Greta van Susteren wants to know if "Senator Obama's campaign is booking CNN?"
I debated whether to tell you this or not…but I did promise behind the scenes information here on GretaWire….so here it is…yesterday at 9:00am I personally booked Reverend Sharpton to appear ON THE RECORD at 10pm eastern to discuss Don Imus. At 8:12pm, less than 2 hours before we were to begin our 10pm news show, I received a call in my office from Reverend Sharpton…he said that Senator Obama’s campaign had called and asked him to appear on CNN at the same time he was due to appear on ON THE RECORD and thus could not make our show at the top. I told him that our first segment was the one he had been booked for almost 12 hours earlier and which we had discussed …he said Senator Obama’s campaign called and wanted him on CNN and that he was sorry.
Greta's missing the lede, as Michael Calderone points out:
Sharpton's spokeswoman declined to discuss the content of his personal conversation with Van Susteren, including possible details of what involvement, if any, the Obama campaign had in the decision to appear on Cooper’s show instead.This morning, when I contacted Obama spokesman Bill Burton by e-mail, he said he wasn't aware of Van Susteren's blog item. Subsequently, I’ve followed up with additional e-mails and am still waiting for a response from the campaign.
It's important, because if there was coordination with the Obama campaign, shouldn’t that be disclosed on the broadcast? On Cooper’s show, Sharpton wasn’t identified as a surrogate for the campaign.
Indeed. And when Calderone contacted van Susteren, she said:
Van Susteren responds: “I am 100 per cent clear on this. I know what he said. I spoke DIRECTLY to Reverend Sharpton – it was not via a spokersperson. He called me shortly after 8pm. He said it to me more than one time in the conversation as the reason why he “had to” do CNN instead of meeting his agreement that he made to me in our 9am phone call. Reverend Sharpton and I have known each other professionally for many years (I like him) and he was attempting to get my blessing for his decision to do CNN and breaking his agreement with me."
Is CNN using Obama surrogates as supposedly independent analysts?
Let's go ask Donna Brazile.
Jun 27, 08 01:31 AM