Move over Peter Arnett, here comes Ashleigh Banfield on the fast track to Arab satellite TV:
- NBC News correspondent Ashleigh Banfield has ripped television news networks, including her own, for their "glorious" coverage of the Iraqi war and a lack of focus on international news overall.
In a speech Thursday at Kansas State University, she also attacked NBC News for hiring right-wing radio talk-show host Michael Savage to do a show on MSNBC. Savage recently called Banfield a "slut" after her reports portraying the radical Arab point of view.
....NBC News said, "Ms. Banfield does not speak for NBC News. We are deeply disappointed and troubled by her remarks, and will review her comments with her. In the meantime, we want to emphasize how proud we are of the journalism produced by NBC News and of the men and women who worked around the clock, even risking their lives, to bring this story to the American public."
...."It was a glorious and wonderful picture that had a lot of people watching and a lot of advertisers excited about cable news," she said at the college's annual Landon Lecture in Manhattan. "But it wasn't journalism because I'm not so sure we in America are hesitant to do this again, to fight another war ... because it looked like a glorious and courageous and so successfully terrific endeavor."
...."You did not see where those bullets landed. You didn't see what happened when the mortars landed. A puff of smoke is not what a mortar looks like when it explodes, believe me," Banfield said.
She ripped NBC for putting Savage on the air saying, "He was so taken aback by my daring to speak to martyrs ... for being prepared to sacrifice themselves, he chose to label me a slut on the air, and that's not all, as a porn star and an accessory to the murder of Jewish children. These are the ramifications for simply bringing the message in the Arab world." [Hollywood Reporter]
Did the slut really use the word "martyr"? Another Arabist of the airwaves like Arnett - let me guess: bin Laden is "misunderstood," you don't have to be anti-Semitic to be anti-Zionist, and the "Jewish agenda" really does control the media, right? She will doubtless be fired and consider herself a "martyr."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Brian Flemming
She offers analysis, you and Savage offer name-calling.
I wonder why it is that pro-warriors instantly fly into an unthinking rage whenever anyone suggests that the U.S. war on Iraq might be something other than it was presented to be by Fox News.
2 - Eric Olsen
Sometimes even an idiot like Savage is correct.
3 - dude
Dan Savage is the most useless kind of radio personality -- DJ who spew up crap because he is too stupid to spin records. What a fuckin' lameo.
4 - Pron
Accusing women with opinions different from yours of being "sluts" will surely win others over to your side. And for interviewing suicide bombers she is "anti-semitic?" Get real. Good job putting words in her mouth as well.
The only evidence that is provided fin your hate-filled invective is a fine portrait of your misogynistic character.
Congratulations.
5 - Rodney Welch
Eric, What gives with censoring me?
Your friend John put the F word in the title of one of his pieces. I direct it at you and I get erased.
Your comments regarding Ashleigh Banfield remain unfair and pig-headed.
6 - Eric Olsen
Here were the choices: my first reaction was to call you a fucking asshole for talking to me like that without the slightest provocation, the second was to find you and kick your ass down the fucking street, the third was to just dump it. I chose the third. Don't pull that shit agian.
7 - Eric Olsen
And to follow up: I would never talk to you or anyone else like that unprovoked, what John wrote was a direct quote from the person in question, which was the entire basis of an ongoing story that touches upon many of the most important aspects of what we wrote about here - it was in no way an insult directed at anyone in particular.
Do you just walk up to people you disagree with and ask them if they have lost their fucking minds? If so you must get punched a lot.
And regarding the original issue: no, I don't think what she said had any merit whatsoever. Coverage of EVERYTHING is always sensationalized - have you been living in a fucking cave? Was it accurate, did they strive to represent the fundamental truth of the situation, did they feel free to criticize the administration, tactics, planning, judgment whenever they felt like it? Yes, they did. This woman is a Palestinian/islamist apologist and is a fucking idiot.
