CNN Report On Rice's Meeting With Syrian Official Omits Mention Of Criticism Of Pelosi
May 3, 2007 -- 6:35 PM EST // //
I'm really not sure what to make of this. But it seems absolutely abysmal. Is it really possible that CNN -- the network which went mad for days flacking the bogus Pelosi-to-Syria story -- is airing a segment on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's meeting with her Syrian counterpart that doesn't mention the administration's attacks on Pelosi for meeting with Syria's President?
Here's a CNN segment on Rice's meeting:
Did you hear a mention of the White House's attacks on Pelosi? Me neither.
Here's why this is strikingly derelict. CNN spent literally days on end pushing the White House line on Pelosi's Syria trip, at one point even asking, absurdly, whether this meant Pelosi was "on her way to becoming the most controversial speaker yet." Given that performance, if any news org should be expected to point out the White House's Pelosi-Rice "shift," to employ a preferred journalistic euphemism, it would be CNN.
Meanwhile, the White House's glaring "shift" was noted in the reports on this by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Associated Press, and even... Fox News. But not CNN's segment. I haven't been monitoring CNN every second of today so I can't hands down promise that the network hasn't mentioned it, but given its role in promoting the Pelosi-to-Syria story, it should be prominently featuring the flip in all its reporting on the current Rice meeting.
On the other hand, given CNN's performance on the original tale, perhaps it's something the network prefers to forget.
Update: In fairness, CNN just aired a segment where a reporter posed a question about this to Rice herself. But again, given CNN's complicity in pushing the original tale, CNN should be all over this glaring flip-flop. What's more, CNN's Lou Dobbs was actually on the air tonight wondering whether relations are now improving with Syria. Pretty suspect timing.
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