I sent this to CNN. They are despicable and apparently blinded by hatred of Sarah Palin. They need to stop using the slogan, “CNN The Most Trusted Name in News”

To: Jim Walton, CEO CNN

Subject: Tabloid Journalism

I spend about an equal amount of time watching CNN and FOX news to get a more balanced perception of the news. I watched the Drew Griffin interview of Governor Palin on the Situation room last night and was appalled at the obviously skewed interview. It has always been apparent to me that CNN/HBO and CNN News lean toward Senator Obama and generally leftist politics but I could not believe that you would condone any of your correspondents making blatantly false statements like Griffin made to Governor Palin.

I copied the portion of the transcript from your web site as follows:

CNN: Yeah. Governor, you've been mocked in the press. The press has been pretty hard on you, the Democrats have been pretty hard on you, but also some conservatives have been pretty hard on you as well. The National Review had a story saying that, you know I can't tell if Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt or all of the above.

Palin: Who wrote that one?

CNN: That was in the National Review, I don't, have the author.

Palin: I'd like to talk to that person.

CNN: But they were talking about the fact that your experience as governor is not getting out. Do you feel trapped in this campaign that your message is not getting out and if so who do you blame?

The story Griffin referred to was a Byron York column, of The National Review that was instead an indictment of the media and not of Palin. The full sentence reads: "Watching press coverage of the Republican candidate for vice president, it's sometimes hard to decide whether Sarah Palin is incompetent, stupid, unqualified, corrupt, backward, or — or, well, all of the above." Griffin said he did not have the name of the author, (sure), but he looked like a deer caught in the headlights, knowing that he got caught in a lie. Griffin used the National Review's Byron York's quote completely out of context, so he could dishonestly bash Gov. Palin with it. This type of tabloid journalism is something you might expect from Hustler Magazine. The National Enquirer is far more ethical then this deliberate and unwarranted attack on Sarah Palin. What is it about her that has caused you people at CNN to go out of your way to destroy Sarah Palin? Griffin’s deliberate distortion of the facts designed to embarrass and strip Governor Palin of her dignity, simply proves York to be correct: “the media are out to destroy Sarah Palin.”

CNN The Most Trusted Name in News? I don’t think so. You need to fire Drew Griffin and make a public apology to Governor Palin, if you are to recover any perception of fairness in your reporting. Anything less then this would require you to remove your Motto, “CNN The Most Trusted Name in News” from your News Organization.

Bill Betts, Democrat

Redding, Ca 9600

gspeye@charter.net