Source: ABC's newsroom upset with decision to tap Andrew Breitbart

[jefferson_dem]

Source: ABC's newsroom upset with decision to tap Andrew Breitbart

It looks like lefty bloggers aren't the only ones irked by ABC News's decision to tap Andrew Breitbart for election-night analysis: People in ABC's newsroom were also caught completely off guard by the news, a newsroom source tells me.

"This blindsided a good portion of the team here," the source emails. "And not in a good way."

ABC News has confirmed Breitbart's announcement that he will be bringing analysis live from Arizona on election eve, along with Dana Loesch, the editor of Breitbart's Web site Big Journalism.

The news kicked off a round of criticism from liberal bloggers who pointed out that Breitbart is an unabashed right-wing activist with a known history of trafficking in distortions and falsehoods, most recently the heavily edited and subsequently debunked video supposedly showing racially-charged comments by Shirley Sherrod

ABC's David Ford has now justified the decision this way:

"He will be one of many voices on our air, including Bill Adair of Politifact. If Andrew Breitbart says something that is incorrect, we have other voices to call him on it."

The problem with this, of course, is that it suggests that ABC thinks it's very possible Breitbart may try to mislead viewers -- but that this won't be a problem because someone else will be there to correct him. You can see why the network's professional journalists might be unhappy about this.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/10/source_abcs_newsroom_upset_wit.html

[BlueIdaho]

1. Contemptible Bullshit

So now its ok to lie on ABC and we'll just hope someone else catches it?

This is not news - this is propaganda.

[myrna minx]

2. K&R This is a horrible standard. n/t

[ruggerson]

3. Why do they let Matt Drudge's flunkie pose as a journalist?

Might as well just have Drudge sit their in his idiotic fedora and give us the news.

[Blasphemer]

4. It is completely absurd for a so-called news organization...

to hire someone who they expect to spread misinformation that would need to be corrected. Networks news is no longer even putting up a pretense of engaging in actual journalism. It's sheer entertainment.

[jillan]

5. So he is going to be reporting on Arizona??? So if they say Brewer won, I won't believe it.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. It's outrageous

The guy is rewarded for being a purveyor of lies and hatred.

It's beyond despicable.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

7. Well-constructed and reasonable messages to ABC might give them reconsider. nt

[monmouth]

8. My old boss used to ask me to send "terse" memos to various people,

left it up to me. Just so you know, ABC was sent a "terse" memo from me....LOL.

[budkin]

9. But he'll be the voice of the new majority and fits the narrative

[DFLforever]

11. That's what I was thinking.

An inside voice on the rabid new right.

[otohara]

10. Liberals Won't Be Watching ABC

I gotta feeling