Page 30 - ARUBA TODAY

A30 PEOPLE & ARTS
Tuesday 17 april 2018
ABC makes unusual decision to release all of Comey talk

In this image released by ABC News, correspondent George Stephanopoulos, left, appears with former FBI director James Comey for a taped interview that will air
during a primetime "20/20" special on Sunday, April 15, 2018 on the ABC Television Network.
Associated Press

By DAVID BAUDER Comey, ABC News made cast. of his viewers — at least for "It's a part of modern jour-
AP Media Writer the unusual decision of re- ABC News President James awhile — as Comey de- nalism."
NEW YORK (AP) — Before leasing a full transcript of its Goldston said in an inter- scribed his contacts with The decision could make
airing George Stepha- nearly five-hour talk, includ- view Monday that it was the president and said ABC vulnerable to criticism
nopoulos' interview with ing all the material that was an important example of Trump lacked the moral from people who might
former FBI Director James not included in the broad- transparency, and that it authority to be president. not have liked the net-
had paid off with the tran- White House Press Secre- work's choices about what
script becoming by far the tary Sarah Huckabee Sand- deserved to be on televi-
most popular item on ABC ers said Trump had seen sion and what didn't. But
News' website. "bits and pieces of it." Goldston said it could have
Comey's interview, the first "We didn't learn anything the opposite effect of insu-
on the media tour to pro- new," Sanders said. lating the network.
mote his book "A Higher Comey is on a media tour "We don't have anything to
Loyalty," was seen by 9.8 to promote his book that hide here," he said. It could
million viewers on Sunday will include interviews by prevent people from ask-
night, the Nielsen company Jake Tapper of CNN, Judy ing "why didn't you ask this,
said. That's a good num- Woodruff of PBS, Rachel when we knew we had
ber for the network, which Maddow of MSNBC, Bret asked the question."
reached 3.6 million viewers Baier of Fox News Channel It was a lot of material to
in the same time slot the and appearances on Ste- digest. CNN's Chris Cillizza
week before with the dra- phen Colbert's late-night jokingly tweeted that he
ma "Deception." show, "The View" and a had just gone through the
It was less than half of the CNN town hall. entire transcript line-by-line,
22 million people who But Stephanopoulos was and accompanied it with a
watched adult film star first. The network released video of a man collapsing
Stormy Daniels talk on "60 the full transcript of its inter- from exhaustion.
Minutes" last month about view with Comey when the Al Tompkins, a broadcast
her alleged affair with Presi- show began airing. news specialist at the Poyn-
dent Donald Trump, which Goldston said the decision ter Institute, said it was an
he denies. Comey proba- to post the transcript was unusual decision for a net-
bly would have drawn more made after it was clear work, since journalism is
viewers if he gave his first in- the network didn't have largely about editing. In
terview to "60 Minutes"; the enough time to broadcast this case, seeing the full
CBS show reached 10.4 mil- all of the material from the interview makes it easier
lion people on Sunday. But interview. to understand the context
Comey reportedly sought "We thought we had an ob- in which certain questions
more time on the air for his ligation to put everything were asked and answered.
first interview, and ABC of- out there and let people "I sure don't see a downside
fered the full hour. look at it and decide," he to it," Tompkins said.
Trump was apparently one said. q