Less than a year ago, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos admitted that he had made $75,000 of undisclosed contributions to the charitable foundation/campaign operation of his former employers, Bill and Hillary Clinton. He then personally pledged he wouldn’t moderate a Republican primary debate this year. But ABC News later issued a statement of support for Stephanopoulos, insisting it wouldn’t take punitive action against him.
It’s bad enough that ABC never even considered removing this self-evident Clinton loyalist from his “objective” political coverage position. They even allow him to conduct softball interviews with Hillary Clinton, and won’t even insist on reminding viewers of his substantial financial support of the woman he’s interviewing.
ABC’s Amy Robach sounded ridiculous on the April 4 “Good Morning America” segment when announcing Stephanopoulos’ “candid interview with the Democratic front-runner.” Candor had left the building when this man was allowed to interview Clinton.
During the interview, viewers could catch on that Stephanopoulos and Clinton are old pals, as she reminisced about the good old days of partisan warfare on behalf of Bill Clinton. Stephanopoulos stuck to horse-race questions, asking Clinton if she has to win her “home state” of New York. She replied referencing Bill Clinton’s run against Jerry Brown in the 1992 Democratic primaries: “I’ve been through this before. You and I were laughing before we started. I can remember how hard it was when my husband ran in ’92.”
Stephanopoulos only asked Clinton vague questions about Sen. Bernie Sanders, such as, “Why can’t you put him away?” On Trump, he asked, “Are you worried at all this goes to a contested convention on the Republican side, and they pick somebody else, a fresh face, who might be a more difficult challenge in the general election?” There was absolutely no mention of the ongoing FBI investigation into her scandalous use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state.
On NBC’s “Meet the Press” one day before, Chuck Todd interviewed Clinton. During the interview, he quoted the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which had pounded her for a “horrible track record on transparency.” But there was absolutely no discussion about any issue of actual substance like abortion, unlike the day before, when Todd caused Clinton some political heartburn by asking her, “When, or if, does an unborn child have constitutional rights?”
In the eyes of some, Clinton messed up by repeating Todd’s language referencing “unborn” children: “Well, under our laws currently, that is not something that exists. The unborn person doesn’t have constitutional rights.” A Planned Parenthood official in Illinois later complained on Twitter that the U-word is terrible because it “further stigmatizes abortion.”
She upset the right by comparing restrictions on abortion to communist oppression, saying, “I have seen what happens when governments make these decisions, whether it was forced sterilization, forced abortion in China or forced childbearing in communist Romania.”
Stephanopoulos found no reason to ask Clinton follow-up questions about the kerfuffle the following day. But while Todd was pressing Clinton on Sunday, Stephanopoulos pounded no-chance Republican candidate Gov. John Kasich on the April 3 “This Week” segment, firing eight abortion questions, including, “If you believe that abortion is the taking of innocent life, why shouldn’t a woman who makes the choice to take that life face some kind of punishment or sanction?”
The Clinton shill even asked Bernie Sanders three questions about abortion on his Sunday show, starting with: “You know, Secretary Clinton also said this morning that she doesn’t believe that there are any constitutional rights for the unborn. Is that your position as well?” The goal was to make Bernie feel a share of Clinton’s heartburn while giving his answers.
Certainly, a former Clinton spokesman could attempt objective journalism. But Stephanopoulos never does. This was merely the latest proof that Disney-owned ABC runs a Mickey Mouse “news” operation.
L. Brent Bozell III is the president of the Media Research Center. Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Brent Bozell III and Tim Graham, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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