ABC News Pulls Reporter off Kucinich Campaign

[Mairead]

The day after Presidential Candidate Dennis Kucinich took ABC debate moderator Ted Koppel to task for avoiding questions that would be useful to voters in favor of questions about endorsements, money, and polls, ABC pulled its fulltime "embedded" reporter from the Kucinich campaign, a reporter who had been given no warning that such a move was coming and who had discussed at length yesterday with the Kucinich campaign staff her plans and her needs for the coming months.

ABC has reportedly also pulled its reporters from covering the presidential campaigns of Rev. Al Sharpton and Ambassador Carol Mosley-Braun.

This appears to be another instance of what Kucinich criticized at the debate, namely the media trying to pick candidates, rather than letting the voters do so. In a democracy, it should be voters and not pundits or TV networks who narrow the field of candidates.

(from a mailing. probably also available (there's more) at www.kucinich.us)

Support Dennis Kucinich: send money, hold lawyers and guns.

If we don't support the only candidate who has ever put it right on the line for us, we're saying lound and clear that rewards and punishments have no connection to behavior. Even rats understand that message!

[jpgray]

1. I already sent him $250

Being a poor college student, that's as far as I can bend. But Kucinich will definitely make you feel validated for giving to him--he's easily the most compatible with DU views overall, and he's a fighter who fights before the fight is popular, just because it's the right thing to do.

[cryofan]

24. props to JP Gray....I will donate soon....nt

...

[ThirdWheelLegend]

2. boot to the thread

in otherwords, kick :)

[bearfartinthewoods]

3. i knew this was coming.

remember DK's line about he's sorry he's an inconvenience to them?

i bet ABC was already complaining about funding a reporter for the campaign. what trash....that's what was behind all those when should people quit questions...too many campaigns are too hard on the bottom line...sheeeeeit.

[ThirdWheelLegend]

5. hehe

We should all apoligize to ABC for participating in a democracy and making them have to spend money DOING THEIR JOB.

/sarcasm off

ABC/DISNEY/ESPN

Buh-bye

TWL

[LWolf]

25. LOL

Public apologies. Crowds standing outside their corporate offices. With megaphones, signs, etc. to let them know how sorry we are that we thought they wanted to participate in democracy with us.

[morgan2]

4. what could be funny to do.

setup a fund with donations to pay the abc reporter to cover kucinich. It would be embarassing for abc and give Kucinich a lot more press.

[wheresthemind]

6. TELL ABC NEWS WHAT YOU THINK

Email [e-mail] or call [phone] or fax [phone].

[PaDUer]

12. I sent ABC an email last nite..

I wonder IF they're going to respond to any of us who wrote them, or are they giving those emails to Homeland Security to round us all up!

[eridani]

21. Other contact options

ABC News
77 W. 66 St.,
New York, NY 10023

Call ABC News at 212-456-7777, where you’ll be able to leave a message and ask for a written reply.

West Coast number 818-460-7477 (from KOMO)

http://www.abcnews.go.com/service/Help/abcmail_news.html (web page for direct comment)

ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin at [phone] or Mark
[e-mail] or fax [phone]

ABC News President David Westin at [phone] or fax [phone]

ABC President Alex Wallau at [phone] or [e-mail] or fax [phone].

[e-mail]

[CMT]

7. This is just plain wrong

Pulling off reporters from DK, Sharpton, and Braun is a sign that they (the media) feel they have no chance. Well, how can they have a chance if the media is ignoring them? I think we should all (even if you are not supporting them) e-mail ABC News to complain.

[e-mail]

[Joe the Revelator]

8. This is what i wrote

I am writing to add my voice to what should be a growing chorus of complaints against your network. I found out today that you were pulling your “embedded” anchors off the Kucinich, Sharpton, and Mosley-Braun campaigns. As a viewer of your network and a mass media major I find this act repugnant. I support none of the aforementioned candidates but I believe that at least until the first primary vote is cast, they should have an equal playing field in the media. It is not up to ABC news to play king maker or filter out who their viewers receive information about. It is ethically lacking and makes me question the integrity of your newsroom. I hope that in the future I will receive information that you have returned your anchors to their rightful positions with each and every campaign.

