Abuse of the media is happening again. ABC announced that on June 24th they plan to turn over their news programming to President Obama and the White House to tout his health care plan. The one day infomercial will, as of today, be void of bipartisan discussion on the health care topic. According to a report on Drudge Report the agenda of the day will include:
“ABCNEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver World News form the Blue Room of the White House. The network plans a primetime special – ‘Prescription for America’ – originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.”
Now Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Ken McKay filed a complaint with the head of ABCNEWS on Monday night according the Drudge Report. Mr. McKay objects that “ABC News will air a primetime health care reform “town hall” at the White House with President Obama” which begs the question; How can one have a “town hall” meeting when all sides of the issue are not presented?
Simply put, one cannot!!! The abuse of power by President Obama is evident and borders on the manner in which Hugo Chavez controls the media in Venezuela. ABCNEWS Senior Vice President Kerry Smith responded yesterday to Mr. McKay’s objection by saying, “ABCNEWS alone will select those who will be in the audience asking questions of the President. Like any programs we broadcast, ABC News will have complete editorial control. To suggest otherwise is quite unfair to both our journalists and our audience” according to Drudge Report.
VP Smith’s attempt to explain away the lack of ethical standards in programming falls short. In the past, and currently, many in Congress have pushed for programming to equate equal time to both liberal and conservative voices. Based on what has been reported by the Drudge Report and ABC’s programming website, I do not see where their programming on June 24, 2009 will be give equal time; rather yellow journalism is expanded.
We all agree that health care costs are skyrocketing and millions of people are without health care in the United States. I am open for reform, actually I have put an outline of change on the blog, but we cannot have reform dictated to us. The arrogance of President Obama and the Democrat party is pathetic. Why doesn’t ABC News take this opportunity to really get to the bottom of the President’s plan and any other plan that exist?
Rep. Paul Ryan from Wisconsin held a web discussion last week on health care and rolled out his plan for reform. Why doesn’t ABC News invite Rep. Ryan to the programming that day to present another plan and discuss the merits of both plans? Is it because ABC News doesn’t really have editorial control and it really resides with Linda Douglass who worked for ABC News form 1998-2006 and is now the Director of Communications at the White House Office of Health Reform. Coincidence that ABC News is turning a full day of news programming over to the White House; I think so.
My hope that during the infomercial on June 24 on ABC will bring to light the true nature of President Obama’s radical plan to nationalize health care and Americans will wake up to this realization. I will watch the programming of the day with an open mind. I understand many reading the blog will discount my last statement because of my stance on “single payer” or public option. I will be looking for ways the Government plan will create fail safes that prevent business from dropping health care from their benefit packages and how the public option will “mandate” doctors to accept the public option.
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