"This Week on ABC" to be fact-checked

By GottaLaff

From the Department of It's About Time:

This week we’ve invited Pulitzer Prize winning website PolitiFact to fact-check the newsmaker interviews featured on the program.

The idea was first proposed by NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen and I thought it worth a try. PolitiFact editor Bill Adair, the St Petersburg Times’ Washington bureau chief, and I know each other from fact-checking forums and such (I was at the Fact Check desk during the 2004 elections) so I asked him if he’d be willing to give it a try. He was.

This is something many of us have been begging for for years now. You'd think "news" programs would have fact checked on their own and not have to be convinced to do so by NYU journalism professor Jay Rosen... back in 2009.

You'd also think that news oriented programs would do their level best to get the facts right in the first place. Instead, they go out of their way to prove how fair they can be by inviting opposing sides with opposing voices to over talk each other to prove their opposing points.

Facts have very little to do with it. Ratings do. Working their audiences into a lather does, because that generates higher ratings. And generating higher ratings leads to generating more money.

However, it does very little to educate viewers. And as I keep saying, an uninformed electorate means the end of a real democracy. Voters cast ballots for candidates who have more money, bigger megaphones, and effective messaging.

Please note that I did not say accurate messaging, but effective.

If viewers were knowledgeable and could spot misinformation more readily, they would be less likely to support those who disseminate it. And they would be much less likely to watch so-called "news" shows that push it.

So, kudos to This Week, but come on, it shouldn't have taken this long to do something as fundamental as busting the liars. And the idea that they have to boast about it suggests that, until now, many haven't been exactly reliable, trustworthy sources of information.

VIDEO: Paul Krugman Schools The Republicans On Healthcare Savings

By GottaLaff

Dear GOP,

Take note:



So says the economics Nobel Prize winner.

Love, Laffy

H/t: Hippie_Cyndi

VIDEO: Plouffe v. Rove on "This Week"

By GottaLaff



It's only part of the exchange. I'm working on getting the whole thing.

Here you go, via Kos:

VIDEO- Rep. John Larson: "We have the votes, we're gonna make history today"

By GottaLaff



Now let's hope we keep the votes.

Christiane Amanpour Leaves CNN to Host ABC's 'This Week'

Why a classy reporter like Amanpour would want to hook up with ABC, especially in the light of finding out that they paid that white trash "grieving mom" Casey Anthony $200k for an interview?

First on TVNewser: CNN's Christiane Amanpour is leaving CNN and will become the new anchor of ABC News' "This Week" TVNewser has learned. ABC News staff was informed internally Thursday afternoon.

She will begin with "This Week" in August, and Jake Tapper will fill-in until then. The show will continue to be shot in Washington at the Newseum. There are no staff changes announced at this time.

In the last few weeks, Amanpour had been rumored to be in talks with ABC for the job, and FishbowlDC reported Monday that ABC News had made the long-time CNN host an offer.

Ex Bushie to "Moderate" This Week This Week

Looks like the mouse has finally climbed into the Republican Party's pocket. Imagine the hue and cry if this were DeeDee Myers or Joe Lockhart. ADDED- Which made me think- is there a shortage of straight (meaning bias not sexual) reporters? First one that comes to mind for me from ABC would be Martha Raddatz, but there's a whole crapload over there that would be much better than Dowd.

Chief strategist of the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign and current ABC News contributor and political analyst Matthew Dowd will fill the rotating moderator seat on ABC's "This Week" this Sunday, TVNewser has learned.

Dowd is the first non-anchor or correspondent to moderate the program since it began rotating hosts after George Stephanopoulos left the program for "Good Morning America." It will be Dowd's first time anchoring a program.

ABC News tells us, "Since joining ABC in 2007, Matthew Dowd has provided independent and fair analysis on issues confronting the country. He has tremendous ability to speak to and understand all sides of an issue."

Vid via Heather.

VIDEO- Pelosi: Health reform will pass, abortion rights will neither increase nor diminish

By GottaLaff



Nancy Pelosi is convinced there will be a "positive result" in the House. And by positive result, she must mean that there will be no homicides, because from what we've seen from members of Congress... Well, let's just say, if looks could kill...

On the contentious issue of abortion, she said a health reform bill will pass that will neither increase nor diminish the opportunity for abortion, as defined by current federal law.

Just pass the damn bill already.

Video- Krugman confronts Ailes with Fox News' "deliberate misinformation" on health care

Damn ABC, they refuse to offer embeddable video, so we have to get it piecemeal. This is one of the better moments in a very contentious segment. Via Media Matters who also has more.

Video- Ailes defends Beck: "He's talking about Hitler and Stalin" killing people so it's "accurate"

What a slug.

Captionary: Rachel Maddow meets Roger Ailes

By GottaLaff

What I'd have given to be at this little do:

MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and Fox News chairman Roger Ailes were among the guests at last night's holiday party for tvnewsers at the White House.

Check this out:

Greta Van Susteren blogs about meeting Maddow for the first time and about who else was there:

Jake Tapper of ABC and his wife were there (my money is on Jake for getting the job as anchoring This Week on ABC now that George has gone to GMA and Jake would be great at it)

No. Nononono. Can we get one new liberal replacement host out of ABC? Just one? Just this once? Pretty please with ratings on top?

Sorry. Back to reality. I'd drifted there for a minute.

George Stephanopoulos offered job as co-host Good Morning America

By GottaLaff

I'd hate to lose him on Sunday mornings. If ABC ends up with a David Gregory equivalent, then I give up:

ABC has offered George Stephanopoulos "the coveted job of co-hosting Good Morning America, and intensive negotiations are under way," the Washington Post reports. [...]