Sincerely,
Joseph M. &&&&

[LWolf]

11. Great letter.

Thank you.

[goodhue]

15. yes

This is the Catch-22 about coverage about which the media is in denial. Increased media coverage leads to increased standing in the polls leads to more media coverage. No media coverage leads to low standing in the polls and even less media coverage if possible. In this way, the media selects our candidates. And it ain't pretty.

[Mairead]

9. Perhaps biased reporting should cause licence/charter review?

Wouldn't it be interesting if (e.g.) the NYTimes were to find its corporate charter under review for failure to serve the public interest? Ditto ABC's spectrum licence?

Nah, never happen :(

[mmonk]

10. Seems the media

likes a coronation instead of democracy and they want in on such a thing. Hope DK gets a bounce out of this.

[el_gato]

13. screw abc and the rest of the fascist corporate media

DK tells the truth

Kopple is a maggot

[Nederland]

14. Common Sense

ABC is just trying to conserve money. As the primaries approach and get more and more news time, ABC simply decided to stop dedicating resources to the three candidates that are doing poorest in the polls and raising money. This is nothing more that a business decision folks.

[whatelseisnew]

16. Pragmatic as a corporate whore. Whose airwaves? Public Trust?

How quaint.

[mobuto]

17. Nothing under current law

requires ABC to mention Dennis Kucinich's name. At what point is a candidate entitled to equal time? Is a polician who's leading with 95% in the polls entitled to no more coverage than a perenial candidate with a 0.1% standing in the polls?

How would you make these decisions?

I'm not suggesting I know the answer, but I'm curious as to what you have to say.

[THUNDER HANDS]

27. So..uh...why is this so wrong again?

If I wanted to run for president does that mean ABC would have to assign a reporter to cover me too?

I have as much a chance of winning as Kucinich does. And it's the media's job to report the news - and Kucinich doesn't make any because nobody but his supporters take him and his candidacy seriously.

I'm not saying it was right for ABC to pull it's reporter, but I don't see any hidden motives behind it.

[WhoCountsTheVotes]

18. Revoke ABC's Charter!

I don't think ABC is doing anything in the public interest anymore (if they ever did). Why should we allow this corporation to continue to be chartered, much less keep others off of our airwaves? Suspend their license to broadcast and revoke their charter.

[tom_paine]

19. Where do you think you live...a Free Country

(although, for the moment, we live in a "kinder and gentler" Totalitarianism)

You simply DON'T criticize the Imperial-Directed ProGovMedia and not expect repercussions.

Damn, I miss living in a Free Country. I guess I should just enjoy the twilight between now and when the Busheviks strat doing what they REALLY want to...

[Bombtrack]

20. The corporate media doesn't want them pulling votes from Dean

I think that makes the most sense for why they'd do that

[southerngirlwriter]

22. Commentary on a serious blog on this issue.

http://www.donatacom.com/blog.shtml

Thursday, December 11th -- the top entry.

[sleipnir]

23. I'm shocked they didn't pull Edwards reporter as well.

Not to be offensive, but in reality, he's not fairing much better than the other three. I mean, other than being more main stream, Edwards' campaign is nearly on the same "success" level as S/B/K. It's languishing right now and a lot of the new polls have him losing the little ground he had.

Granted, they shouldn't pull any reporters until the candidate officially drops out.

[goodhue]

26. contact ABC

http://kucinich.us/abcnews.php

To express concerns to ABC, contact the following:

ABC Audience Response line at 818-460-7477. Press 4 to leave a message.
ABC News Washington DC Bureau at 202-222-7777, fax [phone]
ABC News Political Director Mark Halperin at 212-456-4545, fax [phone], email [e-mail]
ABC News President David Westin at 212-456-6200, fax [phone]
ABC President Alex Wallau at 818-460-5500, fax [phone], email [e-mail]

You can write letters to:

ABC News
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New York, NY 10023-6290

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