that are “starved for money” by the federal tax cut and cited only painful budget cuts without mentioning the skyrocketing spending. (CyberAlert, May 13, 2003)
Schieffer blamed Bush’s opposition to the Kyoto treaty for losing the support of the Germans, and called the coalition a “coalition of the coerced.”
On Face the Nation, Schieffer and
Washington Post reporter Dan Balz repeatedly pressed Commerce Secretary Don Evans to justify the tax cut given how it would supposedly increase the deficit and was skewed toward the rich.
Schieffer admitted that he didn’t hear Trent Lott’s remarks at Strom Thurmond’s December 5, 2002, birthday party because they put him to sleep while he watched the party on CSPAN from his office.
On Face the Nation, Schieffer labeled only one of his five guests. Schieffer introduced Rich Lowry as “conservative Editor of
The National Review” and later called him “the editor of sort of the conservative bible.”
As the networks focused on the Trent Lott story for a second straight day and continued to treat conservative leaders who criticized Lott as wise sages, Schieffer highlighted chiding from conservatives, whom he labeled as such, as well as liberals in Congress whom he failed to tag as liberal.
Schieffer labeled Martin Frost “moderate” and slightly right-of-center Democrat Zell Miller “very, very conservative.” Schieffer also considered Erskine Bowles, who opposes school vouchers, supports the most expansive prescription drug welfare entitlement program, wants to impose family leave mandates on business and raise the minimum wage as both “pro-business” and “fairly conservative.”
During CBS’s election coverage Schieffer explained Republican Saxby Chambliss’ victory in Georgia against incumbent Democratic Senator Max Cleland by citing President Bush’s popularity. “George Bush is the most popular politician these days in Georgia, even more popular than the state’s other Senator, Zell Miller, who’s very very conservative. Cleland was not as conservative as Miller.”
Schieffer described Senate candidate, Erskine Bowles, who wants to impose the family leave burden on business and raise the minimum wage and who supports Ted Kennedy’s version of a prescription drug welfare entitlement as “pro-business,” and “fairly conservative.”
On the October 31, 2002 Early
Show, Schieffer criticized Republicans who “even before they had separated and identified the remains in the plane crash that took Paul Wellstone's life,” ran polls and attacked Walter
Mondale. Schieffer’s story on CBS Evening News treated incumbent Democrat Max Cleland as a victim of unfair attacks from Republican candidate Saxby Chambliss, as if Cleland’s war service should exempt him from any criticism on national security issues. (CyberAlert, October 31, 2002)
In a dispute between Bush and Senate Democrats over one of Bush’s comments, Schieffer treated the subject matter of Bush’s original comment as in dispute when it is not. Bush’s speech did not cite Democrats specifically but the whole Senate for insisting upon union protection of the incompetent in the proposed Department of Homeland Security. Schieffer added moral weight to the dispute saying, “Democrats literally lined up behind Daschle, including Inouye of Hawaii, who lost an arm fighting the Nazis and who spoke more in sorrow than anger.”
In a report on the public hearings on the “failure” of the FBI and other U.S. intelligence operations to anticipate the terrorist attacks of September 11, Schieffer played clips of victims mocking and blaming Bush administration officials.
After Democratic Senator Joseph Lieberman dismissed Bush’s concerns about limitations imposed by the forced adherence to union rules, Schieffer agreed with Lieberman and wondered: “Do you think there’s something else that he’s got a problem with here?”
When the Senate failed to approve a huge new entitlement spending program – adding prescription drug coverage to Medicare – Schieffer assumed that since both parties promised a new program it must be the right thing to do, and scolded both for not following through.
Schieffer announced that the pharmaceutical industry had “a lot to celebrate” because House Republicans supported an industry-backed prescription drug plan for seniors, which could mean billions for drug companies. “Democrats cried sellout,” he said.
Schieffer relayed how one “congressional source” told him that budget documents from last year show the administration was shifting its priorities away from terrorism in the months before the September 11 attacks.
In an MRC Special Report, Rich Noyes documented how Schieffer was one of many reporters who pushed the liberal argument that the tax cut was unfair and favored the wealthy.
Schieffer reported that the House managed to agree to a stimulus package that had been delayed because “Republicans insisted on coupling unemployment benefits with huge tax cuts for business.”
