Florida WFTV anchor Barbara West Makes FoxNews Actually Look Fair and Balanced

Watch this ridiculous excuse for a news anchor interviewing Joe Biden. We had to make a new category just for her: ludicrous insanity. She digs with John McCain's talking points and lies in a way that is absolutely shameful. Joe Biden was absolutely masterful.



Watch her softball John McCain in a way that is more like a job interview for press secretary than any form of journalism.

Send a complaint to her general manager now. Here's the link to the contact form: http://www.wftv.com/contact/

Look for the checkbox "WFTV/WRDQ General Manager" (the 5th one down on the contact form). If you prefer to call, the news director's name is Bob Jordan 407-841-9000. If the offices are closed, dial 8 after the message for the station directory, enter Jordan Bob (567326262) to be put through to an operator, tell them you want to leave a message for Bob Jordan on his voice mail.

Here's what we sent, to help get you started:

Dear WFTV Gen. Mgr. - I have just watched the videos, online, of the interviews your Barbara West conducted - one with Sen. John McCain and one with Sen. Joe Biden. With all due respect, [add your own comments here]

Update 1, 28 October, 2008
We received this response from WFTV today:

From: "Eyewitness News (CTV-Orlando)"
To: redacted
Date: Tue, 28 Oct 2008 08:31:51 -0400
Subject: Web Form Submission Response
Dear Viewer:

Thank you for taking time to contact us regarding Barbara West's recent interview with democratic Vice Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden.

The Obama campaign contacted us last week offering Senator Biden, via satellite, for a short interview. Barbara West, one of our most experienced anchors, was asked to interview Senator Biden, just as she had been on previous occasions.

It is our goal at Eyewitness News when interviewing any political candidate or public official to ask them a direct question about an issue currently in the public debate. Last week, when much of the political discourse centered on Senator Obama's statement to 'Joe the Plumber' that he thought 'sharing the wealth' was a good idea, Barbara decided to ask Senator Biden just how far an Obama-Biden administration would go in 'sharing the wealth'. What followed was very pointed, provocative question. We allowed Senator Biden to answer, fully unedited.

We tell our reporters and news anchors to ask the questions that one of our viewers might ask. For example, when Senator Obama visited Lakeland recently, Barbara (knowing her time with a presidential candidate would be limited) asked Senator Obama two questions: first, about drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico; and, second, about his position on the space program. The Senator's answers dominated the news cycle for the next day.

You can see all of Barbara's interviews with political candidates at WFTV.com including one she just did Monday with Senator John McCain.

Perhaps more than any other presidential election in recent memory, this current election has stirred passions - some of them quite partisan - in many people. Through it all, we believe our mission is to address vital issues that we will face together, regardless of our own personal views with thorough, even handed reporting.

Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Barbara West's husband, Wade West, is a Republican political strategist. Here's an excerpt from his SolgamesUSA company website (his political and media consulting company website now gives a "Forbidden" error):

His media communication and fundraising skills have made him a popular consultant for political candidates ranging from local elections, to more than 85 [Republication] members of Congress and members of the President’s [Bush] cabinet.

Here's an excerpt from Barbara West's bio on the WFTV website:

I am married to Wade West, an international media consultant to politicians, professionals and organizations. Together we often serve as auctioneers at various fundraising events throughout the state.

The fact that West's husband is a [Republican] political strategist, and that there was no mention of this, nor even a hint of an apology, in their response indicates to us that WFTV "News" are also Republican political strategists. At the very least, they believe that the fact that they interviewed John McCain as well as Joe Biden means that they are fair and balanced journalists. The antagonistic nature of the questions to one vs. the softball nature of the questions to the other is not relevant to them.

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