8 - Eric Olsen
This section is getting out of hand: 1) use of the word "slut" was a mild joke as i was quoting Savage, who I later called an "idiot." I don't know if she is a slut or not and it has no bearing on the subject matter. I do think her a total fool, ingrate, and a toady an offensive, discredited point of view. Is it warranted to call her anti-Semitic? I am not certain, but the views expressed here and elsewhere indicate she clearly sympathizes with Palestinian terrorists against Israel - she calls them "martyrs," they are immoral, death-cultist baby murdering terrorists - and in doing so she cannot pretend to be neutral or just telling a story. By calling terrorists "martyrs" she has bought into their twisted, anti-human, cowardly worldview and is no longer a journalist.
9 - Eric Olsen
I have put the word "slut" in the title in quotes to emphasize that it is a quote.
10 - Rodney Welch
Let me see if I have this correct, Eric.
I ask if, given the hostile post regarding Ashleigh Banfield, you are out of your fucking mind, which you most certainly seemed to be: you wrote an ugly post and you got precisely the kind of response you deserved.
You respond by first, deleting the post and then calling me a fucking asshole, threaten to kick my ass down the fucking street, and warn me not to pull that shit again. After this little blast of venom, you preach that you would “never talk to you or anyone else like that unprovoked” -- which is comforting, if nothing else -- and, having deleted my post, flex your muscle by reiterating your points more rabidly than before. Lest I miss your point, which I think is that one person should not suggest another is out of their fucking mind, you note that Ashleigh Banfield is a fucking idiot. How interesting, then, that you -- who started out with an incendiary post and increased it threefold after my few words -- would decide “this section is getting out of hand” -- although, of course, not on your part, because in Olsenland, where it is not permissible to ask if you are out of your fucking mind unless you are Eric Olsen, it is entirely defensible to call a journalist with an opposing view an slut and anti-Semitic, even if, as you say, you aren’t sure she is either.
I understand. You’re all for strong opinions so long as you speak them. You just don’t like hearing them.
11 - Eric Olsen
Let us address this one more time: I wrote a post about a public figure. As far as I know she is not related to you. The "slut" part is irrelevant and was clearly a quote from someone else. I believe she is anti-Semitic, and will belive so until shown reason not to think it.
You, out of nowhere, address me directly, in public by askeing if I am out of my fucking mind. I would not repsond to a post of yours, or anyone else's that was not addressed directly to me in an equally insulting manner.
To my amazement you still seem to think that was perfectly appropriate. I read it, got extremely irritated, weighed my options, chose the least public and offensive. You asked why, at which point I chose to use the tone and language that offended me in the first place. Again, unless you have some personal stake in this woman, this had nothing to do with you in the first place.
People disagree with me, all day, every day, I don't delete anything, I almost never get angry, but I also don't recall anyone ever asking me if I had lost my fucking mind in response to a post they had no personal stake in.
Hence my reaction. I am slow to anger, but when I do, I have a very bad temper. You have now seen it. I will apologize for overreacting to your insult, but surely and without a doubt, your original comment was completely uncalled for and out of line.
I think it is also absurd that you would accuse me of stifling disagreement - there are at least as many writers and commenters who disagree with me as agree with me on any given position, and they are not afraid to say so, nor do I discourage them from disagreeing with me in any way.
I do not object to your opinion, just your insulting presentation.
12 - Rodney Welch
Eric,
I take back nothing. As far as I can see, you still insist you have a right to post ugly and incendiary opinions without anyone responding in kind. It is obviously NOT absurd to accuse you of stifling disagreement, since by deleting my post that is precisely what you did.
And no, I don't have a "personal stake" in the matter of Ashleigh Banfield. I responded entirely as a human being who is sick and tired of seeing opposition to this war greeted with the kind of foaming-at-the-mouth cretinism displayed in phrases like "slut" -- which you used in the eighth paragraph without quote marks -- and "anti-Semitic bitch."