Schieffer agreed with President Bush that Senate Democrats opposition to Bush’s nomination of Charles Pickering to a federal court of appeals was purely political. If the President ever nominates someone too conservative, “they want him to know they have the strength and will to block it," he said.
Schieffer claimed on Imus in the Morning that when President Ronald Reagan visited the Korean DMZ he failed to remove the lens cap from his binoculars. Schieffer also missed Imus’s one-liner about journalists, in which he called the press corps “communists.”
Schieffer lamented how there’s too much money in politics, turning to campaign speech regulation advocate John McCain to answer the question of what awful things will occur if the campaign finance reform effort fails.
After President Bush’s State of the Union speech, Schieffer’s first concern was how Bush didn’t push for campaign finance reform. Schieffer did however admire how Bush was working with Ted Kennedy on a patients’ bill of rights and was passionate about a “USA Freedom Corps” to expand the Peace Corps.
Schieffer was one of many journalists who used the Enron situation to justify a fresh call for campaign finance reform. He suggested that Congress “outlaw the big corporate contributions” so it “won't look like the companies are calling in a chip every time they call the White House.”
Harry
Smith
During an interview Smith helped Ted Kennedy make his case against Iraq.
The morning host used Democratic talking points to question Condoleezza Rice on Iraq.
California gubernatorial candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger’s support of Proposition 187 is evidence of his being out of step with California voters. Later, Smith corrects himself and admits Prop 187 easily passed.
Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle attacked Bush and Smith portrayed Daschle as the victim.
Smith to Don Evans: "As word of the (tax) package spread yesterday, the stock market was not exactly flooded with buyers, why not?"
Smith to Terry McAuliffe: “Did you run too close to the middle? There’s grousing already in the Democratic Party that Democrats didn’t act like Democrats, they acted like watered-down Republicans.”
Smith asks Trent Lott if Republicans should govern from the middle since a few Congressional races were won by narrow margins.
As Smith prepared to join The Early
Show, an MRC Reality Check reviewed examples of his bias while on
CBS This Morning.
An Early Show executive producer described new hosting team as representing “very diverse groups and backgrounds..” Plus, a review of Smith’s bias while hosting earlier CBS morning show.
Speculation grows that liberal Bryant Gumbel will be replaced by liberal Harry Smith on CBS morning show.
Ratings for CBS’s The Early Show increase after Bryant Gumbel leaves and Smith serves as guest
host.
Smith to guest-host on The Early
Show. A review of some of his quotes during his earlier job hosting
CBS This Morning.
Special Reports
Grading TV’s War News, April 23, 2003. The MRC reviewed the coverage of Gulf War II and assigned grades to networks and reporters.
Peter’s Peace Platoon: ABC’s Crusade Against Arrogant American
Power, March 18, 2003. The MRC reviewed 234 stories on ABC’s World News Tonight from January 1 to March 7, 2003 and found that ABC News had failed to serve as an independent and objective observer.
A Summer of Skewed News: The Liberal Tilt in TV’s Economic
Reporting, September 19, 2002. ABC, CBS, CNN, FNC and NBC news programs were reviewed during the summer of 2002 and found that coverage of key economic issues was almost entirely organized around liberal themes and arguments.
Megaphone for a Dictator: CNN’s Coverage of Castro’s Cuba,
1997-2002. CNN’s Havana bureau has allowed itself to become another component of Fidel Castro’s propaganda machine.
Clamoring for Kyoto: The Networks One-Sided Coverage of Global
Warming, May 7, 2001. An MRC Special Report reviewed global warming coverage on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News and CNN from the first four months of 2001 and found a strong pro-environmentalist bias.
Liberal Spin Prevails: How CBS Led the Networks’ Charge Against the Bush Tax
Cut, April 11, 2001. Network news stories on the Bush tax cut plan from January 20, through March 31 were analyzed. There was a definite anti-tax cut slant, with “huge” and “massive” being the favorite adjectives.
Arthur Sulzberger
Sulzberger conceded he did not regularly read any newspaper other than the
New York Times. Asked about how the media cared more about military tribunals than the public, which overwhelmingly supported Bush’s proposal, Sulzberger was befuddled – even though just such a poll finding ran the day before on the front page of the
Washington Post.
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