Gregory, Byron York repeated myth of Giuliani as 9-11 hero, omitting Date: Fri, 11 May 2007 21:38:03 -0400

Gregory, Byron York repeated myth of Giuliani as 9-11 hero, omitting criticism

http://mediamatters.org/items/200705120001

On the May 11 edition of NBC's Today, NBC News chief White House correspondent David Gregory said of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Republican presidential candidate: "To many, 9-11 made Giuliani a hero." Later in the same segment, Gregory aired a clip of National Review White House correspondent Byron York asserting that Giuliani might "convince" conservative voters who oppose his abortion positions "to still vote for him because he's so strong on issues of national security." Neither Gregory nor those quoted in his report took note of the serious questions surrounding Giuliani's record on the issues of terrorism and national security, which Media Matters for America has repeatedly documented.

The view that Giuliani acted heroically before, during, and after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks has been strongly disputed:

Gregory's assertion -- "To many, 9-11 made Giuliani a hero" -- reflects a larger media pattern of asserting, as Giuliani's political strength, 9-11, terrorism, or national security without noting relevant facts. As Media Matters has noted, media figures have repeatedly touted Giuliani's reputation as "America's mayor" and the "hero of 9-11" despite the controversies that have marked his political career, including his handling of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.

From the May 11 edition of NBC's Today:

GREGORY: Later today, Giuliani is expected to reaffirm his support for abortion rights during a speech in an attempt to butt the conventional wisdom that a Republican seeking the White House cannot win the nomination with pro-choice views.

[begin video clip]

GREGORY: To many, 9-11 made Giuliani a hero -- and on the campaign trail, that's his topic of choice.

GIULIANI: The only way to keep us safe and the only way to give us a chance to win this is to be on offense against them. No more defense for the United States of America.

GREGORY: Giuliani may want to talk about terror but, increasingly, conservatives want to talk about his stance on abortion.

[...]

GREGORY: But Giuliani is getting tired of all the grilling on the topic, sounding irritated with talk show host Laura Ingraham this week.

[begin audio clip]

GIULIANI: I would love to come back, but you -- you're gonna have to ask me about the war on terror and what we do about that --

INGRAHAM: Yeah, we will.

GIULIANI: -- which is after all what most -- what most citizens ask me about --

INGRAHAM: Well, conservatives are citizens too, Mayor Giuliani.

[end audio clip]

YORK: I think there's going to be some part of the Republican electorate that he's never going to win over on abortion, and the question is: "Can he convince them to still vote for him because he's so strong on issues of national security?"

[end video clip]

GREGORY: Abortion is proving to be a hot button issue in this campaign at this juncture and Giuliani is not the only one on the defensive.

Contact:
Byron York		 byork@nationalreview.com
Contact:
David Gregory
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