ABC Moran's Premature Tweet: Did Obama Call Kanye a Jackass?
(UPDATED: now, with audio AND video. See below.)
It's all a question of tweeting prematurely.
Did ABC's @TerryMoran dash off a tweet into the Twittersphere quoting US President Barack Obama calling Kanye West a jackass?
He did.
The tweet has since disappeared, and ABC has issued an apology for the Nightline co-anchor's disclosure of what was apparently an off-the-record comment by Obama during an interview that had not yet been edited.
It raises questions about journalists and media accounts shooting from the hip on the microblogosphere.
The comments from the president were reportedly made off-the-record during an interview with CNBC, who objected to the tweet.
Politico was first to report ABC's apology, quoting an ABC spokesperson as stating that Moran had tweeted "before our editorial process had been completed. That was wrong. We apologize to the White House and CNBC and are taking steps to ensure that will not happen again." CNBC and the White House have not yet commented on the slip of the tweet.
More and more journalists are breaking news and leaking information on Twitter before it goes to the rest of the universe. ABC's Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper's (@jaketapper) late night tweet on Bill Clinton's departure to North Korea to try to gain the release of the two American journalists was the first word most media outlets had of the surprise trip by the former president.
Moran has not tweeted since. It was his first tweet since September 10th, when he commented on Congressman Joe Wilson heckling President Obama during his health-care speech.
about 14 hours ago from web · Reply · View Tweet
The premature tweet from ABC's Terry Moran @TerryMoran that set the Twittersphere aflame late Monday night. Although it has disappeared from the official Twitter stream, it can still be accessed on search.
UPDATE: TMZ has obtained an audio clip, here.
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Comments
As for all the apologies, my god...is THIS what we consider "news" or "leaks"? Watergate just rolled over in its grave!
Who gives a flying rat's ass about West or, frankly, Obama's opinion on it? Give me some $#@$#ing health insurance!
God, I hope so.
benjamin--Could be. Do you think when he said it, even off-the-record, he thought it might appear online somewhere? It makes one wonder, after the school speech and the comments about kids watching what they post on Facebook.
Tim--Might be. I do know some journalists who use Twitter and use it well, whether or not all do responsibly. I'm interested in the questions tweeting like this raises, however.
Beth--The whole Joe Wilson-Serena-Kanye triangle really has everyone's eye off the ball at the moment. I see black helicopters. You're right about perspective. As noted above, my interest is primarily in the slip of the tweet, not the comment itself.
jane--See me comments to Benjamin. Do you think the POTUS thought about it when he said it, even off-the-record, and knew it might end up online, in the YouTube age?
I note Twitter recently updated its Terms of Service, to include this helpful tip to users:
"What you say on Twitter may be viewed all around the world instantly. You are what you Tweet!"
And sometimes, you have to eat what you tweet.
I'm always interested to see how headlines translate to the cover. As noted above, my own focus is on the first half of the headline to this article, the issue of the premature tweet. I might have done that on a cover as "Slip of the Tweet.' That it appears on the OS cover focusing on the second half likely appeals more to Google searches, but doesn't accurately reflect my own focus on the question at the center of the article, the ethics of tweeting prematurely.
2. Didn't Bush accidentally call a reporter a "major-league asshole" when his microphone was on? As I recall, the furor over that sort of faded away after a week or so. Even people who really, really hated Bush realized that they've said similar things.
3. The reporter was stupid to Tweet this off-the-cuff, off-the-record remark, because the furor over OH MY GOD THE PRESIDENT SAID A CUSS WORD HIDE THE CHILDREN! will die down (I'd wager that most of the country would agree with Obama that Kanye West acted like a jackass at the VMAs), but the reporter destroyed a lot of his credibility and seriousness.
However, I wonder if the universe wasn't dealing Obama a balancing card in terms of his ability to call things ridiculous across race lines (Gates incident). In terms of Joan's latest piece, "Blackening of the President", this may show the even-handed diplomacy of our president in such, well, ridiculous matters.
Jeanette--Likely. It would be an easy call.
Watergate opened a pandora's box there, with the fourth estate emboldened to push the envelope. Gary Hart, Bill Clinton, and on and on.
And now tweeter. A tweet as he and michelle head out to eat as a couple. A tweet over an unguarded moment about a current event expressing a personal rather than presidential opinion.
The media needs to police itself.
Michael--Kanye has a short shelf life. Fortunately, my article isn't about him.
Gwool--Right you are. I'm aware of many times that media tweeters hold their tongues, er, tweets, however.
VR--Sure 'nuff. An easy call.
ZB--I doubt he will disown the comments.
Terry Moran had NO business violating off the record protocol. Everything in my journalistic sense of ethics just stood up and howled in protest.
Karin--Did you need one? And, to feel sorry for him being quoted off-the-record, tough stuff for a POTUS.
AshKW--Brilliantly stated. I agree.
1WV--Glad I made you laugh. Glad you're back. Thanks.
MAWB--Yes, and yes. Will be interesting to see what @TerryMoran has to see if and when he tweets again.
And yes, Bush and Cheney called a reporter a "major-league asshole."
Should everything "off the record" by suppressed by reporters? What if Bush had said, "Off the record, of course we knew there were no WMDs in Iraq"?
Whether it's news - well, that's another matter. But who expects journalists to know anything about that?