KERRYSPOT
LOU DOBBS SHOW - SYLVESTER: And some of those political experts are playing devil's advocate. They argue if ElBaradei did not release the letter when he did and held on to it past the election, then the Kerry campaign could have accused him of playing politics. And the International Atomic Energy Agency on Tuesday reiterated that it does not have a political agenda — Lou.
DOBBS: Nonetheless, Lisa, as you've reported, it is clear that politics are in play here.
There are also questions tonight about the way in which news organizations have reported the missing explosives story. "The New York Times" broke the story yesterday, just over a week before the election. Critics say "The Times" should not have rushed the story into print because several important facts remain unclear.
Kitty Pilgrim has the report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KITTY PILGRIM, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The "Times"' front-page scoop was followed the next day by articles in many major newspapers. A second day story in the "Times" reads "Iraq explosives become issue in campaign."
The question is: Was the "Times" in a rush to press, trying to get the story on the front page just before the election?
MATTHEW FELLING, CENTER FOR MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS: It would have been preferable for a different news organization, like "The Washington Post," to break this story, instead of "The New York Times," because "The "New York Times" and the Bush administration have such an antagonistic relationship.
PILGRIM: But some journalism experts go further, saying the story was, in their opinion, overplayed, given the amount of facts available when it went to press.
ROBERT ZELNICK, BOSTON UNIVERSITY JOURNALISM CHAIR: It raises questions about the editorial judgment of those who worked the story and those who edited the story for "The New York Times."
To run a piece like this a week before the election and to have several important facts unknown and the facts that are known suggest that the material was removed before U.S. forces ever got to the area, I think, just overplays it egregiously.
PILGRIM: Talk about bad timing for the president, CBS "60 Minutes" had been planning to run the story on October 31, one day before election eve, but after "The New York Times" article, CBS broadcast a shorter piece on the evening news.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... bunkers located at the al Qa Qaa munitions...
PILGRIM: NBC Correspondent Jim Miklaszewski said explosives were "not found" when its crew went to the site with U.S. troops three weeks after the war started.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
PILGRIM: Journalism experts say the intensity of the campaign in final days has pushed the limits on reporting, and some we spoke to today object to the fact that the story with still so many holes received such prominence.
Now they say, in normal times, that simply would not have happened — Lou.
DOBBS: And it is ironic that the next day headline in "The New York Times," their story becomes a central campaign issue.
Then David Kay is interviewed:
KAY: Being destroyed and removed, that the HMX, RDX should be taken out of Iraq. Iraq protested...
DOBBS: So why wasn't it?
KAY: Well, they protested to the IAEA that they needed it for civil construction. The IAEA accepted that argument. Not all inspectors agreed that that was a credible argument.
And then there's one more great exchange, with one of my favorite comedians:
DOBBS: Well, my next guest is an Emmy Award-winning comedian, commentator known for his liberal turned conservative views. Described by the "Chicago Tribune" as a born-again Republican. Joining me now is Dennis Miller. Hallelujah, Dennis, good to have you with us.
DENNIS MILLER, HOST, "DENNIS MILLER": Hey, Lou, my theory, by the way, before we get under way here, that Howell Raines and Jayson Blair are working in conjunction, raided the weapons' cache at al Qa Qaa and are using the weapons to leverage Hootie Johnson to let women play at Augusta National. I trace as one of my facts the fact that "all Qa Qaa" has replaced "all the news that's fit to print" on "The Times" masthead now. |
