On Tuesday, ABC’s “Nightline” issued a correction for mischaracterizing a statement made by former Bush White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer to make it seem as though Fleischer was more critical of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer than he actually was.
In the portion of his taped interview broadcast on Monday’s “Nightline,” Fleischer said, “His briefing made me uncomfortable. It was too truculent, too tough. It looks to me as if the ball dropped on Saturday.”
The day after, Fleischer then took to Twitter, and alleged that ABC chopped him saying, “It looks to me if the ball was dropped on Saturday, Sean recovered it and ran for a 1st down on Monday.” Into “It looks to me if the ball was dropped on Saturday.”
@Nightline proves Spicer right about MSM’s dedication to negativity. Here is what I told them in a taped interview: 1/4
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017
“It looks to me if the ball was dropped on Saturday, Sean recovered it and ran for a 1st down on Monday.” 2/4
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017
Here is how they chopped my quote: “It looks to me if the ball was dropped on Saturday” after ABC referred to “deliberate falsehoods.” 3/4
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017
If this is how the press reports, Trump is right to go after them. 4/4
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 24, 2017
ABC issued a correction, saying that “In editing the piece for air, his quote was shortened and as a result his opinions mischaracterized. We are fixing the piece online to include his full quote and context. We apologize and regret the error.”
(h/t Mediaite)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett