The Day Journalism Died

"So bye, bye Miss American Pie
drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee was dry
And them good old boys
were drinking whiskey and rye
singing this'll be the day that I die..."-Don Mclean, American Pie

Today is the day that ABC becomes the "Obama network", as they will be broadcasting the "news" directly from the White House. What's worse is that the network is not only unapologetic about it but defiant and proud.

They are proud to unabashedly shill for Obama's plan to socialize medicine in America, making this country into the Canadian system where cancer patients must wait months for treatment and where the top two drugs used here in chemotherapy are prohibited because of the cost.

The Republican National Committee wanted to buy air time on ABC for tonight's love-fest with the president in an effort to rebut the blatant sale of the presidents proposals, offering the American people the information to make a choice. The RNC was turned down flat, ABC refusing to sell them ad space. Considering that the economy is in such bad shape and the networks are experiencing declining audiences and revenues, refusing a paying customer seems a bit odd.

The new Media Fairness Caucus - a group of a dozen House Republican members, headed by Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas - sent a scathing letter to ABC News in which the group said, in part:

“The manner in which the news programming is being presented -- at the White House with the President and First Lady and without opposition -- is unprofessional and contrary to the journalistic code of ethics to present the news fairly and independently. This is not a Presidential news conference open to all news outlets. This is an exclusive arrangement from which the President and his viewpoint stand to gain. It’s as if ABC News is providing in-kind free advertising for President Obama.”

(As an aside, this should be more than enough evidence that the straw man argument from leftists who have compared this to the conservative resistance to the Fairness Doctrine is akin to comparing apples and oranges.)

ABC News president David Westin shot back:

“Sadly, some inside government and within the private sector see every issue as material for a sort of political high theatre, to be used to gain votes or energize political bases or simply to raise funds. I would have thought that a subject as important as the health care received by the American people would rise above this sorry spectacle. Our citizens need and deserve more. We are proud to be making a serious effort to go beyond mere punditry or stylized, bipolar debate; we are proud to work for a network and a company willing to devote valuable airtime to serious consideration of a subject so worthy.”

So, suddenly a major news organization is "proud to be making a serious effort to go beyond mere punditry" when they refused to show any form of patriotism shortly after 9/11 because they were shielding themselves with "journalistic integrity" and impartiality.

ABC has revealed itself to be anything but impartial and tonight will succumb to the courtship of the liberal Obamas. [Fade to black...journalism is dead.]

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