If you’d believe ABC News, they were forced to cancel their booking of Andrew Breitbart as part of their election night activities because he “exaggerated his role” with the network’s planned coverage.
For his part, Breitbart’s story has remained consistent throughout the episode and he has even produced e-mails to prove what the network originally invited him to do on air as part of the mid-term election coverage. ABC News, on the other hand, has been inconsistent and has offered conflicting statements from the moment Media Matters and other left-wing activist groups began to apply pressure on them over the booking.
But don’t take our word for it, take a look at what our pals at Media Matters has to say about the duplicitous nature of ABC News’s statements and actions as they capitulated to the demands of the intolerant left.
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“Breitbart’s role has always been…” (A timeline of ABC’s conflicting statements):
ABC has made conflicting statements about discredited blogger Andrew Breitbart’s role in its election night coverage and now says that it is “entirely possible” that it will include comments from Breitbart in its television broadcast. Here is a timeline of comments released by — or attributed to — ABC.
October 29
Breitbart’s Big Journalism: Breitbart will be “featured” on ABC’s “election night coverage.” In an October 29 post titled, “ABC Election Night Coverage to Feature Loesch, Breitbart,” Big Journalism stated:
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ABC: Breitbart “will be one of many voices on our air.” Asked about the Big Journalism post, ABC spokesman David Ford told Media Matters on October 29:
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ABC: Breitbart has “been on our air numerous times in the past” and “will be one of many voices contributing to the dialogue.” In a separate October 29 statement, Ford told Media Matters:
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October 30
ABC: It has “always been” the case that “Breitbart will not be a part of the ABC News broadcast coverage” and will instead engage in an “online-only” forum. From an October 30 statement attributed to Andrew Morse, Executive Producer, ABC News Digital:
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Stephanopoulos: “Breitbart NOT on ABC network broadcast.” In an October 30 tweet, George Stephanopoulos — who will be co-anchoring ABC’s election night broadcast coverage — wrote: “Breitbart NOT on ABC network broadcast.” Stephanopoulos’ tweet linked to ABC’s October 30 statement.
October 31
Breitbart: ABC “originally pitched to me that I was going to do a hybrid of both online and broadcast.” An October 31 Daily Caller article quoted Breitbart as saying that ABC “originally pitched to me that I was going to do a hybrid of both online and broadcast.” In an October 31 post on Big Journalism, Breitbart wrote:
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Breitbart releases what he says was ABC’s “invitation for me to participate in their online and network broadcast election night coverage.” In his October 31 Big Journalism post, Breitbart reprinted what he said was “the email from ABC confirming their invitation for me to participate in their online and network broadcast election night coverage.” The email reads, in part:
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November 1
ABC: Breitbart “had only ever been invited to be a guest on our online town hall.” In a November 1 story, The Washington Post’s Greg Sargent reported:
Read the full timeline at Media Matters.