BAGHDAD (AP) – In an article interviewing soldiers in Iraq about their presidential candidate preferences, ABC News set a new record for opinionated slanting in an “unbiased” network media story by quoting four Obama supporters, one Clinton supporter, and NO ONE who supported McCain. The Republican candidate’s name was not mentioned at all in the story.
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“It started off as a joke,” said Martha Raddatz, the article’s author. “I mean, everyone dreams about having their truthiest story published, but I never thought my editor would let it fly – you know how they’re always going on about ‘ethics’ and crap, like they have a grudge against journalistic idealism – but in the end, he honored my voice. I feel so Rosa Parks.”
Marcus Baram, professor of journalism at Harvard, analyzed Raddatz’s story and said that it was the slantiest opinion piece he’d ever seen successfully masquerade as a news story.
“Journalistic slant is, like the slant of a line, measured in degrees. For example, the police report section of a small town newspaper – being purely factual – would be a zero degree slant, like a horizontal line. A 90 degree slant, like a vertical line, is the hypothetical maximum, which could never actually be reached unless Fox were to broadcast Fahrenheit 9/11 as a news story. Raddatz’s piece reaches an astonishing 85 degrees – I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Baram cited some of the factors that he thought made the piece “especially brilliant”:
* Four uses of the phrase “pull out”, including the IMAO-worthy line “By support, [Spc. Imus] Loto meant pulling out troops”.
* Using an Obama talking point by saying one soldier supported Obama “for his representation of change”.
* Using an Obama talking point by referring to the “steadiness” of the candidate’s views.
* Of the six soldiers quoted who did not name a candidate, two were implied to be politically oblivious, with one actually being quoted out of context as saying “I don’t know who’s running, ma’am.”
* Although the topic was Obama’s political experience, describing one Obama supporter as “the battle-weary soldier”.
* Claiming – without a relevant supporting quote – that a devoted soldier on his third tour of duty in Iraq was “just as eager for a pull-out as the Democratic candidates.”
Baram noted that Raddatz lost a few degrees of slant for describing a Dick Cheney speech as “rousing”, failing to call Bush a “warmonger”, and completely omitting any comparison of Iraq to Vietnam.
Notice that the article said that 73% of servicemen voted in 2004, but didn’t say for whom they voted. Which means of course that they voted overwhelmingly for Bush. Had they voted for Kerry, that would have been mentioned in the first paragraph.
//I feel so Rosa Parks.” //
BWAHAHAHAHA!! pants were peed in, drinks were spewed. Hilarious as ever, Harv!
yah, it’s intresting that there are no other sources of information in this “article” except those few soldiers. No statistic of how soldiers would vote, no polls on who they would support, just straight-up anecdotal evidence
ABC News: Some soldiers are Democrats.
Sure, but how many McCain supporters did you have to interview before finding a suitable number of obamites? That writer didn’t even try to put anything resembling useful info in that article.
Seriously, that article could have been summed up in four words without bothering to actually write anything else.
Is ABC still doing the news? Is there still network news? I wouldn’t know. Stopped watching all of it years ago and haven’t missed a damn thing!
Harvey,
Your comity piece here really disgusts me on a personal level. Not because it wasn’t funny, (4 stars! Atta Boy!) but because it’s absolutely true.
December 9th, 2004. I was at Camp Buehring Kuwait, awaiting mobilization to Iraq in preparation for the first free elections there in over 30 years. Secretary Rumsfeld was stopping there to give a speech. All soldiers were invited to go. We filled an old helicopter hanger with soldiers and a hand full of Marines. We were told that if we if we had a question, that Rumsfeld gave only 2 criteria. you sit near the end of the bench so you can get a microphone, and you ask any question you want. NO LIMITATIONS! This is a far cry from what other people in his position or higher ever allowed, especially during the Clinton administration.
After his long speech. In it, he mentioned a nameless head of state in the middle east who praised our military. This was just after John Kerry said some leader in Europe had said he need to beat bush. I was sure I was going to read about this tomorrow.
He opened the floor for questions. About the third question in he called on a “Truck driver from the Tennessee national guard. The Specialist asked. “Mr. Secretary, Why is it that almost 2 years after the invasion I’m having to weld metal to my LMTV, because there isn’t enough armor to go around.” This was a good question. We had been welding sheet metal to five tons, Hemmits, LMTV, and other support vehicles. OUR HUMMVEE’S WERE FINE BY THE WAY! Secretary Rumsfeld gave a 20 minute response, detailing the logistical problems. He also explained what was being done to correct the problem. He mentioned “The sad reality is you go to war with the army you have, not the one you want”.
