The Big Three networks continued to ignore the party affiliation of the now-incarcerated Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick on Friday morning, just as they had done in their evening news programs the previous night. The Early Show on CBS chose to ignore the story of Kilpatrick’s arrest on a bail violation entirely, while ABC’s Good Morning America devoted one 16-second news brief to the story near the beginning of its 7 am Eastern hour.
Ironically, NBC’s Today show, which is devoting most of its programming to the Summer Olympics in Beijing, spent the most time on the subject. It first aired a 12-second news brief just after the top of 7 am Eastern hour, and devoted an entire segment to the story at the beginning of the 8 am Eastern hour. The report by correspondent Ron Allen was just shy of 2 minutes long, but still ignored Kilpatrick’s Democratic affiliation.
The on-screen captioning in Allen’s report identified two others who had sound bites in the report -- the judge who sent Kilpatrick to jail and a member of the Detroit city council. But in the mayor’s sole sound bite, he was not identified on-screen.
Earlier this year, the Today show also neglected the party affiliation of Mayor Kilpatrick when news of his sex scandal broke. The February 1, 2008 CyberAlert recounted how co-anchor Ann Curry "forgot to note the party affiliation of the Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in her report on his recent ordeals."
The transcripts of the Good Morning America news brief and both items from the Today show:
ABC’s Good Morning America, from 7:06 am EDT:
RYAN OWENS: The Mayor of Detroit is waking up in a jail cell this morning. Kwame Kilpatrick violated his bond in a perjury case by traveling to Canada. And the mayor faces more legal trouble today. He's expected to be charged with assaulting a sheriff's deputy.
NBC’s Today Show, from 7:07 am EDT:
NATALIE MORALES: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick spent the night in jail after he violated the terms of his bail on earlier charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. He admits traveling to Canada without notifying the court.
NBC’s Today Show, from 8:04 am EDT
NATALIE MORALES: Detroit's embattled mayor woke up this morning behind bars after a judge sent him to jail for the night for violating his bond. NBC's Ron Allen is in Detroit with more. Ron, good morning.
RON ALLEN: Good morning, Natalie. Yes, the mayor was issued a green prison jumpsuit and a private cell -- the latest public humiliation for Kwame Kilpatrick, already facing eight felony charges, a sex scandal, and calls to resign from office.
ALLEN (voice-over): Inmate number 25330's mug shot had a slight smile. But Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's appearance before a judge Thursday was deadly serious.
KWAME KILPATRICK: Your honor, I'm asking for, you know, your forgiveness. It will never happen again.
ALLEN: Kilpatrick had been free on bail, awaiting trial for perjury, obstruction of justice, misconduct in office -- charges the Mayor denies. But he traveled to Canada on city business, he claims, without notifying the court, violating the terms of his bail.
JUDGE RONALD GILES, MICHIGAN DISTRICT COURT: The court is going to order that all travel be suspended, and two, that you be remanded to the Wayne County jail for processing.
ALLEN: Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff Christine Beatty were indicted in March, accused of lying about allegedly having an affair and their roles in the firing of two police officers who were investigating corruption. A local newspaper uncovered thousands of text messages between them, some very explicit. Both have denied having a personal relationship or any wrongdoing. Many in Detroit have heard enough.
KENNETH COCKRELL, JR., DETROIT CITY COUNCIL: And I hope we can draw this saga to a close soon. We have to.
ALLEN (on-camera): This morning, the Mayor faces more charges potentially. The criminal trial is supposed to start next September. But this morning, we're hearing talk of a possible plea bargain. And meanwhile, the city council and even the state's governor are looking for ways to remove him from office. Natalie?
MORALES: Ron Allen in Detroit. Thank you, Ron.
—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.
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Comments Policy
Then they wonder why their
August 8, 2008 - 13:56 ET by NewsbusterbrownThen they wonder why their audience keeps strinking.
“There are no easy answers' but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right.” - Ronald Reagan (1964 Republican Convention)
ALERT ALERT ABC Radio News and the Breck Girl
August 8, 2008 - 14:08 ET by Prester JohnTop of the hour news reported that Edwards repeteadly lied during his presidential campaign about the affair and fathering the child. I didn't hear all of it so I don't know if they noted Edwards is a Dem.
Is that a pig I just saw flying by my window?
Proof...
