ABC Taps Andrew Breitbart For Election Night Analysis

[thoughtone]

Liberal mainstream media my ass!


source: Huffington Post

Media Matters confirms that ABC News has recruited Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger whose out-of-context video footage of Shirley Sherrod got the Agriculture Department official , to provide commentary for the network's election-night newscast.

The news was first reported by Breitbart's own website, BigJournalism, whose editor Dana Loesch is on tap to provide live analysis in the ABC News studio on Election Night. Breitbart is slated appear live from a town hall meeting anchored by ABC's David Muir and Facebook consumer marketing head Randi Zuckerberg.

ABC News spokesman David Ford told Media Matters -- which, in the wake of Sherrod's firing, unveiled a video entitled "The End of Andrew Breitbart's Credibility", and which maintains detailed files on him -- that Breitbart will not have license to lie during the broadcast. "He will be one of many voices on our air, including Bill Adair of Politifact," Ford said. "If Andrew Breitbart says something that is incorrect, we have other voices to call him on it."

For his part, Breitbart seems to be enjoying the backlash that has quickly followed the news; writing on Twitter, he's taking on all comers. A typical Tweet: "You mean Left going to boycott ABC because I'm on election night panel? Proving my main point: Leftists are PC totalitarians. #juanwilliams"

Earlier, in response to Media Matters editor Eric Boehlert decrying his hiring by ABC, Breitbart challenged Boehlert and his "PC smear mill" to debate him. "If @mmfa is so convinced of my 'lies', I will publicly debate these cowards on each & every one," Breitbart wrote. "Anytime, anywhere."

 

[QueEx]

Seriously.

 

[thoughtone]

source: Huffington Post


**UPDATE 10/30/10*** Greg Sargent reports that ABC's newsroom us upset over the network's decision to tap Andrew Breitbart for election-night analysis:

It looks like lefty bloggers aren't the only ones irked by ABC News's decision to tap Andrew Breitbart for election-night analysis: People in ABC's newsroom were also caught completely off guard by the news, a newsroom source tells me.
"This blindsided a good portion of the team here," the source emails. "And not in a good way."
​

Andrew Morse, executive producer of ABC News digital, released a statement defending the move:

Since conservative commentator Andrew Breitbart announced on his website that he was going to be a participant in ABC's Town Hall meeting at Arizona State University, there has been considerable consternation and misinformation regarding my decision to ask him to participate in an election night Town Hall event on ABC News Digital. I want to explain what Mr. Breitbart's role has always been -- as one of our guests at our digital town hall event: Mr. Breitbart is not an ABC News analyst.
He is not an ABC News consultant.
He is not, in any way, affiliated with ABC News.
He is not being paid by ABC News.
He has not been asked to analyze the results of the election for ABC News.

Mr. Breitbart will not be a part of the ABC News broadcast coverage, anchored by Diane Sawyer and George Stephanopoulos. For the broadcast coverage, David Muir and Facebook's Randi Zuckerberg will contribute reaction and response gathered from the students and faculty of Arizona State University at an ABC News/Facebook town hall.

He has been invited as one of several guests, from a variety of different political persuasions, to engage with a live, studio audience that will be closely following the election results and participating in an online-only discussion and debate to be moderated by David Muir and Facebook's Randi Zuckerberg on ABCNews.com and Facebook. We will have other guests, as well as a live studio audience and a large audience on ABCNews.com and Facebook, who can question the guests' and the audience's opinions.
​

---
Media Matters confirms that ABC News has recruited Andrew Breitbart, the conservative blogger whose out-of-context video footage of Shirley Sherrod got the Agriculture Department official , to provide commentary for the network's election-night newscast.

The news was first reported by Breitbart's own website, BigJournalism, whose editor Dana Loesch is on tap to provide live analysis in the ABC News studio on Election Night. Breitbart is slated appear live from a town hall meeting anchored by ABC's David Muir and Facebook consumer marketing head Randi Zuckerberg.

