Fox anchor criticizes ‘Nightline’

“Fox News Sunday” is jumping into the debate over ABC News’ “Nightline” roll-call tribute to U.S. troops who have died in Iraq, which aired last Friday.

Anchor Chris Wallace, who joined Fox from ABC News last year, said he was “offended” by the reading of the more than 700 names by “Nightline” anchor Ted Koppel, without putting them into the greater context of what has happened in Iraq.

“I take Ted at his word that he did not intend the show to be a ratings stunt or to make a political statement, but it seems to me that it worked out that way,” Wallace said Wednesday. Seven ABC affiliates owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group and three owned by Piedmont Television refused to air the “Nightline” broadcast because they thought it was an antiwar statement.

Wallace said his show will fill in the gaps this weekend with its own list, to run about five minutes, entitled “What We’ve Accomplished.” The program airs Sundays at 8 a.m. on KTTV-TV Channel 11.

“We’re in no way trying to say that there aren’t questions about the war, the way we went into the war and the way we’ve conducted the occupation,” Wallace said. “But there are some success stories, and if you want to pay tribute to [U.S. troops’] deaths, then let’s talk about what they died for.”

An ABC News spokesman declined to address Wallace’s comments directly but said, “It’s safe to say that ‘Nightline’ has done nothing but provide context as it covered the lead-up to war, the war itself and the ongoing aftermath.”