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Katie Couric Has `Sarah Palin Moment` Interviewing Ahmadinejad

by Alyzee | October 1, 2009 at 09:35 am

2527 views | 22 Recommendations | 5 comments

During a Katie Couric interview with Sarah Palin last year, Couric asked Palin what newspapers she read. Couric was celebrated for finding Palin out for her ignorance of the news when Sarah Palin could not name a single newspaper or magazine that she read.

Yesterday during Katie Couric's interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, she had what CNN is calling Katie Couric's very own Sarah Palin moment. It happened after Couric questioned Ahmadinejad about Neda Aqa Soltan, a woman who was shot dead during the post-election violence in Iran. Soltan's killing was widely covered by Western media:

She immediately became an international icon after graphic videos of her death grabbed the attention of world media outlets.

Ahmadinejad dismissed the issue by saying it was instigated by chaos created by the USA and the UK. Ahmadinejad changed the subject by pulling out a picture of a scarved woman and and asking Couric if she knew who the woman was. When Couric answered no, Ahmadinejad emphasized his point by pulling out another picture of the same woman, and Couric the same question.

Ahmadinejad used Couric's answer to accuse the US of ignorance:

"Well, you can't be blamed for not knowing her." American politicians didn't want her to know about that woman, while they had helped turn Neda Aqa Soltan into a cause célèbre to instigate world opposition to the Islamic Republic," Ahmadinejad said.

The woman in the picture was Marwa Ali El-Sherbini, an Egyptian woman who was killed in a German courtroom by her defendant as she was testifying against him for racist comments.

Ahmadinejad's obscure point seems to be that the media covers deaths in Islamic countries to portray them as violent, and does not have a humanitarian interest in the victims. However, his argument is faulty, because while Soltan was killed in the violence that ensued after Ahmadinejad came to power, he has nothing to do with the death of El-Shebini.

Still, Couric`s silence is puzzling. Do you think we can call it a `Sarah Palin moment`?

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Roy C

at 12:21 on October 1st, 2009

No.

Roger Federer (not verified)

at 20:14 on October 1st, 2009

Ahmadinejad's argument was not faulty. His point was to show how our perceptions of something or someone is shaped by the media. Even if this is being pointed out by a person like Ahmadinejad, it's still true.

jeff dank (not verified)

at 20:27 on October 1st, 2009

agreed

nthrnNYker (not verified)

at 21:03 on October 1st, 2009

Well said, Roger. But isn't it very nice that this blogger conveniently neglected to mention that Ms. El-Sherbini's husband was shot and severly wounded by German Police when he attempted to sheild his wife from harm by the neo-nazi maniac....police whom supposedly 'confused' the dark-skinned Arab with the shaven-headed light-skinned Germanic neo-nazi. President Ahmadinejad was absolutely correct in bringing the woman's brutal attack to light to prove his point.

marble907 (not verified)

at 23:53 on October 1st, 2009

puzzling question, how come they do not show a full view of two person speaking, but rather switching the camera view back and forth and only showing the back of one and the face of another?