If a group makes a bogus charge agaisnt Kerry, should the

[Eric J in MN]

news media invite someone from the group on tv to make the baseless charge and someone to defend John Kerry?

Aaron Brown of CNN asked that question, as noted by BRockNYLA in a diary at "The Daily Kos:"

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/8/6/12726/97912

----------------

I don't want either side to promote baseless charges, but if the news media is eager for controversies, and a commercial justifies their coverage, then a liberal group should make a commercial about Bush going AWOL or the Bush Administration outing Valerie Plame or whatever to air a few times and make that the story of the day.

[rucky]

1. Equal time for baseless charges!

:sarcasm:

[NightOwwl]

2. Except Bush going AWOL and the Plame outing aren't lies.

The swiftboat ad is pure bullsh*t.

[Eric J in MN]

6. yes, maybe I should have phrased that differently. I meant that

the tv news shows like to present Person A making a charge and Person B defending, but they need a news-event like the release of a tv-commerical to justify it.

A tv ad raising legitimate questions about Bush going AWOL or about the Bush Administration outing Valerie Plame could set the stage for that kind of coverage, even if the tv commercial only airs once.

[Robbien]

3. The problem with that is the media picking

who gets to do the defending. Remember Colmes is supposedly a liberal. And they use the AEI as an impartial reference source.

The media will always pick the most milquetoast liberal/progressive defender around.

[leftinmontana]

4. Lies of the right

Who in the so-called "liberal" media will call out this group for what it is? A group of Vietnam vets who never served alongside Kerry, including a man who lied about treating Kerry for the wound that resulted in his first purple heart. Even John McCain has come out against this group. Where was Bush during this time period? In Alabama, face down in a pile of pure Columbian nose-candy.

[Eric J in MN]

5. Air Amerca did (nt)

nt

[Must_B_Free]

7. He couched it in the context of Bush's cocaine allegations

FWIW

[Eric J in MN]

8. What is FWIW? nt

nt

[tishaLA]

10. For what it's worth

[sandnsea]

9. If the media knows it's baseless

Why in the world would they invite a liar on a news program?