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Eric Boehlert of Media Matters Attacks Washington Post TV Critic Tom Shales

Posted on | August 2, 2010 | 14 Comments

 Christiane Amanpour made her much-ballyhooed debut as host of ABC’s “This Week” and Tom Shales — who can’t stand Amanpour — made this pointed remark:

[T]he commendable “In Memoriam” segment ended with a tribute not to American men and women who died in combat during the preceding week but rather, said Amanpour in her narration, in remembrance of “all of those who died in war” in that period. Did she mean suggest that our mourning extend to members of the Taliban?

Which provoked this screeching headline from Boehlert:

WashPost TV critic smears ABC’s Amanpour as possible Taliban sympathizer

Uh, no he didn’t “smear” her. Shales asked a simple question about Amanpour’s choice of words. The phrase “all of those who died in war” obviously could include our enemies. As for Amanpour’s sympathies, am I the only one who remembers her godawful “God’s Warriors” series?

UPDATE: Tim Graham at Newsbusters:

Sophisticates inside the networks think it’s unfair for Americans to hold Amanpour’s snooty British accent and international focus against her. But if she suggests that American war dead shouldn’t be seen by Americans as more dear to us, since that’s shallow nationalism, then why do they still call this the American Broadcasting Company?
Good point. And if ABC executives think Christiane is going to bring better ratings than Jake Tapper, they’re nuts.
Category: Media Bias

Comments

14 Responses to “Eric Boehlert of Media Matters Attacks Washington Post TV Critic Tom Shales”

  1. Diogenes
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 4:40 pm

    “…if ABC executives think Christiane is going to bring better ratings than Jake Tapper, they’re nuts.”

    I tho’t that last bit had already been established…

  2. Diogenes
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 12:40 pm

    “…if ABC executives think Christiane is going to bring better ratings than Jake Tapper, they’re nuts.”

    I tho’t that last bit had already been established…

  3. Jeff Weimer
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 5:58 pm

    That’s probably the biggest mistake ABC made – Tapper has serious credibility with both sides of the ideological divide.

  4. Jeff Weimer
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 1:58 pm

    That’s probably the biggest mistake ABC made – Tapper has serious credibility with both sides of the ideological divide.

  5. Mark J. Goluskin
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 6:32 pm

    This gal will be out in six months or less. Jake Tapper will return. What is really revealing is that this is a cat fight among lefties. Shales is as left as is Blowhard, er Boehlert. I am surprised that Shales would have even noticed Christiane’s comment. That is why I watch Fox News Sunday.

  6. Mark J. Goluskin
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 2:32 pm

    This gal will be out in six months or less. Jake Tapper will return. What is really revealing is that this is a cat fight among lefties. Shales is as left as is Blowhard, er Boehlert. I am surprised that Shales would have even noticed Christiane’s comment. That is why I watch Fox News Sunday.

  7. Ben (The Tiger)
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 7:28 pm

    Tapper was far and away the best choice — when Stephanopoulos said he was leaving, I assumed Tapper would walk into the job.

    Why? Because he’s fair. Not disinterested — he did staff work on the left. But like Tim Russert, he seemed to at least be trying to be an evenhanded tough questioner.

    Sometimes he’d slip. But not all that often.

  8. Ben (The Tiger)
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 3:28 pm

    Tapper was far and away the best choice — when Stephanopoulos said he was leaving, I assumed Tapper would walk into the job.

    Why? Because he’s fair. Not disinterested — he did staff work on the left. But like Tim Russert, he seemed to at least be trying to be an evenhanded tough questioner.

    Sometimes he’d slip. But not all that often.

  9. Estragon
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 8:01 pm

    Such delicious irony that the wrath of the left be loosed upon Shales, who is about as far left as any sufferer of Bush Derangement Syndrome.

    As for ABC, they should happen Amanpour hasn’t explicitly come out for the destruction of Israel on their show – yet.

  10. Estragon
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 4:01 pm

    Such delicious irony that the wrath of the left be loosed upon Shales, who is about as far left as any sufferer of Bush Derangement Syndrome.

    As for ABC, they should happen Amanpour hasn’t explicitly come out for the destruction of Israel on their show – yet.

  11. Estragon
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 8:02 pm

    “they should BE HAPPY” – and one thousand curses upon the lack of a “preview” OR “edit” function . . .

  12. Estragon
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 4:02 pm

    “they should BE HAPPY” – and one thousand curses upon the lack of a “preview” OR “edit” function . . .

  13. ShiddyButt
    August 3rd, 2010 @ 12:24 am

    “But if she suggests that American war dead shouldn’t be seen by Americans as more dear to us, since that’s shallow nationalism, then why do they still call this the American Broadcasting Company?”

    It might be, and I’m guessing here, because its a company broadcasting from America. Just saying.

  14. ShiddyButt
    August 2nd, 2010 @ 8:24 pm

    “But if she suggests that American war dead shouldn’t be seen by Americans as more dear to us, since that’s shallow nationalism, then why do they still call this the American Broadcasting Company?”

    It might be, and I’m guessing here, because its a company broadcasting from America. Just saying.