In discussion of the revelations in Scott McClellan’s new book that the media was too easy on the administration in the run of to the war, Congressional correspondent Jessica Yellin on Anderson Cooper 360 admitted that she was pressured by the network executives to frame her pieces in a way that made President Bush look positive, even editing her pieces to favor the administration.
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Cooper: Jessica, McClellan took the press to task for upholding their reputation. He writes “the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington. The choice of whether to go to war in Iraq…the ‘liberal’ media didn’t live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served.” Dan Bartlett, former Bush advisor, called the allegation “total crap.” What’s your take? Did the press corps drop the ball?
Yellin: I think the press corps dropped the ball in the beginning when the lead up to war began, uh the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly, to make sure that this was a war that was presented in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation and the President’s high approval ratings and my own experience at the White House was that the higher the President’s approval ratings, the more pressure I had from news executives, and I was not at this network at the time, but the more pressure I had from these executives to put on positive stories about the President. I think over time….
Cooper: You had pressure from news executives to put on positive stories about the President?
Yellin: Not in that exact…they wouldn’t say it in that way, but they would edit my pieces. They would push me in different directions. They would turn down stories that were more critical and try to put on pieces that were more positive. Yes. That was my experience.
In case you were curious, Yellin worked for MSNBC until July 2003 and then worked for ABC News until July 2007, when she moved to CNN.
UPDATE: Will Bunch asks who will follow up on Jessica Yellin’s stunning revelations? How can we force the media to investigate itself over the manipulation of pre-way journalism? (link fixed)
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Everyone is claiming innocence!
full-o-shit
I’m really starting to get pissed! Here we have MSM going on and on about Scotts ‘Betrayal’ while they themselves are to blame. I think they know that. You had Wolf Blizter reflecting about it yesterday. But, how soon they moved on. WTF?
Poor journalists! :( they WANTED to tell us the truth but darn that corporate paycheck must have had some magic mojo on it that robbed them of their integrity.
Yellin: Not in that exact…they wouldn’t say it in that way, but they would edit my pieces. They would push me in different directions. They would turn down stories that were more critical and try to put on pieces that were more positive.
I’ve been saying that for years… reporters can be the most liberal bunch in the world, but it’s the bosses that call the shots. Hence, no liberal media.
Run! Run! The ship is sinking! Flee! Save yourselves!!!
More truth dribbling out, now why can’t they all line up and speak together about the bush lies and threats…shame on them all for fu*k*ng Americans over!
Who would have ever thought that consolidating the media into tightly held monopoly’s owned by rich right wing republicans could ever stoop to manipulating the American public!
Is it time to change the name of our country from America to Americorp yet?
The media has always censored wartime news. Mainly because the public at home would be horrified at what bullets and shrapnel can do to bodies, and at soldiers’ actions. That’s not what’s bad about this (though it’s pretty bad). What’s bad is that nobody had the stones to say anything about this when it was going on, instead of waiting until four years after the deed is done and saying “Whoops! Sorry, my bad!”
I’ll never buy or read fat Scotty’s blood soaked book, but the way he has exposed the Bush crime family and the many propaganda whores in the MSM who are all accessories to murder, is a beautiful thing.
Bison @ 7:
You think this is new? Google “Spanish-American War”. That war was explicitly a media creation by the first corporations.
If we change the name to Americorp, the change will only validate a long-standing trend.
Katie Couric, Chris Matthews, Russert etc all drowning in the 4ooo and counting Americans who have needlessly died in Iraq along with the over one million Iraqi people. Will they ever say their sorry? Will they ever admit their complicity. WILL THEY APPLY WHAT THEY SHOULD HAVE LEARNED AND START ASKING HARD DRIVING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE UNSUBSTANTIATED CLAIMS THAT THEY HAVE ALLOWED TO BE REPEATED ON THEIR PROGRAMS ABOUT IRAN? I WILL NOT BE HOLDING MY BREATH.
