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2005-10-14 Fifth Column

Media: Bush Teleconference With Soldiers Staged

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Posted by CrazyFool 2005-10-14 01:21|| || Front Page|| [11124 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 So when a reporter uses a soldier to front a question to Rummey - that's not staged?

Posted by Angaimble Gravish2306 2005-10-14 08:20|| 2005-10-14 08:20|| Front Page Top

#2 When was a Clinton teleconference *not* staged?

Face it. This has been happening all the time.

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-10-14 09:04|| 2005-10-14 09:04|| Front Page Top

#3 The "staging" involved determining which person would answer certain topics based on their areas of expertise, advising them to take a breath before they started to speak, and determining the order in which they would go if more than one were to answer a question. The "staging" was nothing more than basic organization; no one was fed an answer.

This is *less* "staging" than the press goes through all the time, and it's a free-wheeling, open-ended discussion compared to the presidential debates the press salivates over every four years.

Compare this to the coordination between the press and Kerry's campaign last year -- Rather's fake memos were pumped THE NIGHT BEFORE Kerry's "fortunate son" theme was launched, and the NYT resurrected the "lost munitions" story a week before election day.

This is why I'm discouraged. The press has the bull horn; they're the ones who determine what's news and what's not. The press didn't like what the soldiers said, so they decided to invent a scandal instead. As AG said, they applaud when one of them feeds a (misleading!) question to a soldier to embarass Rumsfeld, but consider basic TV production performed by the White House to be a crime.

What possible chance do we have against people who have this much influence, and so little scruples against abusing it like this? We can still fact-check their asses, but they've changed the rules of the game by not even acting like they care about facts.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-10-14 09:16|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-10-14 09:16|| Front Page Top

#4 I think the Pentagon also wanted to make sure the soldiers put the best face forward while answering questions. Not so much to "stage" it but to make the soldiers look their best while aswering the questions. If they were trying to be sneaky about it they would not have allowed the media to film the Pentagon spokewoman coaching them.

Posted by Cyber Sarge">Cyber Sarge 2005-10-14 10:13|| 2005-10-14 10:13|| Front Page Top

#5 Hehehe.....

Talking about staging scenes.... (from LGF)

In the Bush/Iraq segment, Today screened footage indicating that prior to engaging in a video conversation with President Bush, soldiers on the ground in Iraq were given tips by a Department of Defense official.

But the only advice that the official was shown as giving was a suggestion to one solider to âtake a little breathâ before speaking to the president so he would actually be speaking to him. It was also stated that some of the soldiers practiced their comments so as to appear as articulate as possible. But there was no indication, or even allegation, that the soldiers were coached as to the substance of their comments or in any way instructed what to say. (Video available: Real Media or Windows Media Player)

Todayâs timing couldnât have been worse. A preceding segment focused on the incessant rains and ensuing flooding in the northeast. For days now, beautiful, blonde - and one senses highly ambitious - young reporter Michelle Kosinski has been on the scene for Today in New Jersey, working the story. In an apparent effort to draw attention to herself, in yesterdayâs segment she turned up in hip waders, standing thigh-deep in the flood waters.

Taking her act one step further, this morning she appeared on a suburban street . . . paddling a canoe. There was one small problem. Just as the segment came on the air, two men waded in front of Kosinki . . . and the water barely covered their shoe tops! Thatâs right, Kosinskiâs canoe was in no more than four to six inches of water!

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-10-14 12:13|| 2005-10-14 12:13|| Front Page Top

#6 CF,
The screencapture is precious. Up the Creek

Posted by ed 2005-10-14 12:31|| 2005-10-14 12:31|| Front Page Top

#7 As I recall, someone got caught doing the same thing in New Orleans.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-10-14 12:42|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-10-14 12:42|| Front Page Top

#8 Any, and I repeat, any interview on TV with the President of these United states should be scripted. Media is a front in this war, and we can't afford mistakes.

So, was it scripted, yes, big freakin deal. All media events that go out to billions with our president require some forethought and planning.

So yes, it was scripted but again who gives a shit? Moot point, move along.

