Interviewed on “CBS Sunday Morning,” ABC News’ former 77-year-old “Nightline” host Ted Koppel ripped popular 55-year-old Fox News Sean Hannity for adding to today’s partisan divide. “You have attracted people who are determined that ideology is more important than facts,” Koppel told Hannity. Koppel retired in 2005, held high ratings in an era before 24/7 cable news dominated programming in the United States. Before CNN and Fox New became dominant cable news networks, the liberal media, led by the major networks, including CBS, NBC and ABC dominated news content for nightly news viewers. If voters listened to the Big 3 during the 2016 campaign, former Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton would have won by a landslide. Koppel’s former network printed and broadcast some the most vicious anti-Trump propaganda on the airwaves.
When Koppel talks of ideology he ignores the media’s left wing ideology that dominates the major broadcast and print outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times. Liberal news networks like to blame conservative news outlets for distorting the news. When you consider CNN’s anti-Trump programming before-and-after Nov. 8, 2016, Koppel only likes to point fingers at Fox News. CNN’s egregiously biased anti-Trump programming prompted CEO Jeff Zucker to admit CNN had gone to far to the left. Koppel talks of Hannity playing fast-and-loose with the facts but the liberal press plays with the facts far more than conservatives. When Koppel talks of right wing ideology, he’s not talking about Hannity who spends most of his time explaining left wing propaganda and disinformation to his audience.
Hannity humbles himself distinguishing his work as commentary as opposed to real journalism. While Sean no doubt hazards opinions, it’s really no different than broadcast new outlets pretending to state only the facts. CBS, NBC and ABC routinely omit facts that disagree with their left wing agenda. Focusing recently only on Trump’s March 5 tweet that accused former President Barack Obama for literally wiretapping his phones at Trump Tower, the liberal media tells their audience that “Trump lied,” rather than helping viewers understand the real facts. No one in the mainstream press admits, as Comey testified March 20, that the FBI had been monitoring Trump and his campaign associates since last July. Whether or not the data collection was legal, the liberal press doesn’t admit that former Obama officials, including former Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch, knew about Trump’s surveillance.
Koppel thinks it’s right wing ideology to point out how liberal broadcast and print outlets routinely miss reporting key stories that don’t fit their liberal ideology and narrative. Fixating on Trump’s “literal” tweet misses the real story of how the former administration signed off monitoring Trump, hoping to help Hillary in the waning days of the 2016 election. “We have to give some credit to the American people that they are somewhat intelligent and that they know the difference between an opinion show and a news show,” Hannity told Koppel, discounting what he does to dispel common myths from the liberal press. Hannity showed great deference to Koppel, not reminding him how mainstream broadcast and print news report on stories to advance a liberal agenda. “I am cynical,” said Koppel, not trusting that viewers can tell the difference between news and commentary.
Hannity gives Koppel too much credit when his colleagues at ABC News spent the 2016 campaign reporting only negative news about Trump and positive news about Hillary. Showing his age, Koppel got personal responding to Hannity’s questions. “Do you think we’re bad for America/” asked Hannity. “You think I’m bad for Amreica?” “Yeah,” Koppel responded, no longer showing his trademark diplomacy, the hallmark of his distinguished career. Koppel shows no awareness for how biased ABC has become, no longer the once objective news network that hosted Koppel’s “Nightline.” Instead of criticizing Hannity, Koppel should look no further than ABC broadcast team like George Stephanopoulos, Martha Radditz and David Muir, all spending 2016 ripping Trump. Pretending Hannity adds to the nation’s partisan divide more than ABC journalists shows how Koppel’s over the hill.
Koppel kids himself pointing fingers at Hannity, ignoring the entire ABC broadcast crew that has nothing good to say about Trump. Calling himself an opinion pundit as opposed to a real journalist, Hannity forgets he spends most of his time correcting liberal media propaganda and disinformation. When you consider the liberal propaganda and disinformation parrots Hillary Campaign Chairman John D. Podesta’s campaign talking points that Trump colluded with Russian President Vladimir Putin to win the election, it’s no wonder the public no longer trusts the mainstream media. Koppel’s former employer refuses to report Jan. 19, 20 New York Times front-page stories documenting Trump’s surveillance during the Obama administration. Whatever Hannity says as a pundit, it pales in comparison to the twisted headlines, fake news and constant Trump-bashing in the liberal press.