BC News spokesman David Ford told Media Matters -- which, in the wake of Sherrod's firing, unveiled a video entitled "The End of Andrew Breitbart's Credibility", and which maintains detailed files on him -- that Breitbart will not have license to lie during the broadcast. "He will be one of many voices on our air, including Bill Adair of Politifact," Ford said. "If Andrew Breitbart says something that is incorrect, we have other voices to call him on it."
For his part, Breitbart seems to be enjoying the backlash that has quickly followed the news; writing on Twitter, he's taking on all comers. A typical Tweet: "You mean Left going to boycott ABC because I'm on election night panel? Proving my main point: Leftists are PC totalitarians. #juanwilliams"

Earlier, in response to Media Matters editor Eric Boehlert decrying his hiring by ABC, Breitbart challenged Boehlert and his "PC smear mill" to debate him. "If @mmfa is so convinced of my 'lies', I will publicly debate these cowards on each & every one," Breitbart wrote. "Anytime, anywhere."

 

[nittie]

CNN hired Eliot Spitzer, Oprah had Mark Fuhrman on for an hour even though he's a fuckup if not racist, FOX is a rest home for criminals, almost everyone on that network has been fired or forced out of a previous gig. It's consolidation of wealth, rehabing criminals, maintaining the status quo.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

CNN hired Eliot Spitzer, Oprah had Mark Fuhrman on for an hour even though he's a fuckup if not racist, FOX is a rest home for criminals, almost everyone on that network has been fired or forced out of a previous gig. It's consolidation of wealth, rehabing criminals, maintaining the status quo.

That's different. The problem with Breitbart isn't some misdeed in his public or private life but at least one abuse of the very medium ABC News is a part of. ABC gives him, whether they believe so or not, credibility and he hasn't earned it.
Damn Conservatives and Republicans stay failing up.

 

[nittie]

That's different. The problem with Breitbart isn't some misdeed in his public or private life but at least one abuse of the very medium ABC News is a part of. ABC gives him, whether they believe so or not, credibility and he hasn't earned it.
Damn Conservatives and Republicans stay failing up.

It's not different Spitzer, Fuhrman, Rove, Beck, Gingrich, Palin and several other people on the news channels don't have any credibility. They are being rehabbed and force fed to the public.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

It's not different Spitzer, Fuhrman, Rove, Beck, Gingrich, Palin and several other people on the news channels don't have any credibility. They are being rehabbed and force fed to the public.

It's very different and I explained why it is. Before his prostitution scandal, Spitzer wasn't just popular but considered especially skilled and knowledgeable about Wall Street and many of the practices which led to the Financial Meltdown of a couple years ago. Since then, he's been working to redeem his reputation with various appearances on MSNBC and CNN.
You're about 3-5 yrs late on Fuhrman. He rehabbed his public persona long before the Oprah appearance with the Skakel case.
Breitbart was exposed as a partisan, unreliable hack this year involving the thing ABC has hired him to do: political commentary.

 

[nittie]

It's very different and I explained why it is. Before his prostitution scandal, Spitzer wasn't just popular but considered especially skilled and knowledgeable about Wall Street and many of the practices which led to the Financial Meltdown of a couple years ago. Since then, he's been working to redeem his reputation with various appearances on MSNBC and CNN.
You're about 3-5 yrs late on Fuhrman. He rehabbed his public persona long before the Oprah appearance with the Skakel case.
Breitbart was exposed as a partisan, unreliable hack this year involving the thing ABC has hired him to do: political commentary.

They have all been discredited. Breitbart appearance isn't about credibility it's about finding the next Glen Beck or Sarah Palin. He could be the next big thing and thats why he got the job.

 

[Upgrade Dave]

They have all been discredited. Breitbart appearance isn't about credibility it's about finding the next Glen Beck or Sarah Palin. He could be the next big thing and thats why he got the job.

Not really. I don't like Palin but she's hardly been discredited. In fact the media keep talking to her like she's a legitimate political figure. They ignore her many losses but hype up her few victories.
I can't see that being a reason for ABC to use Breitbart since they don't have a cable news outlet like NBC and Fox. I'm thinking they call it being "impartial" and evenhanded.

 

[thoughtone]

^^^^^^