One of the big media controversies right now is that CNN has been airing a video made by terrorists in Iraq showing them killing Americans. This is nothing more than terrorist propaganda and CNN is doing exactly what the terrorists want them to do: show it on American TV and thus demoralize the American people. It’s the only effective weapon they have and CNN is helping them deploy.
Naturally CNN is defending its actions, claiming that they are simply an objective news organization presenting newsworthy material to the viewing public. But when they had Lynne Cheney, wife of the Vice President, on Wolf Blitzer’s show last week, they got more than they bargained for. Specifically they got caught in hypocrisy. Mrs. Cheney went right on the attack, challenging Blitzer:
Cheney: “Then why are you running, why are you running terrorist propaganda?”
Blitzer: “With all due respect, with all due respect, this is not terrorist propaganda.”
Yet, not 30 seconds later, Blitzer contradicts himself:
Blitzer: “And if you put it in context, if you put it in context, that’s what news is. We said it was propaganda. We didn’t distort where we got it. We didn’t distort anything about it. We gave it the context.”
Catch that? Let me pull it out to highlight it for you:
Blitzer: “... this is not terrorist propaganda.”
Blitzer: “We said it was propaganda.”
So is it propaganda or not? They can’t keep their story straight.
A few years ago, CNN willingly covered up Saddam’s murderous depredations in order to keep reporting from Baghdad. Now they’re doing terrorists’ dirty work. Whose side is CNN on?
Technorati Tags:Cheney, CNN, Iraq, media bias, sniper, terrorism, video
Eric, that’s some fancy footwork, but it doesn’t fly. Context or not, Blitzer got caught in a bald contradiction.