Even PBS ombudsman admits: Moyers was too soft on Wright

[nebulovsky]

PBS was criticized because Moyers kept delivering softballs to Wright, and the ombudsman recently agreed:

"I do feel that there were not enough questions asked and some that were asked came across as too reserved and too soft, considering the volatility of the charges. For example, after replaying at length a Wright sermon delivered the first Sunday after 9/11-- in which Wright invoked America's role in slavery, taking the country from the Indians, bombing Grenada, Panama, Libyan leader Gaddafi's house, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Iraq, plus state terrorism against Palestinians and black South Africans to conclude that the 9/11 attacks were 'America's chickens are coming home to roost' -- Moyers asked: 'When people saw the sound bites from it this year, they were upset because you seemed to be blaming America. Did you somehow fail to communicate?' As Howard Kurtz wrote in The Washington Post afterwards: ' Thought he was blaming America? Where did anyone get that idea?' It would be hard to formulate a more delicate way to put a question to Wright about that sermon without challenging any of its content.

Moyers did seek to draw Wright out about his 'God damn America' statement, and he called Wright to task, still rather gently, about Louis Farrakhan. But others of those inflammatory, and inaccurate, statements that Moyers himself laid out at the top of the program went largely unchallenged and those that did come up didn't really get addressed until well into the hour-long program. Some comments, such as the HIV accusation, didn't get addressed at all, nor were other questions asked about whether, for example, the U.S. should have invaded mainland Japan at the cost of countless lives, American and Japanese, rather than dropping two atomic weapons."

http://www.pbs.org/ombudsman/2008/05/post_13.html

[tekisui]

1. Whatever. Moyers respects his guests.

[Name removed]

2. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

3. Too much Pastorbating will make you go blind, nebulovsky.

Just sayin'. :shrug:

[JoFerret]

13. Of course Obama

is the actual pastorbater.
He is the one with the need for pastors.

Pastor baiting is a different sport.

[swishyfeet]

4. Since when did we start grilling the clergy?

Not like he's running for President or anything...

[AllentownJake]

5. Welcome to DU

You'll find Pastorbating here is not going to be a way to make friends.

[PurityOfEssence]

14. No, oaths of contrition and abject fealty seem to be the order of the day, don't they?

Ain't a whole lotta pluralism goin' round round here...

[AllentownJake]

25. Nope

Someone had the best line about posting unity threads on the eve of an election

It's like firing an employee and than inviting them to the company picnic. Tonights going to be a rough night here.

[Faygo Kid]

6. What, Moyers didn't take his marching orders from Sean Hannity?

Horrors! Why, we've barely heard anything negative in the media about Rev. Wright!

How could Bill Moyers miss this opportunity to pile on?

And for your 12th post, what else? Barack Obama has fathered African-American children?

[BuyingThyme]

7. Soft? As in he should be punished or something?

As in he has to answer to people he doesn't even know?

Fuck that.

[BuyingThyme]

8. Oh, pardon me.

Welcome to DU!

:hi:

[grantcart]

9. in so far that Wright is not a candidate this is in the wrong forum

[MADem]

28. I've noticed that six degrees of separation applies. It'd get locked

anywhere else I think....because the reason Wright was news was because of his association with a candidate.

[Leopolds Ghost]

33. Hagee anyone? Doug Coe? Oh, I forgot, that's not another "church conspiracy" heh...

Entire THREADS on Doug Coe (Hillary's equivalent to Wright) got
disappeared, apparently that's off the table on GDP, never MIND on MSM.

[MADem]

34. Are you saying someone made them go poof? Or did they just SINK?

Or were they posted in GD instead of GDP?

You need to take that shit up with the ADMINS.

[depakid]

10. Kind of like PBS and the "mainstream" media do with EVERY looney Republican?

:sarcasm:

[PurityOfEssence]

11. Professional courtesy: Moyers is an ordained minister himself

People of the cloth usually tend to get handled with great deference in the press, especially when it's by other members of the cloth from similar political persuasions...

Religion is the cosmic trump card.

[nebulovsky]

15. challenging a guest is not being uncourteous

two different things.

[scheming daemons]

12. One of the days you repuke trolls are going to realize that WRIGHT IS NOT ON THE BALLOT

[cornermouse]

19. If Obama is the nominee, the republicans will

resurrect him. Count on it and get used to hearing it. It ain't going away unless Hillary is the nominee.

[scheming daemons]

24. Wrong. By August.... Americans will roll their eyes at the mere mention of Wright......

...In a way, having this happen in April/May innoculates him for the GE.


Americans don't like tired, dead, old issues.

[cornermouse]

37. It is a tired, dead, old issue to you.

However, you aren't an independent voter and I would remind you that not all democrats would agree with you. Republican voters are going to eat it up like candy just like that email purporting to be from a missionary in Africa that was forwarded to me about Obama yesterday. And yes, I've already looked it up in snopes.

[nebulovsky]

26. Bill Clinton isn't on the ballot, and you won't get off his back n/t

[scheming daemons]

35. If Hillary is going to use her "experience" as first lady as an argument, then WJC *IS* effectively

on the ballot, Jackson.

[Hepburn]

16. Welcome back and welcome again to my IGNORE list.

Hope there is another granite pizza in your immediate future...:hi:

[writes3000]

21. Took the words right out of my mouth. n/t

[boppers]

17. PBS refuses to carry water, republicans complain. eom

[Kool Kitty]

18. Wright isn't on the ballot.

So-what's your point?

[Warren Stupidity]

20. Urgent need to pastorbate?

Scary black man got you down? There is nothing wright about your post.

[EffieBlack]

22. Yes - because Jeremaiah Wright has been getting a completely free ride in our media

I call him "Teflon Jer."

:sarcasm:

[BootinUp]

23. Please don't post links to pbs here, flame bait. lol. nt

[MADem]

27. Moyers is a United Church of Christ MINISTER. That was an "inside job"... see?

He's known Wright for DECADES.

That wasn't journalism, that was church propaganda.

[mcctatas]

29. Still whacking it for all it's worth eh?

pastorbaiting is so last week...:eyes:

[Leopolds Ghost]

30. WOW... PBS's ombudsman declares that STATE-OWNED TV should have criticized Wright re HIROSHIMA!

FOR OPPOSING THE BOMBING OF HIROSHIMA, and issues a contrarian opinion
that nuclear bombing of Hiroshima saved countless lives (because, y'know,
simply besieging the island was not an option, we demanded unconditional
surrender and we didn't want the SOVIETS to get the Kuril islands!!!

Oops, you mean PBS ombudsman doesn't think the Kuril islands are relevant
to a debate about whether Hiroshima was moral? Interesting how that whole
"set the table for what is and is not up for debate" thing works....

[Leopolds Ghost]

31. Is it the JOB of PBS ("Americas Media Outlet") to ciriticize private citizens for saying GD America?

MCCARTHYISM ANYONE???

WE ARE GOING FURTHER AND FURTHER ALONG THAT ROAD PEOPLE.

JOBS ARE ALREADY AT STAKE.

[grantcart]

32. love that pizza

[AllentownJake]

36. It's official the Granite Cookie has been delivered.

Here it is for all that wish to see

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=220083