13 - Eric Olsen
I am no longer pissed, just bored. I would guess out of the 250 writers here, about half were at least nominally against the war. Many have written about it in great length, detail, and with admirable passion. NO writer has responded to another writer here in such a manner. You refuse to concede that you were rude or inappropriate, even now. I have nothing left to say.
14 - Rodney Welch
No writer? Are you reading the posts? Just last week someone called Al Barger a "right wing piece of shit" and dear old Al himself recently wrote me a semi-ironic but still rather heartfelt letter that began: "Dear Bastard, Oh G-d, how I hate you. Hate you. Hate you..." I wasn't offended. I posted it on my blog under "Flame of the Week."
15 - Eric Olsen
That's swell. Context is everything. You had no context and you asked me if I was out of my fucking mind. I now question your sanity.
16 - Rodney Welch
Oh, and by the way, since as you say, coverage of EVERYTHING is sensationalized, maybe the Major King Kongs and Gen. Jack Rippers who run NBC should have just ditched any effort at objectivity whatsoever and just called their nightly reports: "The War in Iraq: Kippy-Yi-Yay Motherfucker!"
17 - Brian Flemming
Eric,
Did you censor a comment because it asked, "Are you out of your fucking mind?"
I don't understand what the facts are here, but I have to admit--I'm worried.
Could you lay out clearly what happened? I'm not making any judgments, or defending any party. But I'm very interested in knowing the facts.
18 - cjones
I am very surprised at you Eric. I have alway looked at your Blog with a certain amount of respect and enjoyed it alot. You seem to be losing your sanity.
19 - Eric Olsen
CJ, No one is perfect, I think you are perhaps reading a little too much into one post. I was - I guess unsuccessfully - trying to combine humor with a genuine antipathy toward this woman and her "perspective." The comments are another matter entirely and took on an ugly life of their own. Sorry if you are disappointed. Please read the other 2000 posts I have written here for some perspective. Thanks.
20 - Sean
I have no idea whether Banfield is a slut, nor do I care. After seeing quite a bit of over the past few years, it is pretty clear that she is a twit. Her "analysis" is asinine. No one thought those puffs of smoke from mortars were fireworks; We knew people were getting killed. As for the alleged "glorious" coverage, I seem to recall the words "quagmire" and Vietnam" creeping into a lot of coverage at the end of the first week of the war. Of course, those words were retired when it became clear that this war would be over before a month was out. I cannot speak for her anti-semitism, but referring to the homicidal maniacs who strap themselves with explosives to kill innocent Israelis creates, at a minimum, a rebuttable presumption that she is an anti-semite.
21 - Eric Olsen
I don't know or care if she is a slut either, nor do I care, but I appreciate your sensible analysis Sean. Maybe I haven't lost my mind.
22 - cjones
Thanks for the explanation Eric. This is still my favorite WebBlog.
23 - Rodney Welch
Sean, you apparently left a word out of your post.
"I cannot speak for her anti-semitism, but referring to the homicidal maniacs who strap themselves with explosives to kill innocent Israelis creates, at a minimum, a rebuttable presumption that she is an anti-semite."
You mean, referring to them as one thing or another, or is it the act of referring that bugs you?
24 - Rodney Welch
Eric -- I think you misrepresented Banfield in your story.
According to the Hollywood Reporter quote you used, she said that Savage was "so taken aback by my daring to speak to martyrs ... for being prepared to sacrifice themselves..."
Banfield's actual remarks, which are now available in their entirety, sound rather different:
"He was so taken aback by my dare to speak with Al -Aqsa Martyrs Brigade about why they do what they do, why they're prepared to sacrifice themselves for what they call a freedom fight and we call terrorism. He was so taken aback that he chose to label me as a slut on the air. And that's not all, as a porn star. And that's not all, as an accomplice to the murder of Jewish children. So these are the ramifications for simply being the messenger in the Arab world." [Italics added.]
Clearly, in her remarks, she distanced herself from the suicide bombers and used the martyr word only because it is apparently part of some accepted or semi-official name that merits being in all caps.
25 - Eric Olsen
That does sound at least somewhat different.