August 8, 2008 - 14:22 ET by unkeeafOf all the various forms of proof we have that our esteemed media is biased, none is more direct and obvious than their consistent party identification of Republicans in trouble versus the opposite treatment they give Democrats. This is something you could absolutely put a percentage against, unlike many other forms of bias which tend to be a bit more subjective.
Just an educated guess, but I'd bet Republican's in trouble are identified nearly 100% of the time (high 90's at a minimum), while Dem's are identified less than 30% of the time.
Any thoughts?
Ouch!
August 8, 2008 - 14:29 ET by AndyRThink of what this will do to the Obama campaign the minute this is reported that Kilpatrick is a Democrat.
Death by a thousand cuts
August 8, 2008 - 14:56 ET by KarmaSarcasm aside, AndyR, this will do nothing to the Obama campaign. Day-after-day, time-after-time, mention-after-mention (or lack thereof) slowly ingrains in the mind of the casual voter which party is associated with scandal. Tell me you didn't already know this.
Join the party
August 8, 2008 - 14:53 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsAP is on the bandwagon not naming his party here.
D
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
1 PARTY STATE...
August 8, 2008 - 15:52 ET by danybhoyThere is an effort to cover for Dems in trouble in the MSM, no doubt. If Kilpatrick were a white Republican, the MSM would go out of their way to tell you that.
But let's be honest, Michigan is under total control of the Dems, from top to bottom. This is a state that has been under the control of the biggest liberals & their failed policies, in concert with the unions that have ALWAYS gotten their way. Everything the left has wanted to do, they did it in Michigan, & look at th econonomic condition of the state. It sucks.
Kilpatrick is a corrupt failure as Detroit's mayor, America's 1st "Hip-Hop Mayor" should be the last one. Governor Jennifer Grandholm is a classic tax raising lib, Michigan's congressional reps are hardline leftists, like John Conyers, are doing what they can do continue & expand the very policies that have destroyed Michigan. They want to do for America what they have done for Michigan, that is something the GOP should tell America. Michigan, & cities like Detroit & Flint are nothing to be proud of from a political standpoint, & their stories need to be told.
"...it's still We The People, Right?" Megadeth
You're right...
August 8, 2008 - 16:07 ET by unkeeafMichigan is controlled by the Dem's, but the average swing voter doesn't know that. They don't pay enough attention to politics to know it. We're probably only talking about 30% of the voter base, but it's the 30% that turns elections. The MSM abosutely know what they are doing.
Re-write of the first few paragraphs of the AP story for (R)
August 8, 2008 - 16:45 ET by unkeeafAdded words in quotations:
"GOP" Mayor Ordered Jailed
The Associated Press
DETROIT
- A judge ordered "Republican" Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to jail Thursday for violating the terms of his bond in his perjury case by making a city business trip to Canada and not informing the court.
The "right wing" mayor, "an up-and-comer in GOP circles", is accused of lying under oath in a civil case and faces eight felony counts. He made the trip last month without telling the court in advance, leading the county prosecutor's office to request Kilpatrick be punished.
Only minutes earlier, the "Republican" offered an apology to the court, telling District Court Judge Ronald Giles that for seven months, "I've been living in an incredible state of pressure and scrutiny."
But Giles sent the "one-time GOP stalwart" to jail anyway, telling him he would have given any defendant the same treatment.
---- I majored in journalism, so I think this is pretty close to how it would have been written for a republican.
At least they don't call him "skinny"
August 8, 2008 - 16:46 ET by ElyasThen it would just be racist...
Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.
- Ronald Reagan
NEWSBUSTERS on Fox News
August 8, 2008 - 17:39 ET by ThisnThatAt 6:30pm today, Britt Hume's sit-in prominately gave credit to Newsbusters for documenting how AP and the Networks refuse to give the party affiliation to Dimocrats, yet pointed out how AP's headline included "GOP" last week for the Alaskian Senator Stevens, and mentioned Republican 7 times in its article, and GOP another 4 times.
Way to go, Newsbusters -- feeding data to the Cable networks.
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If you can read this, thank a teacher. If it is in English, thank a Soldier. - My barber
I have two questions and I
August 8, 2008 - 22:14 ET by CJK51I have two questions and I hope someone can answer them:
1. Has his honor resigned yet?
2. Do Morris Day and the Time know their wardrobe has been re-purposed?