by Brent Baker
ABC News “has barred its journalists from wearing lapel flags such as the one sported by White House correspondent Terry Moran,” the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz also disclosed in his September 24 “Media Notes” column.
Kurtz reported: “'Especially in a time of national crisis, the most patriotic thing journalists can do is to remain as objective as possible,' says spokesman Jeffrey Schneider. 'That does not mean journalists are not patriots. All of us are at a time like this. But we cannot signal how we feel about a cause, even a justified and just cause, through some sort of outward symbol.'”
NBC hasn't been so ashamed, however. Over the weekend NBC altered its “bug,” the network logo in the bottom right corner of the screen, to display the peacock's feathers above “NBC” in a red, white and blue flag-like motif. The bug appears on all NBC shows, including NBC News programs.
And while ABC News may be shying away from displaying any signs of patriotism, ABC Sports is not. During the September 24 Monday Night Football ABC Sports added flag-patterned bars extending from the right of the circular ABC bug to the corner of the screen.
(This update courtesy of the Media Research Center.)
