Easongate Makes Hannity & Colmes
Slant point
FOX's Hannity and Colmes discussed Easongate tonight.
First, in a preview, Sean Hannity said this was a story the "mainstream media doesn't want you to hear." Excuse me? Hannity, you are the mainstream media. And you are late.
Guests on were Danny Schechter, from mediachannel.org and maker of the film Weapons of Mass Deception. He was supporting Eason Jordan. And on the Right was Brent Bozell of Media Research Center.
Brent Bozell opened by saying the main problem is that "we don't know what he said" in reply to Alan Colmes implying Jordan clarified his remark after he admitted speaking carelessly. As Colmes turned to Schechter, Bozell barely audibly mentioned releasing the tape.
Schechter started by throwing out incidences of journalists who thought they were being targeted or thought other journalists were being targeted. He mentioned Tariq Ayoub from Al Jazeera who was killed at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad. Schecter offered no evidence that US troops targeted the building purposely to kill journalists, but instead offered only that there was a "feeling that Al Jazeera was targeted."
Schechter also tried to use the flawed logic that since there was no independent investigation that somehow this meant there was a coverup and the US military was guilty. No, he didn't say this outright, as Hannity pressed him, but he sure implied it.
Schechter also tried to toss out another opinion he claims to have heard about embedded journalists being favored over independent journalists. Even if true, so what!? Does that again imply guilt? Does favoring something to Schechter automatically mean you kill those not favored?
At one point, Schechter actually said "I have some evidence," but when pressed again, only offered, "Were journalists targeted? Many believe they were."
Sadly, Sean Hannity had no idea what this issue was all about. Missing Bozell's queue to release the tape, instead Hannity only focused on the effect on putting troops in harms way by improper propaganda being distributed by CNN. This is a valid point, but he missed a huge opportunity to call for the tape's release.
Well, the story made it to the top, but clearly it was rushed and those reporting on it failed to do their homework. I suggest spending a good hour on (heck, even 30 minutes) on a few blogs. Start with a simple Google search of his name, and top blogs on Easongate start at listing #2.
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