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White House Objects to NBC News Interview with Bush
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ShareMay 19, 2008 6:03 PM
ABC News' Jennifer Duck Reports: White House Counselor Ed Gillespie sent a scathing letter to NBC News President Steve Capus criticizing the editing of Richard Engel's interview with President Bush in the Middle East amongst other comments made on NBC News.
Gillespie's letter was emailed as a "Setting the Record Straight" press release to a broad political email list and was posted on the White House website. But the release was unusual because it came from one of the president's top aides personally, was written in a furious tone and included a request to re-air the responses in full.
In the letter, Gillespie wrote, "This deceitful editing to further a media-manufactured storyline is utterly misleading and irresponsible and I hereby request in the interest of fairness and accuracy that the network air the President's responses to both initial questions in full on the two programs that used the excerpts."
NBC News released a statement in response saying, "Richard Engel's interview with President Bush has been available, unedited, in it's entirety, for the past day, on our website. Our reporting accurately reflects the interview. Just as the White House does not participate in the editorial process at the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal or USA Today, NBC News as part of a free press in a free society, makes its own editorial decisions."
The edited excerpts which aired on the Today Show and NBC Nightly News involve Engel questioning President Bush about his speech to Israel's parliament and whether President Bush was referring to Barack Obama when talking about appeasement and Iran.
At the end of the letter Gillespie said, "Mr. Capus, I'm sure you don't want people to conclude that there is really no distinction between the "news" as reported on NBC and the "opinion" as reported on MSNBC, despite the increasing blurring of those lines," and took the opportunity to bash MSNBC hosts Matthews and Keith Olbermann.
The president's counselor also asked if the network has "reconsidered its position that Iraq is in the midst of a civil war..." since according to Gillespie NBC "quietly stopped referring to conditions in Iraq as 'Civil War '" in 2007.
Gillespie also took time to address his complaints with NBC's reporting on the economy.
On the NBC "Nightly News" today, anchor Brian Williams addressed the issue and told viewers that Engel's interview is available in its entirety on the MSNBC Web site.
However, that wasn't good enough for Gillespie.
After the broadcast he issued another statement saying, "...it's simply absurd for people to have to log onto the Internet and stream video to get accurate information from NBC News."
May 19, 2008 in Thompson, Fred, Veepstakes, Vote 2008: Democrats | Permalink | User Comments (90)
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What is cry-baby-obama crying about today? New day, new sob story. I'm sick of it.
Posted by: Simon | May 19, 2008 9:14:05 PM
Bush ans his cronies are spoiled by FOX. They can not stand for anything but biased coverage in favor of them.
My advice to them: GO TO FOX who even finds your defecations to be yummy
Posted by: moeen | May 19, 2008 9:16:26 PM
um, ah, oh, um, ya know, well, um ... dah. (direct quote from Obama at non-scripted rally).
Posted by: wenh | May 19, 2008 9:19:43 PM
It's about time, someone ridiculed NBC.
The NBC reporters are jokes!!
Gillespie did a good job.
Posted by: Jkan | May 19, 2008 9:21:47 PM
Yes, you people should watch FOX. For real and truthful news you can count on. It isn't biased at all.
Posted by: mary | May 19, 2008 9:24:32 PM
No, Bush isn't spoiled by Fox, he'd just like his interview repeated in full. Not little snippets left out to change the whole meaning.
Whether you agree with Bush or not, you should want the same too. On any other given day it will be YOUR candidate who gets this done to them.
Posted by: Jo | May 19, 2008 9:30:48 PM
Richard Engel is a full fledged leftwing anti-war journalist. Why in the world Bush did an interview with him I don't know, but I respect Bush for going in the lion's den (more than you can say for most democrat candidates)....
The part Engel left out was where Bush admonished Engel for not getting the speech right - and I guess poor wussy baby Engel couldn't stand that so they edited it.
NBC is going down the tubes with Obama.
