FILE - This Oct. 20, 2014 file photo shows George Stephanopoulos at the 24th Annual Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Awards in New York. Stephanopoulos has apologized for not notifying his employer and viewers about two contributions totaling $50,000 that he made to the Clinton Foundation. ABC's news division said Thursday, May 15, 2015, that "we stand behind him." The donations, made in two installments in 2013 and 2014 and first reported in Politico, were made because of Stephanopoulos' interest in the foundation's work on global AIDS prevention and deforestation, he said. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)
My, my, the bigger they are, the dumber they think we are.
Dan Rather of CBS was toppled by a phony document scam. Lyin’ Brian Williams at NBC casually mixed fact with self-aggrandizing fiction. Now George Stephanopoulos is caught in a Clinton web of deceit at ABC.
The hat trick of arrogant anchor scandals helps explain why Americans don’t trust network news. With apologies to Walter Cronkite, that’s the way it is, and the way it is stinks.
Stephanopoulos shares with Rather and Williams the rotten distinction of fessing up only after being exposed by real journalists. In his case, the Washington Free Beacon uncovered his secret donations to the Clinton Foundation and contacted ABC for a response.
That was the honorable thing to do — get the other side of the story before publishing it. But Stephanopoulos ditched his journalistic veneer and reverted to his Clinton White House roots by quickly leaking the info to what he regarded as a more friendly news outlet, Politico.
His track record of secrecy, partisanship and dishonorable behavior blows up his claim that he made an honest mistake. He engaged in a prolonged and brazen act of dishonesty.
To continue reading Michael Goodwin's column in the New York Post, click here.
Get the recap of top opinion commentary and original content throughout the week.