Official Frontline Newswars Discussion Thread

[Olney Blue]

Starting now on PBS 9:00 PM

[Olney Blue]

1. Starts with the drum-banging for the Iraq war buildup

Feeding to NYT, then quoting them

[Olney Blue]

2. "Reporters want scoops"

[Olney Blue]

4. Judith Miller is claiming that her sources were wrong- if it was being

given to the President, she thought it must be true

Woodward said she had the "wrong" sources

[Olney Blue]

22. Today, 49 states have legislation to protect reporters privilege

There is no federal law.

[Subdivisions]

3. Another hour before it shows here in N. Texas. n/t

[Olney Blue]

5. Maybe a discussion thread isn't a good idea?

Wish you were watching now- it would be wonderful to do this with you!

[Olney Blue]

6. Condi's "mushroom cloud" clip

[jannyk]

8. 4 more hours for us in SF...

not on until 10pm PST.

[Olney Blue]

10. I highly-recommend this- a clinical dissection of how the media was played

[jannyk]

14. I've had it (and the next 2 episodes) programmed for a week!

[proud patriot]

25. 10 pm , I'll be watching

:hi:

[Olney Blue]

7. Knight-Ridder reporter Hoyt got the WMD story right...

but started getting pressure from government (they were one of the few who didn't get spun on the story)

[Olney Blue]

9. Summer of 2003, news media starts raising question of WMD

A new critic emerged- Wilson's oped piece about Niger

Joe Wilson interview- when he heard State of Union speech, he didn't think Bush could be talking about NIger


He talked confidentially to two reporters first. But went public in June because the administration was stonewalling.

CIA took the fall for the claim.

Days later, Novak's column came out.

[Berry Cool]

11. This is good stuff

Going to watch and enjoy.

[Olney Blue]

12. OK- yes, this is wonderful.

That clip of Bush blinking his eyes wildly when asked about the "leaks"

[Olney Blue]

13. The NYT editorialized for a Special Counsel

Ashcroft bowed out, Fitzgerald was appointed.

He decided he had to question the journalists.

[Olney Blue]

19. Frontline uses the Caldwell and Panthers story to illustrate how far

back "confidentiality" issues have gone

[Olney Blue]

15. Confidentiality used to be a tool- but now it is the source imposing this

on the journalist to deliberately leak information

[Berry Cool]

16. Floyd Abrams represented Judy Miller?

Dan Abrams' daddy? Mr. MSNBC??

Whoa, that's a bit close for comfort.

[Olney Blue]

18. I had not made that connection!

[KoKo]

23. Yep.,..Little Dan got his BIG MSNBC Management Job...not long

after Big Daddy Floyd got his job.....:eyes: Convenient isn't it...

[Olney Blue]

34. It's starting to sound like a bunch of aspens.

[Olney Blue]

17. Judith Miller: interesting that Scooter couldn't successfully use her to get

the story out

Fitzgerald used "waivers" as a technique to get the sources to release reporters from their confidentiality agreements.
This was a novel approach to get the reporters to talk.

[Olney Blue]

20. Watergate showed how important confidential sources were.

Oh, its nice to see Ben Bradlee again. The players of Watergate are being interviewed.

[KoKo]

21. Not showing here in NC even though their schedule has it listed...

but at least I can view snips from PBS website and read here. Thanks for the thread for those who have had "News Wars" scrubbed.

[Olney Blue]

24. Ashcroft NEVER approved a subpoena for a journalist.

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Was that a mind blowing revelation?

I am watching it on tape now and I rewound that part twice.

I am still :wtf:

[Olney Blue]

49. To me, it illustrated how much the government considered the journalists

as part of the team! I had not realized how Fitzgerald's subpoenas to journalists were so shocking.
Is that what you thought too?

[proud2BlibKansan]

52. Sorta - I was surprised that Ashcroft was so willing to

protect the reporters.

[javadu]

53. It Is Because He Never Aggressively Prosecuted the Case

Which is why a special / independent counsel was needed.