Posted by: Jo | May 19, 2008 9:32:37 PM
I'm really tired of the way the Bush administration tries to manipulate the media and the american people. I'm sure that because the elections are coming up the republican party is going to go full steam ahead against the media as the did in 2000 and 2004. Whenever the media reports something that makes the Bush administration look bad, the Bushies attack. Just as they do to other people that have spoken out against his administration. I am so glad that his term is coming to an end. And may we never have another president like him.
Posted by: Jay | May 19, 2008 9:36:15 PM
The way Bush has been treated by the liberal press has been despicable. They lie, distort and make things up.
Bush has been classy about it the whole time. He doesn't defend himself ENOUGH.
It's Obama who is the baby. He's had the best press coverage of anyone, and STILL he whines. What a loser.
Posted by: Jo | May 19, 2008 9:40:09 PM
Stan, Bush has destroyed our liberties?
Did you hear Obama's speech this weekend? He says we're not going to be able to drive our SUVS, eat as much as we want, and put our thermostats on 72 anymore.
How's that for taking away our liberties?
Nice try, you lose though.
Posted by: Jo | May 19, 2008 9:41:34 PM
NBC probably did edit it badly. I like watching full interviews like the one Bush did with Yahoo, editing things out does change contexts often times.
Posted by: guest | May 19, 2008 9:42:14 PM
Obama can debate with Bush anytime he wants. He graduated from Law school. A place where Bush couldn't even get in.
Posted by: Mike | May 19, 2008 9:42:56 PM
Has Obama completed his 57 state campaign tour yet?
*snort*
Posted by: Jo | May 19, 2008 9:48:48 PM
If there is any group intimately familiar with deception, without a doubt it is the Bush administration, and the GOP. This sinking ship disaster of an administration can’t end soon enough. the people are quite aware of the deception that has been imposed upon it for the last 7 years. You can fool some of the people some of the time... yada yada yada...
Posted by: AmericanVoter | May 19, 2008 9:55:39 PM
I guess the bigger question for Congress is WHY AREN'T BUSH, CHENEY & RUMMY in jail???
Posted by: Brad | May 19, 2008 9:57:46 PM
Mr. Bush has very little to complain about the press. Had the press been more critical and thorough in its job we would not be in Iraq today. We find ourselves in a hole because the media simply parroted the white house. What more does Mr. Bush want of the press?
Posted by: worldsam | May 19, 2008 10:00:52 PM
Okay, now they see what it's like to have only portions of their statements broadcasted. Reaping and sowing!
Posted by: RationalVoter | May 19, 2008 10:01:44 PM
The bush whitehouse is opposed to any news media reporting the truth. It's getting more difficult to whitewash the news all the time. They are just afraid the truth will really come out. Besides that everytime he opens his mouth he looks stupid. The news reported that most Americans just turn him off when he comes on tv now so I don't know what they are worried about anyway.
Posted by: con me not | May 19, 2008 10:15:08 PM
I have just about quit watching NBC, MSNBC. Since everyone got their shorts all in a bunch of Imus, yet allow Sharpton, Jackson dictate to them, now with the National Barrack Corporation and More of the SAme National Barrack Corporation continuing to place obama on a pedistle so we all can worship at the alter of Obama.
What a bunch of junk NBC has become. I watch only two shows on NBC. When Leno leaves that will be down to one. Wonder whay no one watchs NBC, they have nothing to watch.
Obama wants everyone to lay off his wife. Well she got where she is because of affirmitave action and now she is not proud to be an American. She benifited from the good Ivy League schools and she is complaining about America. Well had she lived in another country, she would not have been so lucky. So Suck it up, stop bashing GWB.
Posted by: platteman | May 19, 2008 10:18:21 PM
remember the story where a cia agent's name was exposed to the press!
now bush is being exposed as the fraud he is. wake up america we have had 8 years of lies, elect mccain for more of the same.
Posted by: marty | May 19, 2008 10:18:33 PM
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