NBC Sees Scandal in 'Abusive' Interrogations; MSNBC: 'More Lies'

 Courtesy of Media Research Center

NBC Sees Scandal in 'Abusive' Interrogations; MSNBC: 'More Lies'

Presuming Bush administration dissembling and illegality, NBC anchor Brian Williams considered it "big" news Thursday night that the administration "secretly authorized abusive interrogation techniques for terrorism suspects, including torture, despite denial from everyone from President Bush on down. And the policy remains even though the Supreme Court ruled against it." Picking up on the front page New York Times disclosure of the classified documents, which neither ABC nor CBS considered newsworthy, NBC ran a slanted story that, other than one short soundbite from White House Press Secretary Dana Perino about how "they were safe, necessary and lawful, these techniques, and have helped save American lives," aired only condemnatory comments as Andrea Mitchell assumed the methods are torture. She reminded viewers that "after a political firestorm, devastating pictures from Abu Ghraib and a Supreme Court ruling," last year the President promised the U.S. "does not torture" and yet the Justice Dept. under Alberto Gonzales issued memos "authorizing much harsher techniques, including head-slapping, waterboarding, frigid temperatures..." With "More Lies?" displayed on screen under a photo of Bush, MSNBC's Live with Dan Abrams began by re-playing Mitchell's report.

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