One other soldier sitting literally next to me asked “Why the Guard gets the old equipment instead of new equipment”. This moron had a new interceptor vest, New Kevlar helmet, New uniform, New boots, New M4 Riffle, and a 25 year old shot gun. Secretary Rumsfeld Stated. “I don’t know what you are talking about. That’s not how we run. There is no policy where the guard gets old equipment.”
One Whinny 2nd Lt. from some payroll company whined to Rumsfeld about stop loss because she was supposed to get out on July, but now had to sit her butt in a air conditioned office safely on a Forward Operating Base in Iraq. Rumsfeld said this is how it’s been for generations, then properly ignored her. These were only 3 questions out of I’m guessing over 30 asked.
On the lighter side, most of the answers Rumsfeld gave were applauded by us. My friend asked why he was turned away from the active duty side because he was a single parent, but could join the guard and go to Iraq. Rumsfeld Replied “I have no idea, but you should be able to join the regular Army if you want!!”. Another non-whiny LT told Rumsfeld he was having a problem with getting the paperwork through the Pentagon to get us one of our bonus pays to kick in. Rumsfeld sent his personal aide to go get the information from him and promised he would have it solved be for he left in 50 minutes. (He did).
Over all it was very positive. It took him 45 minutes to leave that hanger because everyone wanted to shake his hand.
Here is what the MSM reported. See how close they got it. Sorry for the long post.
Screw Journalist!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/12/08/international/middleeast/08cnd-rumsfeld.html?pagewanted=print&position=
If you saw the actual piece on the air, there WAS a McCain supporter, who delivered this nugget: “Well, Iraq’s been payin’ my bills so far, so I say keep it goin’ – I’m for McCain.”
None of this should surprise, as anyone who ever caught dried out lefty douchebag Martha on Bill Maher’s “Traitor Talk!” can attest. And frankly, no one should be surprised that soldiers on their third tour would support a pullout candidate. For all their high-tech know how, most of these kids are the same dopes you see on “Jay Walking”, with absolutely no grasp of history or geopolitics. But it’s like asking white victims of black crime if they think sentences are too harsh for blacks…
That’s the Harvey I know and get confused with FrankJ.
But one question, why is the category “Newsish Fakery”? It sure seems accurate to me.
OIFVet, I remember that deal. Wasn’t that “Guard gets all the old stuff” guy coached by some “journalist” to ask that question?
They’re all bastids. Remember, they’re not just lazy, stupid and ignorant (Hey Shep!), they’re biased (Hey Geraldo! You hit all four! Be proud oh moustache).
Also these soldiers looked like support type soldiers. They’re the ones with enough time on their hands to go to this type of garbage. Journalist will talk to these people first since they live on the safe FOB, and most journalist are too scared to go out. We don’t see too many Michael Totten, or Michael Yon’s out there.
These Support Soldiers usualy have more left leaning soldiers than the ones with combat MOS’s. You get some leftys there too, but its pretty rare. I can only think of two I know out of hundreds.
Veeshir,
No. After that story broke Edward Lee Pitts of the Chattanooga Times. said he had the Transport Specialist ask about the Armor for the support vehicles.
The guy who asked about the equipment is still in the guard, and he’s still an idiot. The funny thing is a couple of us were talking about our questions and he mentioned his, because his shot gun was 25 years old. Several of us told him he was an idiot before he asked. We still use 50 cal’s from WWII. They work great.
The sad thing was this was about support vehicles. Everyone made it about Hummvee’s. even the Right wing commentators did(Hannity, Rush). If someone took the time to watch the Video, they would have seen what really happened.(There were several network cameras there.)
By the time I left in late 2005, every support vehicle I saw had enhanced armor. Just like old Rummy said they would.
Great job Harvey. What I find nuts is these yayhoos joined the military AFTER THE WAR STARTED. Each enlistment is four years long and the war has been going for seven. Hey idjits, do the math. Want to pull out? Don’t frickin re-up.
Didn’t she also forget the term “Bushitlerhaliberton” and Vast Right Wing Conspiracy as well as forgetting to call everyone who doesn’t support Obama and his policies “racist”. I don’t know doesn’t sound like the most slantiest story every. Sluttist story maybe.
Besides no one can out slant CBS and the Ratherites. Nobody!
If I know anything about our Soldiers and Marines – they’d tell Martha anything they thought might get her into bed:
“Oh yeah, Obama is the greatest. Hey it’s kinda noisy and hot out here – I know a place we can talk alone in the AC.”
Yep, I suspect there are 4 servicemen walking around with big smiles on their faces today. And 1 chump who thought Martha would go for Hillary.
“Spc. Patrick Nicholls from Eggawam, Mass” what a crock. She can’t even do a basic fact-check. It’s AGAWAM!!! How much else of this story is made up, I wonder?
these guys are clearly in that group of pusses that signed up before the war so they didnt have to get a job, then the war comes and their all upset.
or just like OIFvet said