CBS Finally Covers NPR Scandal...On 4 A.M. News Program
Following the March 8 release of an undercover sting video of NPR executive Ron Schiller calling Tea Party members "racist," CBS initially gave no coverage to the ensuing scandal and resignations of him and NPR President Vivian Schiller. However, it turns out that the controversy was covered by a CBS News broadcast, the barely-watched 4 A.M. Morning News.
On Thursday's CBS Evening News, anchor Katie Couric did a news brief on House Republicans voting to de-fund NPR: "Republicans say NPR does well enough to fund itself, but Democrats say a cutoff of federal money would cripple some 600 public radio stations." She failed to make any mention of the scandal that preceded the vote.
On the March 10 CBS Morning News at 4 A.M. ET, anchor Betty Nguyen did only a slightly longer news brief on the release of the sting video:
4:11AM ET
BETTY NGUYEN: National Public Radio is under renewed fire from conservatives this morning following the release of hidden camera video of an NPR executive deriding Tea Partiers. The same video prompted NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller to resign on Wednesday. Now, in the video, NPR's Ron Schiller, no relation to Vivian, is fooled into believing he is speaking to representatives of a Muslim group about Tea Party conservatives.
RON SCHILLER: They believe in sort of white, Middle America, gun-toting, and it's – it's scary. They're – they're seriously racist, racist people.
NGUYEN: He goes on to say NPR would be better off without federal funding, a goal conservatives have sought for decades. Ron Schiller also resigned from NPR.
So CBS clearly new about the scandal, but felt it was only worth a 4 A.M. news brief rather than a full story on one of its more-watched newscasts. Something both NBC and ABC found time to do.
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Comments
really makes no difference whether CBS covered the story:
Submitted by thescoots on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 12:12pm.
no one watches CBS news anymore...save a few elderly folk without cable tv...so really...What difference does it make what news stories CBS covers? If a tree falls over in the forest...and no one hears or sees it...did it really happen? I understand the point of obvious and total bias...but what overshadows it is the absolute irrelevence of CBS News. Their audience is literally dying before their very eyes....what keeps CBS alive is pro football and college basketball...If they lose those...the life support is unplugged.That is so true.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 12:48pm.
I think one of the unreported culture stories is how few Americans watch TV any more. The combined audience of the Big 3 newscasts is almost 8% of the country. CBS gets less than 2% watching.It is true that much of CBS' audience is elderly without cable. The CBS local stations seem to have the strongest signals that can be easily picked up by antenna.
Well, now they can say they
Submitted by gopsteve on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 12:17pm.
Well, now they can say they "covered" itCBS is just trying to help
Submitted by sherlock1 on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 1:03pm.
CBS is just trying to help because the 4am slot is another one of those under-served markets that NPR is so critical to.Movin' on up.................
Submitted by Tomorama on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 2:12pm.
Betty is one of my favorite newsies, she used to be on CNN, so this is a step up........
STOP LAUGHING EVERYONE.........................
Yep, they covered it, sound of hands being wiped clean................
They wanted to cover it,,,
Submitted by brutony1 on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 5:15pm.
Before the new broadcast of "Perspectives", remember that? SNL used to lampoon that, but it was a real show on local NY channel 4 WNBC at about 4:45 AM, and of course, it fulfilled their minority requirements-great time for it, guys!When will liberals WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE! -Me
You would think this girl,
Submitted by Thoreau on Fri, 03/18/2011 - 7:41pm.
You would think this girl, who's a hybrid american/vietnamese, that was in fact rescued from the communists in Vietnam- would have some kind of back bone. Some kind of loyalty to the Country that saved her from becoming a bullet cushion or a dog treat. But no. She carries water for the same people that were trying to kill her in Vietnam. She makes me sad. I hope it's just because she's ignorant and stupid, and not because she's evil. There's just no excuse for her working there. It's sickening.