EP

Posted by ElvisHasLeftTheBuilding 2005-10-14 13:01|| 2005-10-14 13:01|| Front Page Top

#9 I'm w/ ya Elvis!!!What kind B&^% SH^T IS THIS. It's always something w/ AP or MSM. What a BUNCH OF F^&KING IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!! Do they not think people see through THIS SH&*!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by ARMYGUY 2005-10-14 13:36|| 2005-10-14 13:36|| Front Page Top

#10 Instapundit points at this story:

One day as my husband and part of his battalion was out in a convoy he saw a CNN newscrew near a group of Somalis. The crew and the Somalis were blocking the road that my husband's convoy was attempting to go down so my husband checked into what was going on.

What he saw upset him so much that he called me that very day the first chance he got. He was livid.

He told me that blonde haired white people who were obviously working for CNN were making and handing out signs to the poor Somali people and having them pose for the camera with the signs which said stuff like, "Go home U.S. military."

The press is the enemy as much as the terrorists.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2005-10-14 14:16|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2005-10-14 14:16|| Front Page Top

#11 "Communists brutally murder Signore Fiat & his wife! "

- Witness to a Century: Encounters with the Noted, the Notorious, and the Three SOBs
George Seldes

It's been a while since I read the book, so I apologize if the quote is wrong.

Posted by Adriane 2005-10-14 16:39|| 2005-10-14 16:39|| Front Page Top

#12 "Communists brutally murder Signore Fiat & his wife! "

- Witness to a Century: Encounters with the Noted, the Notorious, and the Three SOBs
George Seldes

It's been a while since I read the book, so I apologize if the quote is wrong.

Posted by Adriane 2005-10-14 16:40|| 2005-10-14 16:40|| Front Page Top

#13 "Communists brutally murder Signore Fiat & his wife! "

- Witness to a Century: Encounters with the Noted, the Notorious, and the Three SOBs
George Seldes

It's been a while since I read the book, so I apologize if the quote is wrong.

Posted by Adriane 2005-10-14 16:51|| 2005-10-14 16:51|| Front Page Top

#14 "Communists brutally murder Signore Fiat & his wife! "

- Witness to a Century: Encounters with the Noted, the Notorious, and the Three SOBs
George Seldes

It's been a while since I read the book, so I apologize if the quote is wrong.

Posted by Adriane 2005-10-14 16:52|| 2005-10-14 16:52|| Front Page Top

#15 From Michelle Malkin:

SGT. Ron Long, an Army combat medic, was at the "staged" press conference in Iraq. He has blogged his response to the MSM Bush-bashing. (Hat tip: Reader John S.)

Here's an excerpt:

Yesterday, I (bottom right corner in the picture) was chosen to be among a small group of soldiers assigned to the 42ID's Task Force Liberty that would speak to President Bush, our Commander-in-Chief. The interview went well, but I would like to respond to what most of the mass-media has dubbed as, "A Staged Event."

First of all, we were told that we would be speaking with the President of the United States, our Commander-in-Chief, President Bush, so I believe that it would have been totally irresponsible for us NOT to prepare some ideas, facts or comments that we wanted to share with the President.

We were given an idea as to what topics he may discuss with us, but it's the President of the United States; He will choose which way his conversation with us may go.

We practiced passing the microphone around to one another, so we wouldn't choke someone on live TV. We had an idea as to who we thought should answer what types of questions, unless President Bush called on one of us specifically.

President Bush told us, during his closing, that the American people were behind us. I know that we are fighting here, not only to preserve our own freedoms, but to establish those same freedoms for the people of Iraq. It makes my stomach ache to think that we are helping to preserve free speech in the US, while the media uses that freedom to try to RIP DOWN the President and our morale, as US Soldiers. They seem to be enjoying the fact that they are tearing the country apart. Worthless!

Posted by CrazyFool 2005-10-14 17:20|| 2005-10-14 17:20|| Front Page Top

#16 All governments twist the truth for their own ends.

This is a non-story

Posted by Norm Coleman 2005-10-14 20:05|| 2005-10-14 20:05|| Front Page Top

#17 Good night, Norm.

Posted by Bobby 2005-10-14 20:39|| 2005-10-14 20:39|| Front Page Top

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