Following the announcements from Republicans Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina that they will each be running for president, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC showed no interest in giving extensive time to either candidate during their Monday evening newscasts with a combined one minute and 10 seconds of news briefs devoted to the new 2016 candidates.
Clocking in with the least amount of time was the CBS Evening News with a scant 20 seconds on the entrance of Carson and Fiorina into the GOP field. Anchor Scott Pelley reported that “[t]wo non-politicians joined the growing field of Republican presidential candidates today” with Carson doing so “in Detroit, where he was raised.”
Citing his background as a neurosurgeon, Pelley capped off the eight seconds of coverage on Carson by touting him as “fierce opponent of ObamaCare.” Pelley then used the remaining seven seconds to highlight Fiorina as “a former CEO Hewlett-Packard and a harsh critic of Democrat Hillary Clinton.”
After Fiorina announced her candidacy on ABC’s Good Morning America, ABC’s World News Tonight made no mention of Fiorina’s appearance there and instead played a clip from one of her campaign videos. All told, World News Tonight offered the most time of the three networks at 29 seconds. Broken down for each candidate, 16 seconds went to Fiorina with 10 seconds for Carson (after a five-second introduction).
Anchor David Muir began by informing viewers of “the new faces joining the race for 2016” with Fiorina having “never held elected office.” In introducing the clip from Fiorina’s campaign, Muir noted that she “came out swinging at Hillary Clinton.”
On Carson, Muir correctly mentioned that he’s “the first African-American candidate for 2016” and is known as being both “a well-known neurosurgeon” and someone who’s “critical of President Obama's health care reform.”
Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News clocked in with a measly 21 seconds of airtime on the new candidates. Of those short seconds, 11 of those were devoted to Fiorina’s announcement as Holt brought up the fact that she previously ran for one of California’s seats in the U.S. Senate in 2010 and her being “the first official female GOP candidate for 2016.”
With only five seconds left, Holt transitioned to Carson by stating that “retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson also announced that he is joining the Republican field.”
In contrast, when Hillary Clinton announced her candidacy on April 12, ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News combined for a whopping eight minutes and 47 seconds of coverage gushing over the former First Lady’s decision to run for the White House (with the CBS Evening News not airing on the East Coast that evening).
The transcript of the brief that aired on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley on May 4 can be found below.
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
May 4, 20156:39 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Campaign 2016]
SCOTT PELLEY: Two non-politicians joined the growing field of Republican presidential candidates today. Ben Carson announced in Detroit, where he was raised. Carson is a retired neurosurgeon and fierce opponent of ObamaCare. Carly Fiorina is a former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a harsh critic of Democrat Hillary Clinton.
The relevant portion of the transcript from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on May 4 is transcribed below.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
May 4, 2015
6:41 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: In the Race]
DAVID MUIR: And now to the new faces joining the race for 2016, starting with former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina. Vying for the Republican nomination, she’s never held elected office and came out swinging at Hillary Clinton.
CARLY FIORINA [in campaign video]: She doesn't have a track record of leadership or trustworthiness. She's not the woman for the White House.
MUIR: Another Republican contender making it official now, Ben Carson. The first African-American candidate for 2016. A well-known neurosurgeon, he has been critical of President Obama's health care reform.
The news brief from May 4's NBC Nightly News is transcribed below.
NBC Nightly News
May 4, 2015
7:09 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: In the Running]
LESTER HOLT: The Republican side of the race for president got more crowded today with two more candidates jumping in. Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, who ran a race for Senate in California in 2010, became the first official female GOP candidate for 2016 today and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson also announced that he is joining the Republican field.
