Diane Sawyer Responds to Health Care Special Attacks (VIDEO)

"Good Morning America" co-anchor Diane Sawyer responded to accusations that ABC News will pander to the Obama administration in an upcoming primetime special about health care reform.

Since the announcement of the special, conservative commentators, including Sean Hannity, have decried ABC for promoting "Obama-care" and for making it clear that "journalism in America is dead."

In an interview with Howard Kurtz during the "Reliable Sources" segment on CNN's "State of the Union with John King," Sawyer seemed both upset and bemused by the accusations.

"I'm so proud of ABC," Sawyer said. "This network is trying to tackle a serious issue in a serious way".

Sawyer stressed that the special's purpose was not to unequivocally back Obama's health care plan, but to take a careful look at both sides of the issue. "It is not an infomercial" she noted. "ABC News does not do that... [we] are going to be able to ask questions from every single vantage point".

Sawyer also pointed out that this was not the first time ABC News has been granted access to the White House to film a special focusing on a single hot-button issue. The network arranged a similar program with the Clinton administration regarding gun control, and approached the Bush administration with an offer, but was turned down.

"Our job is to have a serious conversation," Sawyer said. "This is not theater. This is too important."

Watch:

"Questions for the President: Prescription for America" will air on ABC at 10PM ET on Wednesday, June 24.

Comments

[Ponderus]

Diane still kisses a picture of Ni.xon every night before she goes to bed.

[Swamp Yankee]

She's a Republican???

[Bulbul]

Are you for real ?

[Ponderus]

You guys didn't know she worked in the Nixon White House during Watergate?

She's a Tricky Dick loyalist.

Always has been.

[timmmahhhh]

I do not know if she still calls herself a Republican but I did see her on Letterman where she was a Nixon Administration staffer. I do not recall the position but she did state that she was on the helicopter that took off from the White House lawn with Nixon August 9, 1974.

[MNinWI]

I am not so sure about that-she may be reformed-she is married to Mike Nichols who isn't r-wing for sure & once was married to Richard Holbrooke.

[scotia626]

its doesnt matter who covers the "debate"- it wont be a real discussion until we move away from the "but can we afford it" position. This is the wealthiest nation on earth. We choose to not "afford" health care- ironically- by letting the over-insured and the wealthy spend billions on useless tests and drugs while under-insuring the rest. and with all the money spent, we have health outcomes that match or exceed the third world. wake up folks- those against reform are lining their own pockets within the current system.

[flapjack]

This is not the wealthiest nation on earth. In case you haven't noticed, we are going broke -- rapidly.

[ObamacratInCA]

Here's a few highlights Obama's and ABC's relationship.

"ABC only major TV network not airing Obama infomercial

October 29, 2008

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's half-hour campaign commercial is scheduled to run tonight on all of the major television networks -- except ABC.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/oct/29/business/fi-abc29.

ABC News Presidential Debate Scores an "F"

The ABC News-moderated debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, April 16, has been universally panned. Most commentators have pointed to ABC's highlighting of gaffes, scandal, and personality in the effort to get the candidates to snipe at each other rather than talk about issues that people care about. Especially disturbing about ABC's farce was the racist character of the questions George Stephanopoulos and Charlie Gibson chose to put forward.

snip

Likewise, in a question about Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Gibson and Stephanopoulos demanded Obama re-hash his disavowal of Wright's controversial remarks. In her response, Hillary Clinton misleadingly tried to link Obama to Louis Farrakhan and Hamas. There was no challenge to this statement from our editorially-minded moderators; no effort on their part to pull apart the inaccuracy in her statement, or at least give her an opportunity to say she didn't really think Obama had any connection to Hamas or Farrakhan.

http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/6763/.

[smchp]

All this is doing is putting pressure on ABC to pander more to the reich-wing in their reporting! Already reports from people who have seen previews that Diane used may of Krutz's talking points like "gov't run health care" blah blah.

[20090120]

"Hannity, have decried ABC....tha­t "journalism in America is dead." Well....at least for Fixed News it is.

[allonfla]

ha! Bush turned them down - no surprise

[martymartymarty]

My impatience of late with ABC has been because they are becoming Fox News Jr -- they have an obvious bias *against* Obama, at least on the World News. This is the network that made a huge deal about him not wearing a lapel pin back during an official debate, so if anything this special is going to verge on the ridiculous because they are afraid to ask real questions, not because they plan to have a lovefest with Obama. Hannity apparently does not watch ABC.

[thundermummy]

Whatever Diane Shill.

[ladyrefined2000]

diane.....­.who you trying to convince?

[kissMYfish]

Herself. They care about the ratings. She said what she was suppose to say.

[JFaye]

She convinced me.