> Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 15:30:13 -0800 (PST) > From: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: "The Left" on Crossfire (& Cohen II) > To: Recipients of fair-l <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > From: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: "The Left" on Crossfire (& Cohen II) > > > CNN is giving FAIR's Jeff Cohen three more days of on-air tryouts > on Crossfire soon -- Jan. 31 (Wed.), Feb. 1 (Thurs.), Feb. 2 > (Fri.). Tune in if you can, and let CNN know if Jeff is the kind of > person you'd like to see as a permanent co-host of the show. > > The following article, which will appear in the upcoming February > issue of FAIR's newsletter, EXTRA! Update, has more information on > the subject. Activists and groups have urged CNN to hire a bonafide > progressive to represent the left on Crossfire, perhaps someone > like Jim Hightower or Barbara Ehrenreich. Or folks like Jeff Cohen > and Christopher Hitchens, both of whom have received on-air tests > at Crossfire. > > To regularly receive EXTRA! and EXTRA! Update call 800-847-3993 > from 9 to 5 Eastern Time. For more information about FAIR, send a > blank e-mail message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or visit our web site: > http://www.fair.org/fair/ > > EXTRA! Update, February 1996: > "From the Left": More Than a Figure of Speech? > By Jim Naureckas > > For Crossfire, one of CNN's most-watched show, it's been the best > of times and the worst of times. > > The best of times: On December 14, Robert Novak introduces his co- > host by saying, "We have the rare treat of having a real leftist on > the left, Christopher Hitchens, the renowned columnist for The > Nation." Hitchens and Novak, along with the United Mine Workers' > Richard Trumka and Reagan administration budget director James > Miller, proceed to have a spirited discussion about whether the > minimum wage should be increased, in which the usually taboo issue > of class is front and center. > > The worst of times: On November 14, the representative of the > "left" on Crossfire is Time's Margaret Carlson, who mainly sits on > the sidelines as two Congressional representatives bickered about > the budget. Occasionally she interjects a question reflecting the > centrist conventional wisdom, like, "Will the bitter political > attacks from both sides today make reaching a compromise anytime > soon virtually impossible?" At the end of the show, she matches > Novak's "from the right...I'm Robert Novak" with "from > _Washington_, I'm Margaret Carlson." > > Carlson's sign-off pinpoints what's too often wrong with Crossfire: > Although it presents itself as a debate between both ends of the > political spectrum, usually it ends up as confrontation between an > aggressive advocate for conservative ideology and a more tentative > defender of Washington's status quo. True advocates for the left-- > people who actually push for progressive change and identify with > left-of-center activists--are almost invisible on TV. > > Since 1989, the "left" on Crossfire has been represented by Michael > Kinsley, who recently described himself as "a wishy-washy moderate" > (American Journalism Review, 1-2/96). With Kinsley leaving the show > to launch an online magazine for Bill Gates' Microsoft, Crossfire > has been auditioning replacements. The talent search has clearly > gone beyond the usual circle of moderates that typically passes for > the left on TV--in part because of FAIR's advocacy on this issue. > > Besides Hitchens, Crossfire has also tested other articulate > advocates for the left, including Joe Conason, a forceful liberal > columnist who edits the weekly New York Observer and FAIR's own > Jeff Cohen. > > George Carlin used to cite "guest host" as an example of an > oxymoron--like "jumbo shrimp" or "military intelligence." But these > guest hosts demonstrated that "left on Crossfire" didn't have to be > an oxymoron. > > Despite Crossfire's widening its spectrum of applicants, however, > the two apparent leading candidates to replace Kinsley (the two > receiving the most audition time) are still pundits whose > relationship to the left is tenuous at best and hostile at worst. > > One, Bob Beckel, is a campaign consultant and corporate lobbyist > whose firm has been accused of sending bogus "grassroots" telegrams > supporting its clients (Washington Post, 8/4/95). In 1993, he > praised President Clinton's pledge to downsize government for > forcing a "showdown" with liberal Democrats: "The unions will > grumble, the left will scream," he predicted gleefully (LA Time > 9/12/93). Beckel denounced Gulf War protesters as "punks." (FOX's > Off the Record, 1/26/91) (Beckel did declare that he was "proud to > be from the left" on a recent Crossfire appearance--1/1/96.) > > The other main contender, Juan Williams, sometimes seems more at > home criticizing the left than advocating for it. Williams > denounced Clarence Thomas' critics--"liberal politicians, unions, > civil rights groups and women's organizations"--as "so-called > champions of fairness." His column (10/8/91) concluded that > "liberals have become abusive monsters." (No wonder Republican Sen. > Orrin Hatch described him as "a great journalist" during the Thomas > confirmation hearings.) > > By the time you read this, CNN executives may have already chosen > a new Crossfire co-host. If CNN chooses someone who can > consistently defend working and poor people, criticize corporate > power, and promote movements for justice and equality, the network > deserves to be congratulated. If, on the other hand, the new "left" > co-host is someone who speaks for the political middle--let CNN > know that viewers deserve some truth in advertising. Contact CNN > president Tom Johnson, One CNN Center, Box 105366, Atlanta, GA > 30348-5366 (phone: 404-827-1311; fax: 404-827-4215; e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED]). > > > > > > <---- End Included Message ----> > >
