We Report. You Die. Pt III

Crappaquiddick continues.

Hugh Hewitt reflects on his remarkable radio interview with ABC News White House Correspondent Terry Moran:

Terry Moran joined me for a three-part, on-air interview yesterday, the transcript of which is posted here. Moran's view of the world is interesting: including Moran's candor on the subject of hatred for Bush among a few "big fish" White House correspondents, the voting pattern of White House correspondents, the state of John Kerry's political future, the newsworthiness of Kerry's pledge--broken again--to release his SF 180, and the hostility of the media to the military in general and Newsweek's sins in particular.

But more than anything else, listeners and emailers reacted negatively to the arrogance that seeped from almost every answer Moran gave and to the press corps's hostility to the president and to the idea that the president's spokesman could legitimately call upon--not order, but urge--Newsweek to do more to reverse the damage done by their story. Here's one small bit of Moran's view of the world:

I don't think the media should be immune from criticism. I think the elected leader of the United States has his or her hands full,

and plenty of things for the elected leader of the United States to do. I think media criticism is a great thing. I think what you do is a great thing. I do not think it's a great thing for the president's spokesperson to begin instructing the media how to go about its business.

The White House press corps often calls on the president to comment on--and criticize--everything under the sun, from Enron to the Saudis to the Israelis to you name it. But Moran's demand for immunity from White House cajoling, and the undeniable air of superiority Moran and most White House press types project is damning evidence that the elite media have gone from purveyors of news to Guardians of Truth.

Moran really thinks that the press ought not to be criticized by the president or his spokesmen. In making his demand for a special status above that of every American, Moran at least gave honest voice to the elite media's view of itself: above every citizen, above every elected official, above, well, everything.

How far ABC News has fallen since Brit Hume took off for FNC.

Myrna Blyth notes an unfortunate coincidence in Newsweek's story on George Washington's troops this week:

Odd, isn’t it, for Newsweek through this excerpt to look back at our soldiers in America’s past with respect and gratitude, while at the same time being so willing to believe “gotcha” stories that put our soldiers today in the worst possible light.

To be fair, Myrna, I'm sure the Iraq War heroes will get their due respect in Newsweek---sometime around 2235, I expect.

Our good friends at Ankle Biting Pundits illustrate that hostility to America's soldiers is not confined to Spiky Isikoff and the Newsweek crowd:

Appearing in St. Louis on Friday, Newspaper Guild President Linda Foley complained:

"What outrages me as a representative of journalists is that there’s not more outrage about the number, and the brutality, and the cavalier nature of the U.S. military toward the killing of journalists in Iraq.”

In case anyone missed the point, Foley restated her allegation:

"They target and kill journalists…uh, from other countries, particularly Arab countries like Al -, like Arab news services like Al-Jazeera, for example. They actually target them and blow up their studios with impunity…”

Foley's remarks, which were aired Wednesday night on Sinclair Broadcasting's "The Point," drew outrage from the program's host, Mark Hyman.

"These completely irresponsible remarks speak for themselves," Hyman told his viewers. "Foley should immediately deliver evidence that supports her horrible allegations or she should immediately resign as Newspaper Guild president."

The Sinclair host added: "Unfortunately, the damage may have already been done. Her remarks could lead to further bloodshed, including against Americans."

Ahh, those great patriots in the MSM strike yet again. And they wonder why they're so despised that they must watch "All the President's Men" all by their gin-soaked lonesome selves.

Michelle Malkin has more.

Longtime MoltenThinker Pat (of the legendary Kerry Haters and Brainster's blogs) has spot-on analysis as usual:

Well, according to some sources, even as Newsweek was officially disavowing the story, they were telling people around Washington that the story was good. And the lefty bloggers and the rest of the media have spent much of the week recirculating old stories about Korans in the crapper. So you can see why the administration might want Newsweek to be a little more emphatic in its renunciation of the story. But the press is taking this as an "us against them" situation.

Funny how those "competitive pressures" faux "media critics" like Howie Kurtz are always blaming for these scandals don't prevent these cutthroat rivals from banding together against the public they occasionally claim to serve. So much for "corporate media bias." No company I've ever worked for has willingly colluded with its rivals, no matter what. But perhaps those media companies are just so red-meat eating that they'll cover each other's backs in an embarassing scandal as part of a Byzantine plot to seize market share once the heat's off. They're much smarter than we are, you know.

The Hedgehog notes something a bit odd about MSM tolerance of Muslim "sensitivity" in this area.

La Shawn Barber links to a story about a Boston radio station which hasn't forgotten its patriotic roots---it's taken "Newsweek on Air" off its airwaves.

There will be more of this---I think America's finally fed up with the prissy little Bolsheviks who think our enemies in the War on Terror hold seats in the Bush Administration.