ABC News Shoots Itself In The Dick. Again.

They just can't help themselves.

From CNN today:

ABC News corrects bombshell Flynn report

ABC News on Friday evening corrected an explosive special report that aired in the morning saying that Donald Trump, as a candidate for president, had asked Michael Flynn to make contact with Russians.

During "World News Tonight," ABC News investigative reporter Brian Ross said the source who had provided the initial information for his story later told him that it was as president-elect, not as a candidate, that Trump asked Flynn to contact the Russians.

The initial report, based on one anonymous source, prompted a dramatic reaction in the financial markets, and the Dow fell more than 350 points.

Stocks largely recovered later in the day...

"Correct" is a very charitable way of putting this. 

And in case you'd forgotten the last time ABC let Brian Ross climb way out on a limb in order to score a scoop...

From Fox News in 2012:

ABC News, Brian Ross apologize for report suggesting shooting suspect tied to Tea Party

ABC News and correspondent Brian Ross apologized Friday after Ross suggested on air that the Colorado mass shooting suspect could be tied to the Tea Party.

As the name of the suspect, identified as 24-year-old James Holmes, first emerged Friday morning, Ross reported on ABC News that he'd found a web page for a "Jim Holmes" on a Colorado Tea Party site.

"There is a Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colorado, page on the Colorado Tea Party site as well, talking about him joining the Tea Party last year," Ross reported.

He added: "Now we don't know if this is the same Jim Holmes, but it's Jim Holmes of Aurora, Colo."

That man is not the same Jim Holmes. The Colorado Tea Party Patriots, whose website Ross was looking at, put out a statement criticizing Ross for even floating the possibility -- noting the Jim Holmes with the Tea Party group is 52 years old and not the same person...

And in case you'd forgotten who ABC hired as their chief political analyst, here is a sample of his work product...

Matthew Dowd Remains a Fundamentally Ridiculous Person

(Update Note: Mr. Dowd has now deleted his original tweets because transparency and accountability  bitches!   However, thanks to the miracle of screenshot technology I have preserved them here for posterity.)

I think the word that ABC's chief political analyst is struggling not to say is "uppity".

up·pi·ty

ˈəpətē/

adjective

informal

1. self-important; arrogant.

Because here are a couple of excerpts from President George Washington's farewell address...

And, of course, there was this...

Credit for locking up The Talented Mr. Kristol appears to go to the very-nearly-post-pubescent Mr. Jonathan Greenberger --

Jonathan Greenberger, executive producer of "This Week," said in a statement Kristol is "an original thinker" that will make their team stronger:

“Bill makes our outstanding team of contributors and analysts even stronger. He’s an original thinker with a unique perspective on the political and cultural landscape, and we look forward to hearing his voice on the 'This Week' roundtable on a regular basis."

-- who, in 10 short years, has somehow gone from being the editor of his college's Student Life newspaper -- 

-- to having enough firepower at ABC News to hire one of the most demonstrably awful human beings on Earth for yet another turn in front of the cameras...

If any one of these men had gotten too grabby with a colleague they'd be unemployed tonight.

But so far as we know, the only thing they're guilt of is sucking badly at the one job they're being paid to do.  Which, in American political journalism, is not a firing offense.

Funny old world.

Behold, a Tip Jar!