Peter Jennings remembered

Peter Jennings remembered

I guess it's not sporting of me to speak ill of the dead. But here's how the Washington Post describes Peter Jennings' coverage of the Munich massacre:

He was at the Summer Olympics in Munich on Sept. 5, 1972, when Arab terrorists seized and killed Israeli athletes. Familiar with the history and goals of the Black September terrorist group, Jennings filed a series of reports and moved his camera crew close enough to get clear pictures of the terrorists, a risk that "displayed considerable moxie," Barbara Matusow wrote in "The Evening Stars: The Making of the Network News Anchor." She called the reports "among the most gripping episodes ever shown on live television."

Here's what Martin Peretz wrote in the New Republic, March 18, 1985:
The first time I ever remember being conscious of Jennings at all was in September 1972, only hours after the murder by Palestinian terrorists of the Israeli Olympic athletes in Munich. Jennings came on the tube, quite cool about the victims but, as I recall, eager to explain the act from the victimizers' point of view: the massacre was a demonstration of the misunderstood and esperate Palestinians' frustration at an unappeased grievance--as if they had not had from the beginning the option of a negotiated compromise for peace. With authoritatively clipped speech and a mannequin-handsome face, I thought, here was someone whose banalities were destined to be with us for years.
(As I've noted before, Jennings wrote a letter to the New Republic protesting that characterization; but Peretz remained unconvinced.)

Not everything was hunky dory, though, not even in the sanitized Washington Post obituary:

His years at the helm were not without glitches. He, along with the other major networks, prematurely and erroneously reported that Democratic nominee Al Gore won Florida in the 2000 presidential election.
And what about his infamous "temper tantrum" comment after the 1994 elections?
The Post continues:
Jennings was frequently accused of liberal bias by conservative media watchdog organizations and of pro-Palestinian bias by Israeli partisans.
In response to 1, see "temper tantrum" above. In response to 2, see "Munich massacre" above. (And no mention of his dalliance with Hanan Ashrawi.)
But we do learn:
A 2004 commentary in a journalism trade magazine, the Columbia Journalism Review, dismissed criticism that ABC's newscast was "antiwar," noting that "despite the pressure to be a cheerleader, World News Tonight with Peter Jennings was more probing during the war than its rivals. The center's antiwar label is looking like ABC's red badge of courage."
Not antiwar?
I'm not going to say that we're better off without him. But clearly Jennings wasn't deserving of the virtually uncritical praise he received in that obituary.
Crossposted on Israpundit and Soccer Dad.

Posted by David Gerstman at August 8, 2005 06:07 AM

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Comments

1. Lisa said:

What the heck is wrong with you? His body isn't even cold yet and you're piling on. Disgusting.

Posted by: Lisa on August 8, 2005 08:49 AM

2. Ted Belman said:

He was our enemy.

Posted by: Ted Belman on August 8, 2005 09:00 AM

3. Laura said:

His years at the helm were not without glitches. He, along with the other major networks, prematurely and erroneously reported that Democratic nominee Al Gore won Florida in the 2000 presidential election.
..........................................
Actually that turned out to be correct and it was FOX that prematurely and erroneously gave Bush Florida late that night.

Posted by: Laura on August 8, 2005 10:15 AM

4. Tamar said:

Jennings was married to a "Palestinian" woman....that could have impacted on his worldview.

Posted by: Tamar on August 8, 2005 03:41 PM

5. Laurence Simon said:

The truth about his bias should not be buried with him.

Only by recognizing his flaws can we learn from his mistakes or the mistakes people made in failing to judge him properly.

Posted by: Laurence Simon on August 8, 2005 03:49 PM

6. Arie said:

As a Jew, I don't wish death upon anyone but my enemies....No question, Mr. Jennings was an enemy of the Jewish people. He built his career by bashing Israel (Yum Kippur war, Lebanon War, and Intifada I and II). In fact, he legitimized the founding fathers of modern-terrorism, i.e., late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini and late terrorist leader Yasser Arafat. I cannot question G-d's will, but I think that he had something to do with Mr. Jennings death.

Posted by: Arie on August 8, 2005 04:23 PM

7. JRT said:

De mortuis and all that, but the fact remains that he was Hanan Ashrawi's boy-toy. And for another, during his tenure no pro Israel newsperson could get employed at ABC news as he practically dictated editorial policy. His was the worst kind of bias disguised as even handedness. Good bye and good riddance...

JRT

Posted by: JRT on August 8, 2005 07:10 PM

8. bob said:

Let's not sugar coat someone who has continually contributed to the mess we now have in Israel. He was an advocate for the arab muslim cause to destroy the state of Israel plain and simple. G-d will judge him now. We all must face the music of our lives at the very end.

Posted by: bob on August 8, 2005 07:22 PM

9. LindaSoG said:

Why is it that people seem to think that when someone dies, we must forget all the evil things they did while they were alive? It is a utterly ridiculous concept of niceness.

Jennings was what he chose to be and we should not forget that just because he died.

Posted by: LindaSoG on August 8, 2005 07:54 PM

10. meryle said:

He was one of those Canadians who give us an inferiority complex--smug, arrogant, and knee-jerk liberal--a definite product of the CBC and a major contributor to antisemitism--good riddance

Posted by: meryle on August 8, 2005 08:29 PM

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