On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, substitute NBC Nightly News anchor Ann Curry and reporter Mike Taibbi failed to identify disgraced outgoing New York Governor Eliot Spitzer as a Democrat, but on Thursday night Curry finally informed NBC viewers of the party affiliation -- a fact network journalists always consider relevant when a Republican gets caught in scandalous behavior. Curry set up a story on incoming Governor David Paterson by uttering the word she's avoided all week:
Now to the fast moving developments in the wake of the revelations that New York's Democratic Governor, Eliot Spitzer, was a client of a prostitution service. NBC's Mike Taibbi now with the man who's to take over for Spitzer on Monday.
But, reverting to her default conduct, in an item about the passing of very liberal ex-Senator Howard Metzenbaum, Curry never mentioned his ideology or party as she hailed his life as “the classic American success story” of a man who “always fought for the little guy, taking on the oil and insurance industries” while he “stuck to his populist principles.”
For the record, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric cited Spitzer's party on Monday and Wednesday nights while ABC's World News didn't until Wednesday evening.
The morning shows have completely blacked out the fact Spitzer is a Democrat. The closest NBC's Today show came this week was in this question from Meredith Vieira to Tim Russert on Thursday's show: “Let's talk very quickly about Governor Spitzer's resignation. He was a super-delegate for Senator Clinton. So she loses his vote. Beyond that, do you see any other fallout for the Democrats?” For more on Thursday's Today show, see the earlier NewsBusters posting by Geoff Dickens.
For a comparison of how the broadcast networks apply party labels to Republicans but not Democrats, specifically Republicans David Vitter and Larry Craig versus Democrat Eliot Spitzer, see the item from Rich Noyes, “MRC Study: Networks Always Label GOPers With Sex Scandals.”
On Tuesday's NBC Nightly News, Taibbi ignored Spitzer's political party but cited Republican Congressman Peter King's party as he described "Republicans threatening impeachment if he doesn't resign." Before video of State Rep. James Tedisco with an "(R-NY)" on screen, Taibbi also noted how "some Republicans in Albany would welcome" the move up by Lieutenant Governor David Paterson....
For more, check my March 11 NewsBusters posting, “For Second Night, ABC and NBC Refuse to Utter Spitzer's Party ID.”
For a rundown of Wednesday night coverage, check my March 12 item, “ABC Finally IDs Spitzer as Democrat, NBC Fails to for Third Night.”
Curry's short item on Metzenbaum on the Thursday, March 13 NBC Nightly News:
We learned today that former Ohio Senator Howard Metzenbaum has died. His life was the classic American success story. A self-made millionaire, his public career spanned nearly 20 years. And he always fought for the little guy, taking on the oil and insurance industries, often using filibusters to block bills. After leaving the Senate, Metzenbaum stuck to his populist principles, leading the Consumer Federation of America. Howard Metzenbaum was 90 years old.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
"Hell Freezes Over?"
March 13, 2008 - 20:32 ET by Chris NormanOf course Hell didn't freeze over - Global Warming, you know...
Well, that does it. Nothing
March 13, 2008 - 20:34 ET by ThisnThatWell, that does it. Nothing in life to look forward to anymore.
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If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Nah...Hell froze over a
March 13, 2008 - 20:41 ET by RickTaLifeNah...Hell froze over a little while back now...when my home state of New Jersey sent Lautenberg back to the senate.
I hope they got it right
March 13, 2008 - 22:26 ET by kgI hope they got it right. He's a Democrat-ic.
"Forget change, I want improvement!"
I GET IT...
March 14, 2008 - 04:51 ET by danybhoyI understand that pointing out that the MSM does'nt mention the party when a Dem is in trouble the way they do when it's a Republican, but all too often who cares? Think about it, NY Gov.Spitzer gets tripped up with high priced hookers, Detroit Mayor Killpatrick has all sorts of ethical problems that may end up being criminal as well, & don't forget LA Mayor Villaraigosa & his divorce because he thinks with the wrong head too often-& the woman who was reporting the story for Telemundo of his divorce never told the viewers that SHE WAS THE WOMAN that was the cause of his divorce.
All of these idiots are Democrats, & te MSM should say so, & when they put the banner with thier names, it should have a -(D), next to it. I get that, but I'm guessing that most people know that these corrupt politicians come from one party systems. A fat guy living in a studio apartment with no cable tv has a better shot of hooking up with any one of the SI swimsuit models then a conservative Republican does getting elected to any of the afforementioned political posts I've listed in my post. These are Soviet style states when it comes to political choice as of right now. Things are gonna have to get much worse before the people throw these Dems out.
"Some of us are wise, some of us are otherwise" Mark Levin
Death by a thousand cuts, or
March 14, 2008 - 07:13 ET by ThisnThat.. for the want of a nail, the war is lost. Why is this important? Because the MSM believes it can get away with it. And even though it may be relatively minor, one thing leads to another until you have total takeover. For example, today there are no Dims who do bad things. Who knows, maybe tomorrow.....
Photoshoping images to make your point will become reality
Conducting made-up interviews will become ok
Having sex in the Oval Office is just a "private" matter
Hillary's coronation will become inevitable
Obama has done all these wonderful things for the country
Cuba is utopia
The war in Iraq is lost -- until it isn't lost, then Iraq ceases to exist
The ACLU becomes a civil rights organization, and
Dan Rather only tells the truth.
The list goes on....
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If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
Staying on it
March 14, 2008 - 09:20 ET by KC MulvilleIn a way, I agree with you, since at first, it seems like a minor thing. But then one wonders why they do it in the first place ... and the reason is, it works. Constantly associating (R) with scandals, and refusing to associate (D) with scandals, pays off.
The last two elections were decided by razor-thin margins, and many of those voters likely succumb to all the media's biases. Every vote counts, and so, every media distortion counts.
The best way to combat under-the-table tactics is to bring the tactics above the table. Yeah, it gets repetitive, and seems like a waste of attention ... but I'd hate to see President Obama take office because a few voters in a swing state didn't realize they were being manipulated.
NBC back at no affliation for Spitzer
March 14, 2008 - 07:41 ET by PawpawNWhat a difference a day makes! NBC has now gone back to no party name for former Gov Spitzer. In fact, nothing in the HEADLINE news at the beginning of the show. Guess it wasn't as newsworthy as tapping your foot was-and he wasn't Gov of the what everyone calls the biggest govt in USA! Think that story and the page memos headlined their stories for 7 straight days! Of course paying for what now is called "paying to have them leave" is OK, oh that's right, it wasn't for 2 (R)s but for, oh, that's right, we don't know what party Spitzer was/is! Loved the overseas paper/TV that said Spitzer(R) in showing that he was on right of wife in photo, but it gave foreign people a different idea!