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Home Front: Culture Wars
ABC President: Ross report hurts coverage
2012-07-25
[Politico] ABC News president Ben Sherwood told staff today that last Friday's incorrect report by Brian Ross detracts from the network's otherwise excellent coverage of the Colarado theater shooting, network sources tell POLITICO.

Sherwood's remarks, made on the network's daily editorial conference call, came the morning after Ross's report was picked up by late night comedians John Stewart and Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central, both of whom used Ross's erroneous suggestion of a Tea Party link to the Colorado theater shooting as fodder for their Monday night routines.

On Monday's conference call, ABC News SVP James Goldston also commended the staff for its work, noted the incorrect report, and said that the network was taking steps to ensure it did not happen again, sources told POLITICO yesterday.

A spokesperson with ABC News said the network does not comment on editorial conference calls.

In addition to Ross's report, ABC News now faces a conflicting claim from the mother of Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes. Arlene Holmes issued a statement yesterday alleging that ABC's Matthew Mosk mischaracterized her when he reported that she had identified her son as the alleged shooter. On Monday evening, ABC released a new article with details about Mosk's call to the mother and announced that it was standing by its initial report.
Posted by:Fred

#10  if you were woken up at 5:30AM, would you want to (or be awake enough) have that be evidence #1 for national scorn? I think she said, basically, "yeah, I'm his Mom, what's up?" ABC played it for explosiveness and impact
Posted by: Frank G   2012-07-25 22:26  

#9  They ran the tape of her exact words in reponded to that different question.

Yet another case of cooking the transcript to support a fake narrative. Can we start calling this the Zimmerman Syndrome? Once upon a time, it would be unethical behavior. Today, they call it Journalism.
Posted by: SteveS   2012-07-25 18:33  

#8  That report had two 'gaffes'. Remember when the Batman killer's mother said, "You have the right person"? She wasn't talking about her son, as it turns out, but answering the phone by agreeing that she was Thus'n'such, mother of James Holmes. They ran the tape of her exact words in reponded to that different question.
Posted by: trailing wife   2012-07-25 15:49  

#7  Ross has a track record of reporting-gaffes. ABC keeps him around because he's also done some stellar work.

That said, it's time for ABC's Ben Sherwood to seriously review Mr Ross' employment.

With this (deliberate?) foul-up and the now Arlene Holmes's issue, I see a few lawsuits in ABC's future.
Posted by: Pappy   2012-07-25 14:56  

#6  And Charles Whitman was one of the original Tea Partiers too
Posted by: texhooey   2012-07-25 12:33  

#5  Incorrect report hell. It was intentional.
Posted by: JohnQC   2012-07-25 11:48  

#4  So is Ross and Stef still employed by ABC News?

Then your statement is B-S.
Posted by: CrazyFool   2012-07-25 08:10  

#3  Other than that Mrs. Lincoln how did you enjoy the excellent play?
Posted by: AlanC   2012-07-25 07:34  

#2  Wasn't Lee Harvey Oswald one of the founding members of the Tea Party?

He and Hubert Humphrey, right?
Posted by: Bobby   2012-07-25 06:28  

#1  Well, the report did its job. I talked to someone yesterday who thought the shooter was Tea Party.

Can't argue about methods when they produce the correct results.
Posted by: gromky   2012-07-25 04:01  

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