"The onetime Clinton White House aide has also asked to hang on to his current job as the host of Washington-based This Week for as long as possible, although ABC executives do not believe he can handle both programs over the long term. ABC has not yet turned to the question of who might succeed Stephanopoulos on the prestigious Sunday show."

So who should replace him on This Week?

VIDEO- Will on Iraq: "A bit of dithering might have been in order "; Podesta: BushCo only spent 1 hour on Afghanistan report

By GottaLaff



Via Think Progress, Who neglected what again?

Recently, Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-DE) — a former top aide to Biden and co-chair of the Vice President’s transition team — said that the Bush administration basically just “threw” the report “to the transition team as they were going out the door”:

KAUFMAN: So for him [Cheney] to come in at the end and say, “Well, we did it wrong for eight years. But then, in the end, we gave them a plan which really is what they should have used.” Let me tell you something: This administration came in. Rahm Emanuel was there. I was on the transition team on this. They started from scratch on Afghanistan. They took a blank piece of paper out and said, “What are we going to do to get this thing done?” … It was absolutely the perfect time to take a hard look at what we’re doing.

VIDEO- Peggy Noonan: Obama is "boorish"

By GottaLaff

I referred to this in my Cliff Notes version of the Sunday Talkers here. Peggy Noonan has always turned my stomach. She could be telling George Stephanopoulos that President Obama is the best commander in chief in U.S. history, and I'd still feel nauseous.

It's her unctuous, phony-baloney, deliberately and painfully "sincere", faux heartfelt delivery... only to be matched by content.

Exhibit A:

Is Obama overexposed? Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan sure thinks so, telling George Stephanopoulos on This Week that the excessive televised appearances are slowly damaging his presidency. ABC

See, here's the thing, all you "he's overexposed" blatherfaces out there: He's the president. He is the ultimate spokesman, salesman, and expert on his own policies. When the public is clamoring for him to get out there and explain himself, whaddya know, he listens and does exactly that.

Coincidentally, seems the times that he's "overexposed" himself are the times his/his policies' poll numbers perk up. Go figure.

boor·ish (brsh)

adj.

Resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior.

• Main Entry: boor
• Pronunciation: \ˈbu̇r\
• Function: noun
• Etymology: Dutch boer; akin to Old English būan to dwell — more at bower
• Date: 1551

1 : peasant
2 : a rude or insensitive person

Anyone notice President Obama being rude, insensitive, or clumsy? Anyone seen a peasant in the White House lately? Hands?

Amazing, isn't it, how he went from elitist to peasant in 9 short months?

Video- HHS Secretary Sebelius Calls Death Panel Talk "Horrific"

I know she's on our side, but out of all the people who make up this administration, Sec Sebelius is the one I'm most disappointed by. She is monotone, doesn't answer the questions (very surprised Tapper let her get away with it) and just has a very flat delivery. I should bookmark her speeches for nights I can't sleep...

Video- Cokie Roberts Attributes Town Hall Disruptions to Shortage of Nuns

Sorry, no argument here. Via FDL.

VIDEO: Howard Dean Debunks Gingrich Lies: "Nobody Is Forcing You In To The Public Option"

By GottaLaff



Via Think Progress:

On ABC’s This Week today, former Republican House speaker Newt Gingrich claimed that most government-run health systems are disasters. He said that the Veterans Health Administration is “the one system that actually works reasonably well,” and dismissed Medicare as “basically a private system with a government funding.” [...]

Medicare is a government-run program. [...]

Later in the segment, host George Stephanopoulos had to personally call Gingrich out on one of his falsehoods. Last week, Sarah Palin said that the Obama administration was advocating “death panels” that would determine whether a person was “worthy of health care.” Gingrich tried to lend that myth credence by bringing up the writings of “Dr. Zeke Emanuel, who’s the chief adviser to the president and brother of the chief of staff.”

First, as Stephanopoulos pointed out, Emanuel is “not the chief health care adviser.” Second, Emanuel’s comments on end-of-life issues were part of “academic discussions of theoretical constructs” — not expressions of his personal beliefs on the current health care debate. Stephanopoulos noted that Emanuel had “written three articles between 1996 and 2008 that include some of those phrases.” “Those phrases appear nowhere in the bill,” he added.

Just keep pushing those lies, Rushpublics. If you repeat them enough, America will believe you. Here's an idea: We swat them down enough, and this time America will believe us.

ABC's "This Week" Tops MTP For First Time In 10 Years

Need anymore evidence that you suck there Gregory?

For the first time since June 27th, 1999, ABC's "This Week" drew more Total Viewers and A25-54 demo viewers than NBC's "Meet The Press," the longest running show in television history. The ratings win for "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" marks the first time in over ten years that the program scored first in both categories during regular coverage. The closest ABC had come was in August 2007, when "This Week" scored first in the demo, but tied "MTP" in Total Viewers.

Video- Real Time: Bill Maher Mocks Malkin for Her New Book

Malkin sounded like an idiot on This Week. Video via Heather.

Video- Mitt Romney: Iran Elections Are Obama's Fault

VIDEO-- Rahm Emanuel: Officials who devised torture policy "shouldn't be prosecuted"

By GottaLaff



Here is the video of Rahm Emanuel on This Week, discussing prosecuting officials for devising (original post here) torture policies.

Two words, Rahm: Horrible precedent.

UPDATE:


H/t for the video