Comments on: Couric Critiques Iraq War Run-Up Coverage

CBS News Anchor Calls White House Press Corps Performance "Embarrassing"

[shingles1]

Charles Gibson today:

"I think that the media did a pretty good job of focusing and asking the questions."

Charles Gibson on Colin Powell''s UN presentation in 2003:

"It was very direct, it was detailed, it was comprehensive." He followed this up by interviewing ex-CIA Director and current nutjob James Woolsey, a man who hasn''t gotten a single thing right since he first learned how to spell his own name.

Charles Gibson is a simpleton.

[tilton8]

Thank you Katie!! It''s about time media started owning up to their part in distributing Bush''s lies without checking the facts. We certainly can''t depend on FOX for the truth, not when they have Karl Rove on their payroll! Keep talking Katie....we are listening and we do care.

[gwagener]

Yes, the public was in 911 mode, but the news media was either asleep and/or afraid.
---------------------------------
Posted by PaulaDF at 03:22 PM : May 28, 2008

The news business is still a for-profit business. The public was obsessed with irrational fears and ready to lash out. Any news media that would have questioned the logic of the argument would have been punished with protests and boycotts.

[pauladf]

Thank you Katie for having the guts to speak the truth! It is clear that neither of the other anchors, especially Gibson, had the courage to speak out. This is exactly why the Bush administration has gotten away with so much!! Yes, the public was in 911 mode, but the news media was either asleep and/or afraid.

[citizenusa-2009]

Sebastion27 is entirely correct. I have new respect for Katie..when she went to Iraq and ate up the propaganda the General''s fed her, I wasn''t too happy...now she realizes (as all news media should) that this was a case of the Emperor''s New Clothes. We all saw though the deception, but no one would speak for us. As a result, we have 4,000 dead and 50,000 maimed. Untold heartache for families everywhere, thanks to a meglomaniac who should have been impeached 6 years ago.

[bobbipal]

Good for Katie. She hit it right on the head. Thanks to legislation over the last several years (for which both Dems and Repubs can take credit) business entities can now own various media formats. This has always been blocked in the past to ensure free press. Not anymore. Large corporations now own America''s media. The concept of our "Free press" has been slowly eliminated as people like Murdoch, Disney, etc. buy up our various media outlets.

Check out MediaMatters.org. It will show you just how many lies and decptions are being thrown at us every day.

THIS is an insidious problem and should make us all very afraid. I encourage you to get your news by referring to various independent Internet resources.

[dobbershome]

Welcome to corporate America. Now fall in line.

[ubrew12]

Maybe our media is just BETTER at asking the really HARD questions.

Like, ''Mr. President! Did you have *** with that woman?''

[sebastian27-2009]

The embarrassing part for the White House press to ponder is why they didn''t go after Bush at his infrequent press conferences like they did Bill Clinton.
If they asked a pertinent question George would become belligerent and the reporters would back off like mice. I have often thought that Sam Donaldson was taken off of the White House staff because is questions were too aggressive.
The administration''s favorite line was that the question could not be answered because of "national security. It has been a disgrace to the nation.

[getcentered]

"The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01


"I don''t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don''''t care. It''s not that important. It''s not our priority."
- G.W. Bush, 3/13/02

"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, responding to a question about bin Laden''s whereabouts, 3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)

[mofromky]

Go Katie. No excuses. I watch her show more and more...even before I read her comments on this subject. I quite watching NBS and long time ago and and ABC less and less. Thank goodness for Bill Moyers, Charlie Rose, PBS, NPR, KY public radio/TV. Keep exhibiting this attitude Katie and word of mouth may spread that you ask the hard questions and not with rankor but civility. It''s not about the "reporters," it would be great if it were about informing the public. Right now I believe it''s primarily about selling the advertisers products.

[merlgrey]

just going with the flow right katie....

funny how during the early debates and primaries when you had the Q & A with all the candidates... you never invited the strongest outspoken anti war candidates from either party to the table: ron paul, mike gravel, dennis kucinich... people with the foresight to have warned about the consequences and the legality from the outset. just admit it, its not about true reporting, its about media ratings and popularity and cashing your paycheck.

[lochlan-2009]

The truth comes out, before the book is even on the shelves. Our America is not the country we all believed it was. Different corporations tell the government what they need to make money, the government changes the laws so they can, and the media (shepards) take care of the sheeple.

Our entire country appears to be a sham.

[jerr11]

Charles Gibson is like G W Bush.

Never admit a mistake. (We asked the right questions)

And always blame something else! (yeah it was 9/11 made me do it)

[getcentered]

"It is the leaders of the country who determine policy, and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. ...Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is to tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."

-Hermann Wilhelm Gvring

[gwagener]

I don''t blame the media or the politicians too much for falling into lock step. The people were acting irrationally out of fear and feeling weak and helpless. Bush ofered a way to feel safe and powerful by lashing out at a presumed weak enemy. The public would have protested and boycotted any network that dared to say the story does not make sense, if Saddam has WMD''s, it mkes no sense to give them to terrorists in the hope that they might attack the US.

[getcentered]

GreatDriveW

Me too......I think ABC and FOX are now in collusion.

[getcentered]

Yes.....there was and still is a propaganda war coming from the White House and other complacent Republicans dogs.......also known as Rovians.

Please......Republicans disgust me.

[tracker161]

Same tired old mea culpa following a well established script. See the documentary "War Made Easy" available on youtube and elsewhere that can be googled.

[stn_sage]

I don''t care for Katie Couric as a broadcast news journalist, but of Williams, Gibson, and herself---at least, SHE''S telling the truth! I respect her for that!

Gibson and Williams never made a major effort to ask the ''tough questions'' of Bush/Cheney or their staff!
They were content to ''go along'' and not ''rock the boat''! Why should they?! They get nice, fat paychecks, they didn''t want to get labelled ''troublemakers''!

No, Charlie and Brian! You let America down! Maybe now that Bush will soon be out of office, as more and more scandals become known, then it will become convenient for you to do your job! And you''ll get off your a$$es and report on the investigations etcetera.