Wednesday, April 25, 2007

The night E.R. Murrow's nightmare came true

Say what you will about Rush Limbaugh -- and frankly, I personally don't like most of what he stands for, and continue to be concerned about his getting facts mixed up at times -- this is one night where he really got a rough ride when he tried to fill in for Pat Sajak and his ill-fated talk show. Attacking the message is one thing. Going after the messenger is quite another. The date: March 30, 1990. The news: Idaho's then Governor had vetoed an extremely controversial anti-abortion bill.



I'll admit I can be abrasive at times in the points that I -- your faithful scribe -- am trying to make in this blog.

But a decade and a half later, this still ranks as one of TV's worst moments; the moment the line between entertainment and legitimate news was finally crossed, exactly what Edward R. Murrow feared would happen fully three decades earlier. And the worst part of all, it was the same network, CBS.

No matter where one stands on reproductive rights, or any other issue, Limbaugh deserved better. Say what you will about him, he had the high ground that night. A progressive defends freedom of speech, and I do so his.

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