ABC World News Nightly


Interviews, angles, and the cutting room floor.

ABC News interviewed me, at length, for ABC World News Nightly, after the Dean speech in Manchester, NH, this morning. A good half-hour's worth of tape. And was pushing me, in no unclear fashion, to say that Dean was "too passionate" or "too emotional" or "out of control."

When I gave them good soundbites about Dean versus standard sock-puppet politicians (my term), they looked interested, but kept on the "passionate" or even "angry" angle. Funny thing, I still don't see how people (other than through a weird lens) interpret Dean as "angry" other than angry at what's been happening in Washington under Bush. As well we all should be.

Despite the fact that the ABC cameraman sent along was a friend of an old friend in D.C. (I suffer from small world syndrome), I found tonight that ABC cut the entire interview.

Why? Because I wouldn't give them the angle they wanted. Because I report what's said, not what they wanted Dean to say.

I have little value for reporters, and networks, who stress their own angle and fail to report the news. I've been a journalist. I see very little journalism going on on the networks these days (with some exceptions, of course).

(P.S. I'm the big red sweater, sitting at a computer terminal [due to the cameraman from CNN shouting "down!" to me when I stood from respect] shaking Dean's hand in the tape they did run.)

Posted: Wed - January 21, 2004 at 10:07 PM        

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