Networks Look the Other Way on Fast and Furious Whistleblower
CNN aired an exclusive interview with a Fast and Furious whistleblower on Monday morning, but NBC, CBS, and ABC all ignored the story that day and failed to interview the whistleblower, ATF agent John Dodson. The government is blocking publication of Dodson's new book, his insider account of the failed gun sting Operation Fast and Furious.
In addition, CNN dropped its own interview after it aired during the 8 a.m. ET hour of New Day.
The network aired no clips of the interview for the rest of Monday into
Tuesday morning after it brought Dodson on to "set the record straight"
on Fast and Furious.
In the interview, Dodson ripped into Operation Fast and Furious and insisted that "there's a lot in the book that hasn't been publicly reported on yet."
"It was the design of the operation, the methodology and the strategy that was employed that was in error from the beginning. And that's a lot of what I think people don't understand," he explained.
NBC and ABC have a miserable track record of reporting on Fast and Furious. They have ignored bombshell stories, barely mentioned a "bistering" Justice Department report on the operation, and have gone for long stretches without even touching the controversy.
[UPDATE: 10/10/13 3:38 p.m. EDT] The MRC was originally unable to access the complete transcript of CNN's Early Start and ABC's Good Morning America for Tuesday due to a recording issue. Now the complete transcripts of those shows are available, it is certain that neither of those shows reported Fast and Furious and John Dodson's interview.
— Matt Hadro is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matt Hadro on Twitter.
