(This update courtesy of the Media Research Center.)
by Brent Baker
Tuesday's NBC Nightly News featured a story from Ron Allen in Baghdad about Iraqi public opinion toward the U.S. and President Bush, as if people in an oppressive dictatorial society have the option of disagreeing with the official line or have enough accurate information to form their own independent opinion.
In an especially egregious portion of his September 17 story, Allen relayed: “Many Iraqis believe America's true motive is to remove Saddam Hussein from power, install a puppet government and seize Iraq's vast oil wealth. On the streets, many see Hussein's offer to allow the inspectors back as a wise, brave decision showing strength.”
As a man on the street spoke, Allen translated his words: “'This will stop America's intent to hurt the Iraqi people and our country,' he says.”
Jennings Lacks Discernment in Constitution Day Reporting
If you're Peter Jennings, what better way to celebrate the 215th birthday of the Constitution than by highlighting how some history professors complained that the failure of Congress to vote
on whether to declare war on Iraq “has left the President solely in control of war powers to the detriment of democracy and in clear violation of the Constitution.” NBC's Katie Couric raised the same issue on Today with Second Lady Lynne Cheney.
To focus on the disgruntled professors, Jennings ignored a White House ceremony with President Bush and David McCullough to announce an effort to improve knowledge of the Constitution.
On Tuesday's World News Tonight, immediately after stories on Iraq, Jennings announced over video of a few people near an outdoor microphone: “Today — and there is a connection — it is 215 years ago that the Constitution was signed. And on Capitol Hill today historians delivered a petition to Congress saying Congress must vote on whether or not to declare war against Iraq, not just authorize military action. The petition, signed by more than 1,200 historians, says by not acting Congress has left the President solely in control of war powers to the detriment of democracy and in clear violation of the Constitution.”
Congress didn't vote to go to war with North Korea or Vietnam, or in any other case since World War II, so the present situation is hardly novel.
As for who these 1,200 historians are, we have no idea since we couldn't find a word about their petitions or Capitol Hill press event. We checked AP and Reuters via Yahoo and even did a search on Nexis. Came up with zilch.
