Wolf Blitzer

Overview

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Links

Reference

• Wikipedia

Articles

• 2007-06-12 To Catch a Wolf: How to Stop Conservative Frames in Their Tracks by Christina Smith: how Wolf Blitzer tends to frame his questions in conservative terms, presenting responders with a sort of false dilemma which many of them don't spot
• 2006-10-27 Lynne Cheney Blasts CNN: ‘Why Are You Running Terrorist Propaganda?’: news item about the "sitdown, slapdown" video below.

Video

• 2006-10-23 Lynn Cheney in CNN sitdown, slapdown: Do you want America to win?: Second Lady Lynne Cheney attacks Blitzer for showing what she claims is "terrorist propaganda", and frames her own false dilemma ("Do you want us to win?"). She seems shocked that anyone loyal to the United States would show or propagate anything other than positive news about the war. She also claims Bush inherited a recession from his predecessor, and gives Bushco credit for the fact that "we haven't been attacked since [9/11]" – as if five attack-free years was an indication of positive government functionality. Apparently Cheney's POV on this is widely supported on the "political right":
  • 2006-10-29 Lynne Cheney Blasts CNN: ‘Why Are You Running Terrorist Propaganda?’: "CNN decides it is news that an American soldier was killed...because that has never happened in battle before...they decide to show it because they so hate the war in Iraq they can't even think straight, or they don't want to... This video was filmed a[s] a terror recruiting tape...and CNN showed it..." Is he being literal about it being a recruiting tape? It almost sounds like he means it metaphorically ("it might has well have been filmed as a terror recruiting tape"), and in any case he gives no specifics to clarify the claim. Some reasonable debate ensues.
  • 2006-10-28 CNN: Where Propaganda IS the News: Well, if the enemy is blasting out propaganda, wouldn't we citizens want to know about it?
  • 2006-10-27 Wolf Blitzer, Meet Lynn Cheney: this at least includes the obvious rebuttal in support of Blitzer. The blog owner replies in a fairly reasonable way and makes the specific claim that the tape in question was not reportage but produced by terrorists with the explicit intention of demoralizing American troops. Some questions, then:
    • What were the contents of the tape, and how were they demoralizing? (According to rightfromtheright, it shows a soldier getting killed – as if this was so shocking and unusual that CNN shouldn't show it for fear that the US military will all flee in terror that they might get hurt? Or what?)
    • How was CNN reporting it? "This is a tape now being distributed by [Al Qaeda or whoever]"? "here is some on-the-scene eyewitness footage we recently obtained"? In other words, was the presentation honest and accurate, or was it misleading in some way?
    • Why don't any of the blog comments address either of those issues, which would seem to be crucial points to resolve when discussing whether CNN's airing of the tape was reasonable?
    • Is there a copy of the tape anywhere (e.g. YouTube or Google Video)?
    • If I were to watch the tape, would I be demoralized by it (assuming I am a loyal American)?
    • If I were to show it to a friend in the military (or give them the link to it online), would I be demoralizing them?
    • Why are Cheney and her supporters assuming that US troops are so delicate and/or stupid that they can't see through propaganda, if that's what it really is?
    • (Just to use a little right-wing-style trolling in reverse) Why does Cheney hate freedom so much that she wants to start censoring the news before the Taliban even gets here?

  And finally, a little support from the progressive side:

  • 2006-10-28 Wolf Blitzer gets "Great American" points, stands up to Lynn Cheney by James Crabtree: I wouldn't go so far as to say Blitzer gets "great American" points, but his defense does at least help offset (and perhaps explain) the right-wing political framing of which he has been accused.