SPEAKNOWCONSERVATIVES.ORG: ABC Infomercial Or TownHall Meeting?

ABC Infomercial Or TownHall Meeting?

Will ABC's Broadcast Be True To The American People or To President Obama?

What so many people are calling a glorified infomercial for President Barack Obama to push his healthcare plan will take place Wednesday. That is the day, ABC will turn over the network to the White House to present to the American people Obama's health care plan. Along with a town hall style meeting, ABC will also have segments on Good Morning America, Nightline and their webcasts.

At issue is, will this allow for a fair and balanced debate of the issue? Will there be representation from both sides of the issue?

The Republican National Committee asked to be a part of the program and they were refused. Things have become very heated.

The RNC fired off this letter to ABC...........

Dear Mr. Westin:

As the national debate on health care reform intensifies, I am deeply concerned and disappointed with ABC's astonishing decision to exclude opposing voices on this critical issue on June 24, 2009. Next Wednesday, ABC News will air a primetime health care reform "town hall" at the White House with President Barack Obama. In addition, according to an ABC News report, GOOD MORNING AMERICA, WORLD NEWS, NIGHTLINE and ABC's web news "will all feature special programming on the president's health care agenda." This does not include the promotion, over the next 9 days, the president's health care agenda will receive on ABC News programming.

Today, the Republican National Committee requested an opportunity to add our Party's views to those of the President's to ensure that all sides of the health care reform debate are presented. Our request was rejected. I believe that the President should have the ability to speak directly to the America people. However, I find it outrageous that ABC would prohibit our Party's opposing thoughts and ideas from this national debate, which affects millions of ABC viewers.

In the absence of opposition, I am concerned this event will become a glorified infomercial to promote the Democrat agenda. If that is the case, this primetime infomercial should be paid for out of the DNC coffers. President Obama does not hold a monopoly on health care reform ideas or on free airtime. The President has stated time and time again that he wants a bipartisan debate. Therefore, the Republican Party should be included in this primetime event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime.

Respectfully,
Ken McKay
Republican National Committee
Chief of Staff

The response from ABC News...

June 16, 2009

Mr. Ken McKay
Chief of Staff
Republican National Committee
310 First Street SE
Washington, D.C. 20003

Dear Mr. McKay:

I am in receipt of your letter of June 15, 2009 and wanted to respond to a number of false premises you raise regarding our ongoing and upcoming coverage of health care.

I hope we can all agree that a robust debate of health care issues and potential policies is in order.

To that end, ABC News announced plans to broadcast a primetime hour from the White House devoted to exploring and probing the President's position and the giving voice to questions and criticisms of that position. We hope that any American concerned about health care will find our efforts to be informative, fair and civil.

Second, ABC News prides itself on covering all sides of important issues and asking direct questions of all newsmakers -- of all political persuasions -- even when others have taken a more partisan approach and even in the face of criticism from extremes on both ends of the political spectrum. ABC News is looking for the most thoughtful and diverse voices on this issue. ABC News alone will select those who will be in the audience asking questions of the president. Like any programs we broadcast, ABC News will have complete editorial control. To suggest otherwise is quite unfair to both our journalists and our audience.

Third, there already has been extensive coverage of the upcoming health care debates, on ABC and elsewhere, and there will be much, much more. Indeed, we've already had many critics of the President's health care proposals on the air – and that's before a real plan has even been put before the country.

In the end, no one watching, listening to, or reading ABC News will lack for an understanding of all sides of these important questions.

Thank you for your interest.

Kerry Smith
SVP, ABC News

ABC News in their response failed to address the concern about no Republican representation at this event. They only promised to cover both sides of the issue. Doesn't sound very bipartisan but only time will tell....

If this preview Monday morning with Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts is any indication, ABC news idea of tough questions covering all sides and the average persons is going to be miles apart. According to a Business and Media Institute article its “Questions for the President: Prescription for America Health Care” special on June 24 will be like: unbalanced interviews and softball questions for the administration. ABC has promised that the heavily promoted special will feature “tough questions,” But GMA’s interviews with members of Obama’s health care team didn’t and they weren’t what anyone could ever call a grilling.

According to the article, “Good Morning America” was even biased in the time given to their guests. During the segment, Host Diane Sawyer spent more than five minutes interviewing Secretary of Human and Health Care Services Kathleen Sebelius, top Domestic Policy Advisor Melody Barnes, and the White House Health Czar Nancy-Ann Deparle. While, co-host Robin Roberts gave about three minutes to Rep. Eric Cantor, the sole Republican and skeptic of universal health care.

Sawyer then began discussing unnecessary testing done by doctors. “What percentage of American medicine, do you think, is doctors doing unnecessary test because they’re caught in some cycle of unnecessary testing?” and “Is one headline of this then is to say to Americans you will be healthier with fewer tests. Trust us. Is that what you’re saying?” But since it isn’t part of the administration’s script, she never mentioned fear of frivolous and expensive medical malpractice lawsuits are an important reason doctors order so much testing.

Cantor didn’t receive quite the same treatment. Roberts asked what the Republican alternative plan was and then bluntly asked, “Can you tell us how you plan to pay for it?”

Roberts also quoted a New York Times and CBS poll that found fifty-seven percent of those polled felt Democrats could improve health care, compared to seventeen percent who felt that Republicans could. She asked, “But the Democratic plan would make it illegal for insurance companies to cancel these policies … are you ready to say that the Republican plan will do that as well?”

The Business and Media Institute put together a list of questions from a panel of experts. These experts included Grace-Marie Turner, President of the Galen Institute. The Galen Institute is a non-profit research group devoted exclusively to health policy which supports individual freedom, consumer choice and competition.

Robert E. Moffit, Director of The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Health Policy. The Heritage Foundation is a public policy research institute that supports free enterprise, limited government and individual freedom among other things.

Peter Fotos, Director of Consumers for Health Care Choices at Heartland Institute. Heartland is a non-profit that seeks to develop and promote free-market solutions to many social and economic problems including health care.

The questions are unbiased, pointed and to the point. Whether any make it to the podium at Wednesdays program are yet to be seen. For a list of these questions you can visit http://www.businessandmedia.org/articles/2009/20090617154942.aspx

America, we will certainly be watching the coverage and checking to see if ABC is true to their word. Canned audience questions and prepared answers are not going to cut it. They have promised to cover all sides, if they don't they will be held accountable. ABC should know that America is going to be watching, the bar has never been higher for them to make sure they come across as fair and be balanced in their reporting.

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