CNN President responds to McCain camp attack: "Campbell Brown did what journalists do"

[sabra]

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/campbell-brown.html

<snip>

This afternoon, anchorman Wolf Blitzer announced on air that McCain's planned interview with Larry King tonight had been canceled by the campaign. Blitzer said McCain aides complained that Brown had gone "over the line" in her grilling of Bounds.

McCain campaign spokeswoman Maria Comella later explained the cancellation with this sharply worded statement:

"After a relentless refusal by certain on-air reporters to come to terms with John McCain’s selection of Alaska’s sitting governor as our party’s nominee for vice president, we decided John McCain’s time would be better served elsewhere."

Meanwhile, ABC News announced that it would be broadcasting "the only interview" with McCain during the week's Republican National Convention. Charles Gibson will handle the questioning, and the network will dole it out -- parts will air Wednesday on "World News Tonight" and "Nightline" and Thursday on "Good Morning America."

UPDATE: Jon Klein, president of CNN, has issued a statement in support of Brown's interview. "Campbell Brown did what journalists do," Klein said Tuesday evening. "She asked fair and important questions in a respectful way and was simply trying to get a straight answer to a straightforward question."

[Mother Of Four]

1. Cue twilight zone music-

Whoa...CNN stating that instead of rolling over.

Awesome. K and R

[Arrowhead2k1]

7. dupe

[Mother Of Four]

9. LOL nm....

Saw it was a dupe...had me confuzzled there for a moment.


:crazy:

[madmom]

2. maybe this will help turn the msm (or at least some) back to what it's supposed to be!

[Egnever]

3. Oh my The mcsame camp actualy put their complaints in writing?

what a bunch of whiners. So they dont want to be asked any questions? Journalists are only supposed to sit there and let them spew their talking points?

If thats the case we might as well just turn all of the media off and subscribe to the campaigns mail list so we can get our "news"

what a joke the mcsame camp is. I find the whole hiding of their candidate hilarious.

[bushisanidiot]

13. Exactly right! Reporters are supposed to ask questions and try to get answers.

apparently republicans only want face time on t.v. so they can spew their talking points and stay on message, regardless of what question they are asked.

the republican party is corrupt right down to the core.

[Lugnut]

19. Very true.

The MSM has handled them with kid gloves for so long they don't expect reporters to actually ask questions and demand answers. What a bunch of crybabies.

[WeDidIt]

4. If John McCain cannot handle fair and important questions from journalists

how can he handle Putin?

[renie408]

10. yeah..if Campbell Brown backs him off, Imadinnerjacket will have him peeing in his Depends. n/t

[wvbygod]

20. Repub response....

Putin does not ask fair and important questions.

[spanone]

5. k&r

[grannie4peace]

6. cnn's president is an asshole

he should have had a backbone years ago

[Arrowhead2k1]

8. The kitchen. GET THE FUCK OUT OF IT! nt

[weezie1317]

11. Go Jon Klein! Campbell Brown really was just doing her job. This...

also goes to show yet again that McCain = Bush and Rove tactics.

[zbdent]

12. Tough guy, brave McCain chickened out

because someone actually asked a pointed question ...

[DFW]

14. Well, no wonder there was trouble

She "was simply trying to get a straight answer to a straightforward question"

From a REPUBLICAN? What the hell did she expect--to get it?

[The Stranger]

15. Charles Gibson is a cadaver -- you may as well watch paint dry.

Fuck you, ABC.

[burythehatchet]

16. The premise that Campbell Brown is a journalist is patently absurd.

[samsingh]

17. like i said, repugs are crybabies, sissies and wimps when challenged with facts

they just like sending other people's children to wars they start and get enriched by.

[NatBurner]

18. amazing. a 72 year old, whiny tittybaby

© bloo

Campbell Brown should have took his lunch money while she was at it

[TexasLady]

30. and Sarah, as we know, doesn't like a 'whiner'

:puke:

[Not_Giving_Up]

21. The McCain campaign has been complaining about the media

They haven't been getting enough attention...Obama's a celebrity. The media may not be inclined to be very nice to him now. What a concept.

The GOP seems to have forgotten that the job of the media is to ask the tough questions. Then again, most of the media has also forgotten that.

[LaurenG]

22. I have to agree that "we decided John McCain’s time would be better served elsewhere."

Like France maybe or Lieberman's house. :rofl:

[blondeatlast]

23. He would have been happy to answer Brown's question (guess the punchline...)

What a weenie.

[wvbygod]

24. Nice reply except Campbell Brown is not a journalist

Edward Murrow and Walter Cronkite would not be plussed to hear journalist and Campbell Brown
in the same paragraph. Other than that minor error, Klein was on the right track.

[Bobbie Jo]

25. You mean what they're supposed to do...like all the time. nt

[gal]

26. Her interview was really nice to see for a change.

I am so sick of MSM pandering and treating them with kid gloves, I was very happy to see it and immediately told others about it when it happened. It's about time! If McSame don't like it he is free to go elsewhere.

[RobertSeattle]

27. Journalism 101: "Got any facts to backup that assertion?"

How hard can that question be?

[WhiteTara]

28. in journalism school we were taught

to ask the same question dozens of different ways until you were given an answer. It can be quite disconcerting to have someone actually probe an issue, especially if you're a repulicon who is used to having Gannon/Guckert ask questions!

Go Campbell Brown!

[Bad Thoughts]

29. Funny how they keep replaying the Brown interview in lieu of McCain on Larry King

[Greyskye]

31. Here's an interview link that hasn't been pulled yet:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgiojYkeNmw

Most of them are showing up as 'no longer available' to me. Including the ones in the OP's link. :shrug:

[Gabi Hayes]

33. har de HAR! I just responded....

I'm wtfwt333, or something like that

[applegrove]

32. Good for CNN.

[gulliver]

34. Forgot to say, "I guess ABC is under the McCain campaign's control"

[lumpy]

35. McCain is gutless. Wimped out over an interview. Will not

stand up in the face of adversity.

[jazzjunkysue]

36. There goes the neighborhood. Now, thanks to Campbell, all journalists are going to start

asking the "question you're not supposed to ask."

We'll be in journalism! Everyone will know the politician's private and public lives!

If this goes unchecked, someone might ask Bush/Cheney about Jeff Gannon's white house sleep overs!

WE CAN"T LET THAT HAPPEN!!!