Until then thanks for the internet
Dem congressman calls on McClellan to testify about book’s revelations
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/....._0528.html
Why is McClellan waiting so long to release this book?
Too many of us reconized the truth from the beginning, so this was a fraud brought onto citizens on purspose for the enrichment of the few….Treason!!!!! charge both the bushies and the news and make them all pay with jail and $$$$ fines to help our robbed empty coffers!
Why is it okay for the media to tell us that they are lying whores, at this time?
Can we impeach now? Hey Harry and Nancy, how much more do you need? We the American people are speaking up! Do you frigging job and impeach already!
It’s connect the dots time. First, the three network anchors are interviewed and everyone but ABC’s anchor, Charles Gibson, admits they were not tough enough. Now Jessica Yellin says ABC pressured her. The dam has a leak and hopefully someone will follow this trail and bust it wide open.
The media is just as angry and scared as Bush & co. Bloody hands everywhere.
Look how the bushies won’t release true studies on iraq before the 2004 election….fraud it’s all fraud and illegal!
Yeah, and so many of us have been pressured, but not all of us have lost our personal integrity to tow the party line. Weak and apathetic… these journalists and news media personnel who do not do the right thing, but rather bend over for whomever their “bosses” are. Pathetic!
Bison @ 7:
No… that’s already been trademarked!
Left&Left @ 9:
I plan to read it. But only if I can steal it.
I have to admit, I am a bit stunned by this move by Simple Scott.
Watching David Gregory on MSNBC with his panel of guests from the Washington DC press corps, angrily denying that they were shills for the administration, was comedy gold.
Watching Chris Matthews be SHOCKED, shocked I tell you!, at the fact that the administration used propaganda to sell a war, was just unbelievable.
Hey idiot in the mainstream press: Sometimes those Left Leaning Blogs are CORRECT. It’s PATHETIC watching these incompetent jackasses feign surprise at these “revelations” from Simple Scott. It’s stuff the reality based community has knows since 2002.
It’s too bad the Democrats are for the most part cowards. This crew should have been impeached years ago.
[deleted - off topic. Sitemonitor]
There’s a show on the CBC here called “As It Happens”. The show is rebroadcast on PBS radio in the US late at night from what I understand. One part of the is the listener talk back where listeners are invited to call in and leave their comments. I was listening one night when much to my astonishment the former host of “ABC nightline”(I’ve forgotten his name) called in. He said he listened to “As It Happens” driving home after his show and had to call in. He complimented the women working on the show for asking the politicians in the US “tough questions the US media was too afraid to ask”
So yah I think your media didn’t want to ask the tough questions
I’m sorry, but these “revelations” are not News. Anyone with a brain the size of a peanut knew wft was going! Of course, the Press will certainly try to absolve themselves of any blame in this fiasco. There should be a National Day of mourning for the Press, in which everyone turn off their TVs and Radios.
Filthy Harry @ 3:
Well said Harry!
Kathleen @ 11:
Just went through archives at Raw Story nothing there about Norman’s arrest?
clutch the pearls!!
Can you believe it? Scotties book is earth-shattering, and yet all over MSM is going on about gay marriage. CBS, ABC, CNN it is their top story! Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. . .
That Damn Librul media.
I wonder how long it will take for the next “Librul Media” hype.
WakeUpAmerica @ 24:
The blogosphere took off after the lying chickenshits in the press rolled over before the invasion. They need to connect the dots…the public is starting to.
I’m sure I’m gonna be covered in rotten tomatoes for saying this, but I watched Scotty this morning on an interview. I felt he was like a man who doesn’t see all the signs that his wife is cheating until he discovers that she is. Then he looks back and the signs were glaring, he just didn’t see them at the time.
I think now that he has been out of the white house for a while, hears and sees what is happening from an outsiders point of view, he has looked back and realizes the signs were all there that things were tragically wrong. But at the time, he just didn’t see them that clearly.
