NBC on Monday spun the death of Tom Hayden, a ‘60s era radical activist who spouted pro-Communist propaganda, as an “enduring voice for progressive causes.” Matt Lauer simply referred to Hayden as someone who made “trips to North Vietnam,” but never described him as extreme. ABC’s Good Morning America also avoided such judgment. Only CBS This Morning referred to Hayden as a “radical activist.”
On the Today show, Lauer lamented, “We have some sad news to tell you about: Tom Hayden, the famed 1960s anti-war activist and former husband of actress Jane Fonda, has died.” Highlighting the activist’s later political career, the NBC host gushed, “He remained an enduring voice for progressive causes — including education and the environment. Tom Hayden was 76 years old.”
As a reference, Hayden led a commune he called the “Red Family,” referred to the Black Panthers as “our Vietcong” and derided capitalism as “the source of our ills. He blamed 9/11 on U.S. imperialism. Of course, none of these beliefs were mentioned on any of the networks. (For more on Hayden, go to DiscoverTheNetworks.com.)
On Good Morning America, Amy Robach didn’t refer to Hayden as a radical or even just liberal. Instead, she observed that “the '60s anti-war activist and politician has died.” She added, “Hayden was a member of the famed Chicago seven, organizing rallies at the 1968 Democratic Convention.”
Only Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning hinted at the man’s hard-left extremism:
CHARLIE ROSE: Tom Hayden, the radical activist and anti-war leader who married Jane Fonda, died yesterday. Hayden was involved in most of the major civil rights and anti–Vietnam War protests of the 1960s. He was one of the Chicago Seven.
However, the CBS graphic hyped his "legacy of activism."
Conservative David Horowitz documented Hayden’s work as an “outspoken American mouthpiece of the pro-Communist camp," adding:
During the war, Hayden traveled numerous times to North Vietnam, Czechoslovakia, and Paris to strategize with Communist North Vietnamese and Viet Cong leaders on how to defeat America's anti-Communist efforts. On one occasion, he and Jane Fonda took a camera crew to Hanoi and to the “liberated” regions of South Vietnam to make a propaganda film titled Introduction to the Enemy, for the purpose of persuading viewers that the Communists were going to create an ideal new society based on justice and equality.
In 1997, Horowitz wrote:
He came back from Hanoi proclaiming he had seen "rice roots democracy at work." According to people who were present at the time, including Sol Stern, later an aide to Manhattan Borough President Andrew Stein, Hayden offered tips on conducting psychological warfare against the U.S. He arranged trips to Hanoi for Americans perceived as friendly to the Communists and blocked entry to those seen as unfriendly, like the sociologist Christopher Jencks. He attacked as "propaganda" stories of torture and labeled American POWs returning home with such stories as "liars."
Viewers of the network newscasts, however, would only know that an “enduring voice for progressive causes” has died.
Transcripts can be found below:
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Today
10/24/16
7:16MATT LAUER: We have some sad news to tell you about: Tom Hayden, the famed 1960s anti-war activist and former husband of actress Jane Fonda, has died. Hayden passed away on Sunday after a long illness. He made headlines in the 1960s with his trips to North Vietnam and as a defendant in the celebrated Chicago Seven trial. But Hayden changed paths — winning elections to the California assembly and state senate, where he served for nearly two decades. He remained an enduring voice for progressive causes — including education and the environment. Tom Hayden was 76 years old.
CBS TM
10/24/16
7:18
CBS Graphic: A Legacy of Activism: Outspoken Anti-War Protester Dies at 76.CHARLIE ROSE: Tom Hayden, the radical activist and anti-war leader who married Jane Fonda, died yesterday. Hayden was involved in most of the major civil rights and anti–Vietnam War protests of the 1960s. He was one of the Chicago Seven, put on trial after the riots at the 1968 Democratic Convention. Hayden moved into Democratic politics during his marriage to Jane fonda, which ended in 1990. He served in California's legislature for 18 years. Tom Hayden was 76.
GMA
10/24/16
7:15AMY ROBACH: Tom Hayden, the '60s anti-war activist and politician has died. Hayden was a member of the famed Chicago seven, organizing rallies at the 1968 Democratic Convention. He then served as a California lawmaker and was married to Jane Fonda for 17 years. Tom Hayden was 76.