[Olney Blue]

26. The Supreme Court refused to say that Judith Miller and Matt Cooper had

privilege

[deminks]

27. There is no protection. The Judge in Chicago said there was no protection. He

re-read the decision. The lawyers that said there was were "blowing smoke".

[deminks]

29. Miller thinks she is so special. She is no hero. She has no principles .

[Olney Blue]

35. I wonder if a federal law will be passed....

[Olney Blue]

28. Matt Cooper was upset with Time's lawyers for turning over his notes

with Rove to Fitzgerald.

The Times lawyer said it was the hardest thing he has ever done.

[Olney Blue]

30. Judith Miller was not "well liked" by the press establishment, and yet

she did something that was admired by the press establishment.

There was alot of confusion over how to feel about her.

Led off in shackles to jail when she refused to testify.

[Olney Blue]

31. Oct 28, 2005 Fitz gives his press conference indicting Libby.

[Olney Blue]

32. Woodward realized that Judy Miller was not the first to know about Plame.

Armitage had told him first.

[Olney Blue]

33. What started as a campaign to spin the press in the run-up to war,

became so much more- the relationship between the government and press exposed.

End of Part 1.

[many a good man]

36. WORST Frontline ever

They completely failed in showing the REAL connection between the Plame Affair and America's disgust with the Press. They utterly failed to distinguish how this case was undeserving of first Amendment protections because it is a case of reporters disseminating propaganda and smears to attack a whistleblower. They completely ignored the issue of reporters valuing access to insiders over telling the truth to the people.

:puke:

I've never been so disappointed in Frontline's work.

[Olney Blue]

38. You have raised some excellent points, Torches.

[many a good man]

44. I wonder what was left on the editing room floor

It started off OK, reviewing the media's lock-step compliance with the Administration's selling of the war. It looked briefly at some in the media who questioned it, like Knight-Ridder. But then instead of following this story line they changed direction and wasted the rest of the show over this bullshit about reporters' first Amendment rights.

To top it off, they didn't even explain why Fitz and the Judge decided the reporters had to give up their sources. They downplayed the importance of outing a NOC and exposing her organization. They omitted almost all the revelations that have come out of the Libby trial.

[Olney Blue]

48. Why does it take so long for these things to become understood?

It seems like the Libby trial is only beginning to make a dent in the public's understanding of how the media was used as a propaganda machine.

[Junkdrawer]

41. An old friend called breathless to remind me it would be on...

I said I'd watch, but that I didn't expect much - this is not the same Frontline (or PBS) of the 80s or early 90s...

Unfortunately, I wasn't disappointed. :(

[KoKo]

42. I was afraid it would be a "Support the Press Under Threat" whitewash...

from the promo's. My local PBS scrubbed it and showed an old "Bringing Down Saddam" Frontline from last year.

Maybe I should be glad I didn't waste my time. Remember PBS and NPR's funding is up for Budget cuts from the Chimp.. Maybe they were anticipating this and veered Rightward. Or, whoever funded the Frontline is one of the RW funders of the Think Tanks who have been behind the Bushies. :shrug:

[Crunchy Frog]

43. I agree with you.

A huge disappointment. It just looked like the corporate media covering its own ass.

[librechik]

54. perhaps those loose ends will be taken up in part 2&3 coming next weeks

It does seem like a brief overview tonight

[jannyk]

55. Maybe they will connect all the dots in the

next two 'episodes'? At least that's what I'm hoping, as there's two and a half more hours of it to go.

[CatWoman]

37. that lying WITCH

Judy Miller.

what the fuck is she doing on this program????? :grr:

[Olney Blue]

39. They used her case to discuss the issue of confidential privilege for

reporters.

[Junkdrawer]

40. Playing the martyr...to the hilt..n/t

[CatWoman]

45. that lying scag should be in jail

:grr:

[Olney Blue]

51. She was.

:)

And I think it's time to review her visitor's list again.

[Emit]

47. Don't forget, you can watch the full program on line if you miss it

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/newswar/#

[Olney Blue]

50. Thanks, Emit!

:hi: