MediaWatch: February 1994
Table of Contents:
- MediaWatch: February 1994
- ABC Friday Segment Often Used As Vehicle for Unbalanced Praise
- NewsBites: What A Great Book
- Revolving Door: Bode Moves to PBS
- Schieffer Asks 26 Questions About Lying, But No Such Questions for Dems
- Media Suffer Memory Lapse
- Not My Fault
- ABC First to Hire Religion Reporter
- Janet Cooke Award: PBS Program on Campaign Finance Laws Boasts Nine Opponents, No Supporters
Schieffer Asks 26 Questions About Lying, But No Such Questions for Dems
Oliver North Faces the Nation
Oliver North brings out the anger in the national press. CBS Face the Nation host Bob Schieffer reflected the media's bloodlust in a hostile January 30 interview. In just 17 minutes, Schieffer asked the just-announced U.S. Senate candidate 26 questions about lying.
He badgered North: "How can I know when you are telling the truth? You said that I told the truth once I took the oath [before Congress]. Is a person allowed not to tell the truth when he's not under oath?....What's the criteria to know that Oliver North is telling the truth?....Only under oath or all the time?"
Schieffer switched topics, only to ask North 11 questions about one sentence in one of North's fundraising letters. After quoting the sentence, "An arrogant army of ultrafeminists opposed to traditional family values has captured the political process," Schieffer asked incredulously, "Do you believe that? I mean, should we take that literally?"
Schieffer then announced he was shifting the discussion to Russian aid, but asked: "Let's suppose the Congress says no. Do you think the President would then be justified to have someone on his staff try to assemble a team to figure out how to go around the Congress, because that's what you did as a member of President Reagan's staff."
This is the same Bob Schieffer who in the past year never asked a Clinton Administration official about the President's statements on the draft or womanizing, not even after David Brock's story appeared in December. He never raised either issue during a January 9 appearance by Al Gore.
Twice in 1993 Schieffer interviewed Rep. Dan Rosten-kowski, but you wouldn't know the charges against him in the House Post Office scandal because Schieffer steered clear of the specifics, tamely asking one question on February 7: "Mr. Chairman, I'd be remiss if I did not ask you... you've been investigated by a U.S. Attorney now for I don't know how many months. Can you tell us if you've been given any indication if that is about to conclude?" On Rostenkowski's May 16 appearance, Schieffer asked nothing about the probe.
Schieffer asked Commerce Secretary Ron Brown only three neutral questions on November 21 about Brown's false statements about not meeting with a Vietnamese businessman. He failed to find fault with any Democratic Party direct mail letters sent during Brown's tenure as Chairman.
Last year, Schieffer described the Clinton budget as "calling for massive cuts in government spending." In reality, the CBO reported that spending would increase by $328 billion in five years. So how do viewers know when Schieffer is telling the truth?
