Any wonder they hate the military?
Moran: Media Have "Anti-Military Bias,"
70% at WH Voted for Kerry
ABC's Terry Moran, who at Tuesday's press briefing snapped at White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, "Who made you the editor of Newsweek?", on Wednesday told Los Angeles-based national radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt that "I, in fact, agree with the substance of what Scott McClellan was saying, that it would be a good thing for Newsweek to come out try to undo some of the damage that was done by its report." Moran also conceded: "There is, Hugh, I agree with you, a deep anti-military bias in the media. One that begins from the premise that the military must be lying, and that American projection of power around the world must be wrong." Moran revealed that some "big fish" in the White House press corps "hate" President Bush and, pressed about what percent of the White House press corps voted for John Kerry, Moran pegged it as "upwards of 70, maybe higher."
As recounted in the May 18 CyberAlert, at the May 17 briefing Moran asked McClellan: "What else does the President want this American magazine to do?" When McClellan answered, Moran scolded him: "With respect, who made you the editor of Newsweek? Do you think it's appropriate for you, at that podium, speaking with the authority of the President of the United States, to tell an American magazine what they should print?"
For more, see the May 18 CyberAlert: www.mediaresearch.org
Moran's estimate of journalistic support for John Kerry matches a just-released nationwide survey of members of the media. As recounted in the May 16 CyberAlert:
Journalists -- surprise, surprise -- voted overwhelmingly for John Kerry over George W. Bush last year, a new survey by the University of Connecticut's Department of Public Policy discovered, yet twice as many self-identified themselves as "moderate" over "liberal." Editor & Publisher's Joe Strupp reported Sunday: "Asked who they voted for in the past election, the journalists reported picking Kerry over Bush by 68 percent to 25 percent. In this sample of 300 journalists, from both newspapers and TV, Democrats outnumbered Republicans by 3 to 1 -- but about half claim to be Independent. As in previous polls, a majority (53 percent) called their political orientation 'moderate,' versus 28 percent liberal and 10 percent conservative." For more: www.mediaresearch.org
The RadioBlogger site, James Taranto noted in his "Best of the Web" column on Thursday, posted a transcript of Hewitt's interview with Moran. An excerpt:
Newsweek vs. the White House, according to ABC News' Terry Moran.
We've talked about the bogus Newsweek desecration story for several days now, and so has the White House press corps. Yesterday, in the White House Press Room, Scott McClellan took a question about Newsweek, and said, in essence, that Newsweek ought to do all it can to correct some of the damage they did with their bogus story. Terry Moran, White House correspondent for ABC News, replied, saying that it sounded to him like Scott was trying to be the editor of Newsweek. Elizabeth Bumiller of the New York Times later quipped, very sarcastically, that maybe Scott wanted her to do a story that said how great the military was. Hugh was pretty exercised, played the audio on the show, and asked me to try to reach both Moran and Bumiller. Terry, to his credit, returned the call, and agreed to come on for a segment. It was a heated exchange, and it turned into almost three segments. Without further adieu, here's the interview:
HH: We played the tape of your exchange with Scott McClellan yesterday in the White House. Are you anti-military, Terry?
TM: Not at all, no. Not at all.
HH: The interpretation I give to that end, and the one that followed, Elizabeth Bumiller, is that you were astounded that the White House might expect the American media to cover the American military in a favorable light.
TM: I disagree with that interpretation. What I, in fact, agree with the substance of what Scott McClellan was saying, that it would be a good thing for Newsweek to come out try to undo some of the damage that was done by its report. If you notice what I said was, do you think it's appropriate, from that podium, speaking for the president of the United States, to instruct an American magazine as to how to go about its business. And what I was trying to do was draw a line that Scott McClellan agreed with. If you notice later on that you're absolutely right. It's not my position to get into telling people what they can and cannot report. I was just trying to draw that line, that there may be things which are right for the media to do, but that I think that whether you are liberal or conservative, you don't want the government telling the media to do.
HH: Now, Terry, that's just silly. I teach Constitutional law, and I've been a professor doing this for ten years. And when the president's spokesperson suggests something, he's not instructing. He's not commanding. He's using the bully pulpit. And for you to react like he was is silly.
TM: And maybe, being a professor, you're teaching the law. I'm living it. I'm living the First Amendment, and let me explain to you that there is a difference between instructing someone to do someone, or telling somebody to do someone, and someone using the bully pulpit to essentially rally the president's political supporters to pressure the media to do something.
HH: Absolutely, and it's completely legitimate. Why should the media, about whom there is great contempt and distrust, and who just caused the death of sixteen innocent people, as well as the destruction of American interest abroad, be immune from criticism from the elected leader of the United States?
TM: I don't think the media should be immune from criticism. I think the elected leader of the United States has his or her hands full, and plenty of things for the elected leader of the United States to do. I think media criticism is a great thing. I think what you do is a great thing. I do not think it's a great thing for the president's spokesperson to begin instructing the media how to go about its business.
HH: He did not. Terry, he did not. That's trying to play a victim card here. You're not the victim. The victim's the American military. The victims are the dead people in Afghanistan.
TM: Agreed.
HH: The victim are the American people generally.
TM: Agreed. I'm trying...what I'm trying to do is establish a principle here, and let me read you the transcript. We would encourage Newsweek to do all they can to help repair the damage. Pointing out what the policies and practices of the United States military are. And today, the president's spokesman said Newsweek should go on Al Jazeera, and other Arab television networks.
HH: Yes, they should. And there's nothing wrong...
TM: As a matter of fact, I agree with you.
HH: But there's nothing wrong with the president saying that. I'd like you to explain for me what is wrong with the president himself, not his spokesperson, but if the president came down to the press room and said, I think Newsweek ought to get on their knees in front of the American people and beg their forgiveness for causing deaths of innocent people, and injuring our position in the world. What would be wrong with that?
TM: That, in my judgment, would be demagoguery. ....
HH: Let me ask you something. Major K, a major in the Army who is reporting from Iraq on his blog all the time says, all this being said, it is no small wonder that a gulf has opened between journalists and the general public. I think even the most John Q. Sixpacks know when they are being fed a line of blank blank blank. My brother called me a journalist once during a conversation about this blog. I was offended. That is a general impression among the American military about the media, Terry. Where does that come from?
TM: It comes from, I think, a huge gulf of misunderstanding, for which I lay plenty of blame on the media itself. There is, Hugh, I agree with you, a deep anti-military bias in the media. One that begins from the premise that the military must be lying, and that American projection of power around the world must be wrong. I think that that is a hangover from Vietnam, and I think it's very dangerous. That's different from the media doing it's job of challenging the exercise of power without fear or favor. ....
HH: Are there members of the White House Press Corps, Terry, who actually hate Bush?
TM: I would say the answer to that is yes.
HH: And what percentage of them, do you think that amounts to?
TM: Uh, small, I would say, but some big fish.
HH: What's your guess about the percentage of the White House Press Corps that voted for Kerry?
TM: Oh, very high. Very, very high.
HH: 95%?
TM: Huh?
HH: 95%?
TM: No, I don't think that high. But I would certainly say, you know, it's hard for me, but I'd guess it's in...upwards of 70, maybe higher. You know, it's hard for me to say, but I would say very, very high....
END of Excerpt
For the transcript in full: www.radioblogger.com
For Hugh Hewitt's Web site: www.hughhewitt.com
For a picture of Hewitt, on Salem Radio Network's site: www.srnonline.com
For a picture and bio of Moran: www.abcmedianet.com |
