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| Banned from NBC? |
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Summary: The New York Post is reporting that outspoken celebrity Arianna Huffington is banned from NBC News shows after criticizing Tim Russert. It should be interesting to see if this plays out. 04-30-2008
In a huff
LINK: http://www.nypost.com/php/pfriendly/print.php?url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/04302008/business/ziff_gets_a_big_lift_108828.htm
Arianna Huffington claims that she was banished from NBC News shows because her new book, "Right is Wrong," blasted "Meet the Press" anchor Tim Russert.
Huffington is the force behind the Huffington Post, an influential political Web site where she had started a blog called "Russert Watch."
Her new book, which is slated to hit later this week carries the sub title, "How the Lunatic Fringe Hijacked America, Shredded the Constitution and Made Us All Less Safe." Aside from being the anchor, Russert is also the managing editor of the show, the Washington Bureau Chief of NBC News and a senior vice president of NBC News.
Huffington dubs him "EZ Pass" Russert because she claims his softball questions give the Washington elite a free wave-through when they appear on his shows. While he may ask a tough opening question, he usually lets his guests dance away from the jabs, she claims.
Sources said that Huffington was at a dinner in the home of Barbara Wal ters on Tuesday night when she heard that word had come down from on high that she no longer appear on NBC or MSNBC, where talk show hosts Keith Olbermann, Joe Scarborough and Dan Abrams were all interested in booking her.
Phil Griffin, senior vice president of NBC News, who would seem to be the main man behind any such edict, insisted, "I haven't seen the book. I don't know anything about it." He said, "I know some people have issues with her as a guest, but it has nothing to do with the book."
It probably didn't help that Huffington had cooperated with a profile on her that aired last Friday on ABC's "20/20," and that she is slated to appear on "Good Morning America" tomorrow morning.
Asked if references to "EZ Pass" Russert angered the "Meet the Press" anchor and other NBC executives, Griffin responded, "I don't think we're that fragile."
Calls to Russert were relayed to a network spokeswoman, who did seem to have extensive knowledge that Huffington's honeymoon was over at NBC for whatever reason.
"At NBC News, we receive countless books from authors and publishers, in hopes that they get on our air," she said. "Some of them do, many of them do not. This one did not." |