If It Looks Like a Propaganda Broadcast ...

Today's Drudge Report screams the headline

ABC TURNS PROGRAMMING OVER TO OBAMA;
NEWS TO BE ANCHORED FROM INSIDE WHITE HOUSE

On the night of June 24, the media and government become one, when ABC turns its programming over to President Obama and White House officials to push government run health care -- a move that has ignited an ethical firestorm!

Highlights on the agenda:

ABC NEWS anchor Charlie Gibson will deliver WORLD NEWS from the Blue Room of the White House.

The network plans a prime-time special -- 'Prescription for America' -- originating from the East Room, exclude opposing voices on the debate.

As is expected, the Republicans are crying foul, and ABC News is proclaiming itself totally professional and innocent of any forthcoming collusion.

Ken McKay of the Republican National Committee, in part, said this:

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. ...

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 prime time 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 prime time event, or the DNC should pay for your airtime.

ABC News vice-president Kerry Smith responded that McKay was impugning ABC's professional integrity:

"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."

Perhaps, but I think McKay has the better point. ABC has already given the impression of lack of balance in its decision to present this program from the White House, and by refusing to include the Republican's response. Unless ABC is very, very aggressive in questioning the precepts of the Obama health care plan, it runs the risk of having this program look like state propaganda.

Since government-run health care is the very essence of "state-run" legislation, the last thing you want Americans to see is something that looks like propaganda Goebbels-style.

Or maybe ABC and the Obama people are past the point of caring what we think.


[NOTE: I fully expect the Drudge link to expire within 24 hours, as is common with that site.]