ABC whacks Shales over attack on Amanpour

[bigtree]

Tuesday, Aug 3, 2010

ABC is hitting back at Washington Post TV critic Tom Shales for pushing "an utterly fabricated controversy" about "This Week" host Christiane Amanpour supposedly calling on viewers to honor slain Taliban fighters . . .

Jeffrey Schneider, senior vice president at ABC, told Salon that Shales' criticism (here) is "utterly fabricated."

"Christiane took the language from a prayer that she says in her Catholic church every weekend. It's a bidding prayer," Schneider said.

He accused Shales of "trying to create some kind of controversy out of something that is utterly well intentioned -- which is to honor both U.S. soldiers that have died in battle as well as civilians and ordinary people who die in war all the time. Seems like a fairly non-controversial thing to do."

Asked about the gendered language Shales used in his column -- referring to "Grand Duchess Amanpour" and calling the show "shrill" -- Schneider said: "There's been a lot written and said about what Tom said about Christiane. I don't think I need to add my voice to that. We scratch our heads at the way in which he has said some of these things. "


read: http://www.salon.com/entertainment/tv/abc_tv/?story=/politics/war_room/2010/08/03/abc_response_to_shales

[BrklynLiberal]

1. It is a sad commentary on the WP that Shales even has a column there.

That ugly little piglet needs to find a sty to go to.
Obviously Amanpour is everything that Shales will never be.

[DailyGrind51]

2. What sad behavior from anyone employed by the publisher who nailed Nixon.

[AspenRose]

3. "Globe-trotting fancy pants"

That comment pretty much sealed my opinion of him.