P.D. @ 28:
Congressman Wexler pushing for Scottie testifying before congress
” He complimented the women working on the show (As It Happens) for asking the politicians in the US “tough questions the US media was too afraid to ask” - Mike the Canuk
If David’s mother was still alive and still doing the show, it would be the best news program in the world. Oh, and Barbara Frum is probably rolling in her grave knowing what her son is up to!
I’m desperately looking for a copy of the NBC produced documentary; Operation Iraqi Freedom, with the special intro by Tom Brokaw. It’s bound to be a real collector’s item and worth as much as a tank of gas, someday. Can anyone help me out?
Kathleen, at least someone is doing something! I’m tired of banging my head against the wall!
General_Rennenkampf @ 8:
Sorry, this isn’t about “censoring wartime news” so as not to upset the delicate sensibilities of the American public.
This is about an administration that took office with a plan (read the PNAC docs) to dominate the middle east, for starters, and then to implement their Pax Americana.
This is about men (and women) at the highest levels of our government creating a New Pearl Harbor to scare the beejesus out of citizens so they could invade and occupy a soverign nation inorder to steal their resources (oil) and build permanent forward military bases for the US.
This is about the unitary executive and the usurpation of the rights and freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution.
This is about corporate greed (you know, the military industrial complex) and the ascension of the next “ruling class.”
Scott McClellan finally understood the truth and has demonstrated great courage in exposing it - even if he’ll be making a lot of money from the book (He’ll need that cash to hire bodyguards). Looks like maybe he’s started a new trend as others are beginning to talk.
Corporate media.
Duh.
There is nothing new in this book.
He is just cashing in like the rest of em.
Who created the myth of the ‘liberal media’? What liberal media?The past 8 years the media has been totally pro Bush- Hell, they’ve ignored protests that turned out tens of thousands of citizens, and always spin things to put Bush in a positive light- What is chilling is the right wing seems to feel we serve Bush- when in fact he serves us!
Thank god for Keith Olberman and Sam Seder…
Easy to come out after the fact. Think about the few reporters who questioned before?
All aboard the Scott McClellan train!
No one is going to tell me that these nitwits didn’t suspect that this admin was arm twisting the media exec’s to push the neocon agenda.
They knew the whole time. They just kept their mouths shut, so they could keep getting their check. Now look at what they’ve done. Did anyone see Robert Redfords movie. Lions for Lambs. It’s a pretty good movie.
P.D. @ 35:
Millions banging their heads against that wall with you. Eventually it will crack
Day after day, night after night if the money is right the campaign goes on to make wrong seem right.
Well, she’s dead…
Her career, anyway…
That she is even talking abouut this pruves that MSNBC and the meedia ar filled with libruls.
Well…it would seem that there’s quite a bit of ass-covering going on in the media….if it weren’t so damn serious, it would be amusing.
No one could have predicted that a bunch of conservative billionaires would conspire to make the Boy King look good.
Mike the Canuck @ 23:
Ted Koppel.
But read up on what MSNBC did to shut up Phil Donahue …
Amy Goodman on DemocracyNow.org has been telling the truth about this mess since it started … (and her Katrina coverage alone should have won them every award going …)
Barbara and Carol on AIH are gold. And funny at the same time.
Riddle me this (to quote the Riddler)
How come most of us, the kind of people who visit C&L every day and listen to NPR for news and search the internet for tid-bits of truth, we all knew the war was on false pretenses from the git. I knew when bush and rice were talking mushroom clouds with their phony scary-voice that it was crap.
Can it possibly be that there are THAT many people who don’t reason in America, who can’t read bits here and there and draw their own conclusions?
I hope this is a sign of Americans waking up and brushing off the potato chip crumbs off their bellies and getting away from their 1984 news on FOX.
pressure on journalists from their corporate leaders? I’m shocked.