Former ABC Reporter Questions 'Competence' of Jennings
By Robert B. Bluey
CNSNews.com Staff Writer
December 08, 2003
(CNSNews.com) - A former colleague of Peter Jennings said the ABC News anchor can't comprehend his biased reporting because he believes his work is protecting the "peasantry in America."
Former ABC News correspondent Peter Collins, who worked with Jennings in the 1980s, said Monday night's news special on America's "obesity epidemic" is the latest example of Jennings' belief that he's looking out for the public good.
"It's not a one-side attack because in their minds, they have convinced themselves that this is the source of the problem," Collins said, "and in order to save the peasantry in America from obesity, it's their obligation to present these facts the way they present them."
Collins covered Central America for ABC's "World News Tonight" and "Nightline" from 1982 until 1991. He recently retired from journalism, and in May told CNSNews.com how Jennings altered scripts to praise the Marxist-backed Sandinista government in Nicaragua.
The obesity program, "How to Get Fat Without Really Trying," airs Monday at 8 p.m. EST. According to an ABC News press release, it will reveal why "much of the problem with the American diet is the direct result of federal government policy and food industry practices."
Without even having seen the program, Collins said it appeared to fit into a pattern of Jennings' past reports. Instead of calling the show an example of bias, however, Collins rather questioned the competency of Jennings and his associates.
"When he and his producer load and tilt a story, you can argue it's leftist bias, but it's just as effective to say they left out basic facts because they couldn't see them or they are incompetent to see them," Collins said.
A spokeswoman for ABC News did not return three calls requesting comment. Earlier this year, ABC News refused to discuss with CNSNews.com Collins' past criticism.
Collins recalled one encounter with Jennings in the late 1980s that he said illustrated the anchorman's thinking. Collins said he had just finished meeting with Jennings in his New York City office when the incident took place.
"On the way out, I stopped by the desk of his secretary," Collins said. "I remarked how nice Mr. Jennings had been. And she looked at me with kind of beatific smile and said, 'Yes, it's his sense of noblesse oblige.' "
Noblesse oblige, a French term, means an obligation of those in power to be honorable.
Collins pointed to Jennings' background as the son of Charles Jennings, who retired as vice president of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. When Peter was 9 years old, he hosted his own radio program on CBC. Jennings was born and raised in Canada.
"Peter, I believe, genuinely thinks of himself as a nobleman doing public good," Collins said. "I know that sounds preposterous, but that's the attitude."
The special on obesity is the latest Jennings report to be panned. The Media Research Center, the parent organization of CNSNews.com, has been a frequent critic of the "World News Tonight" anchor. Jennings also has another program, "Peter Jennings Reporting," which will air the obesity report.
In May, the Media Research Center criticized a special Jennings did on the pharmaceutical industry for being one-sided. Jennings attacked U.S. drug companies for making excessive profits.
Collins said presenting the full picture or a balanced story doesn't appear to concern Jennings.
"Jennings and the people around him really believe they are performing a public service when they launch attacks on the food industry in this case, or American foreign policy in other cases," Collins said. "They earnestly believe in their rightness."
