The MRC’s Brent Bozell uses an Oct. 15 Newsmax interview to push his so-called “Tell the Truth” campaign, but instead he ends up exposing what the campaign is really all about: bullying and lying.
Bozell engaged in a hysterical attack on ABC “This Week” host Christiane Amanpour: “Christiane Amanpour needs lithium badly. She is just out of control with her Christian bashing.”
On top of the outrageous personal attack, Bozell offers no evidence to back up his claim that Amanpour has done any “Christian bashing,” let alone that it is “out of control.”
Indeed, a examination of headlines on NewsBusters entries tagged with Amanpour as a topic since Amanpour became “This Week” host indicates no expressed concern over “Christian-bashing.” And the only thing close to “Christian-bashing” that the MRC can cite in its “Profile in Bias” of her is a segment of her 2007 special on religious extremists, of which the only thing the MRC finds worth noting as an example of “bias” is Amanpour’s description of the controlling behavior enforced on students of evangelist Ron Luce’s Honor Academy as akin to “totalitarian regimes.” The MRC doesn’t explain why that’s offensive or even inaccurate.
Bozell also demonstrates he has no idea how journalism works by complaining that Sarah Palin ” comes out with a book and there are no less than 12 researchers assigned by the AP to try to find any dirt they can.” Of course, as others have noted, if you’re writing something about a book that you want to post quickly, it only makes sense to divide things up among a number of people instead of having only one person do it.
Bozell then whines about Obama “nationalizing banks,” not mentioning that it first started happening under Bush.
Bozell concludes by engaging in the de rigeur defense of Fox News: “For years and years CNN called itself the most trusted name in news. Guess what? There’s a new winner in town. The new most trusted name in news since Obama started attacking them is Fox News. So this has royally backfired on this administration.”
The truth, however, is when it comes to actual news — not opinion — people really do trust CNN over Fox. Last week, when the first Chilean miners were brought to the surface, CNN’s ratings topped those of Fox News.
Such false and outrageous claims by Bozell can only undermine the $2 million the MRC is spending on its so-called “Tell the Truth” campaign (and its lame little protest).