In the wake of the killing of Osama bin Laden, ABC has shown very
little interest in whether enhanced interrogation, such as
waterboarding, led to the terrorist's ultimate demise. NBC, however,
dealt with the subject in an in-depth manner and CBS at least mentioned
it.
While interviewing former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Good
Morning America's George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday never broached
waterboarding. In contrast, Matt Lauer on NBC's Today talked to Rice and
wondered, "These enhanced interrogation techniques. Some former
administration officials are now connecting the dots between those
techniques and the information that led to the killing of Osama bin
Laden. Do you feel the dots can be connected?"
On the same program, reporter Jim Miklaszewski asserted, "U.S.
officials tell NBC News that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
while in CIA custody provided key information regarding a courier close
to bin Laden, intelligence sometimes obtained through aggressive
interrogation techniques like water boarding."
ABC's
GMA ignored enhanced interrogation. Recounting the events
leading up to bin Laden's death, reporter Brian Ross blandly explained,
"So, the CIA began a masterful operation to focus on the courier who
picked up and delivered bin laden's video and audio messages to the
world."
On Monday's World News, Ross was only slightly less vague. He simply
noted, "U.S. officials say detainees held at Guantanamo helped lead them
to the courier."
On CBS's Early Show, reporter David Martin related information obtained
about the hunt for bin Laden: "Well, they got [a courier's] nickname
from their interrogation of the al Qaeda operatives, and some of these
were operatives, like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who were held in those
secret CIA prisons where they were subjected to waterboarding."
In total, NBC discussed waterboarding and enhanced interrogation in the
Miklaszewski segment, the Rice interview and in a piece immediately
prior to it. (Monday's Nightly News also featured a story on the
subject.) While the information on what impact these interrogation
methods had is still being debated, couldn't ABC have at least discussed
the issue?
A partial transcript of the NBC mentions on the May 3 Today can be found below:
MATT LAUER: Plus, the White House is getting a lot of credit for the operation, but did those controversial enhanced interrogation techniques such as waterboarding used by the Bush administration yield the key information that eventually led to bin Laden?
JIM MIKLASZEWSKI: U.S. officials tell NBC News that 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed while in CIA custody, provided key information regarding a courier close to bin Laden, intelligence sometimes obtained through aggressive interrogation techniques like water boarding. It took seven years but the CIA identified a courier and tracked him to the compound where bin laden was killed. Besides getting bin Laden, those Navy SEALs gathered up thousands of al secret al Qaeda documents on computers and hard drives that analysts are going to wade through that, trying to unlock the deep secrets of al Qaeda. Meredith?
...
MATT LAUER to CONDOLEEZZA RICE: These enhanced interrogation techniques. Some former administration officials are now connecting the dots between those techniques and the information that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Do you feel the dots can be connected?
- Scott Whitlock is the senior news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here [1] to follow him on Twitter.