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ABC News Badly Mischaracterizes Obama's Alleged "Testy Exchange" With Reporter

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babylonsister Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 10:57 AM
Original message
ABC News Badly Mischaracterizes Obama's Alleged "Testy Exchange" With Reporter

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2008/01/abc_news_badly.php

ABC News Badly Mischaracterizes Obama's Alleged "Testy Exchange" With Reporter
January 23, 2008 -- 10:28 AM EST // //


Okay, this is really a bad one. Late yesterday, ABC News posted a story called: "Is Bill Clinton getting in Obama's head?"

The piece reported that Obama had had a "testy exchange" with New York Times reporter Jeff Zeleny on a South Carolina ropeline, after Obama had been asked whether Bill Clinton was getting "in his head." The whole tone of the story implied that Obama had had a very confrontational moment with Zeleny. Here's the key ABC reporting, with the language implying confrontation in bold:

"I am trying to make sure that his statements by him are answered. Don't you think that's important?" Obama shot back, while walking away.

When Zeleny yelled a follow up question suggesting the Illinois senator had not answered the question, Obama fired back angrily, "Don't try cheap stunts like that."

Obama then walked away and shook hands with the mass of voters that surrounded him.

A few minutes later, Obama came back and confronted Zeleny again.

"I will answer your question though off the record, would you like to talk off the record?" Obama asked. Zeleny refused to go off the record and then motioned toward the gaggle of TV cameras gathered around him.


If the ABC piece initially linked to any video of the moment, I didn't see it -- I'm pretty certain it didn't. Subsequently ABC and Fox News posted video. If you watch it, you can't escape the conclusion that ABC badly mischaracterized what actually happened:

Video at link~

The only remotely defensible characterization here is possibly ABC's claim that Obama "shot back" with his first answer, and even this seems tenuous.

More broadly, it's clear that the tone of the exchange wasn't anywhere near as acrimonious as ABC claimed it was. When Obama said, "don't try cheap stunts like that," he was smiling -- he certainly didn't "fire back angrily."

more...

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/horsesmouth/2008/01/abc_news_badly.php
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Blarch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 10:58 AM
Response to Original message
1. The swift boating continues.
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hedgehog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:00 AM
Response to Original message
2. Wow - the video tape shows an entirely different scene from the intitial report. nt
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BeyondGeography Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:00 AM
Response to Original message
3. Good for TPM
and not surprising.
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The_Casual_Observer Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:02 AM
Response to Original message
4. Obama spends half of his time battling "Mischaracterizes". The other
half of his time he's spouting off the shit that's being "Mischaracterized". Poor guy is soooo misunderstood.
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Beacool Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:08 AM
Response to Reply #4
10. Yep, thought so too!
How come in his view everybody is now "mischaracterizing" him??? Is it maybe because they're finally over the initial glow of his candidacy and are now starting to pay attention to his actual words and very thin record?


:shrug:
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maddiejoan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:02 AM
Response to Original message
5. looked testy to me
:shrug:
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Blarch Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:03 AM
Response to Reply #5
6. Cause you have your eyes closed.
Try and open them for once, the truth will set you free.
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maddiejoan Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:08 AM
Response to Reply #6
9. They are open very wide
He looked testy.
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Adelante Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:04 AM
Response to Original message
7. TPM is doing the honorable thing
By the way, I'm hardly blameless here. Yesterday I did a post over at Election Central on this ABC story that carried the headline, "Obama Gets In Verbal Tussle With Reporter." The post characterized the exchange as a "row." We featured the story on TPM's front page before we'd seen the video. But our descriptions -- which were based on ABC's reporting of the episode -- also mischaracterized what happened.
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peoli Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:07 AM
Response to Original message
8. god damnit!
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Diane R Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 11:31 AM
Response to Original message
11. I'm tired of these Clinton campaign lies....and the lies of their corporate friends.
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DURHAM D Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 12:02 PM
Response to Reply #11
12. I didn't realize Hillary owns ABC... Yeez
Get a grip.
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rinsd Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 12:06 PM
Response to Original message
13. Most Obamatons had no problem with the media mischaracterizing Bill in the last few days.
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babylonsister Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Wed Jan-23-08 12:10 PM
Response to Reply #13
14. LOL! No mischaracterization going on-tell that to Kennedy and Clyburn. nt
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