Our eagle-eyed archivists at MRC who record live network coverage thought it was curious that ABC and CBS weren't joining in as NBC offered live coverage of today's memorial service for the dead and wounded at Fort Hood. As The Wall Street Journal reported:
Camouflage-clad soldiers snapped to a salute as the national anthem played, and many murmured along when Gen. George Casey uttered the words of the warrior ethos: "I will always place the mission first. I will never accept defeat."
A chaplain also spoke. But ABC and CBS were still running their soaps. When did they start live coverage? Just before President Obama spoke. When did they end? CBS jumped back out shortly after Obama finished. ABC held on for a few bars of "Amazing Grace."
These networks apparently had no concept of how this might look to the people who truly mourned the lost at Fort Hood. No prayers, no hymns, no national anthem, no chaplains, no generals. It's Obama and out.
This is hardly the way ABC and CBS covered the gaudy and overextended Michael Jackson memorial service in July. As the Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
Tuesday's live coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial service was watched by an average audience of more than 30.9 million people over the course of about three hours, reports Nielsen, which counted viewing on ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, Telefutura, Telemundo, Univision, CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Headline News, BET, E!, MTV, VH1, VH1 Classic, TV Guide Network, TV One and MUN2.
The pattern -- that dead and freakish celebrities are much more newsworthy than American soldiers -- continues. As Brent Bozell noted this summer: "On the night of July 6, ABC, CBS, and NBC, paid twenty times more attention to Jackson (more than a week after his death) than to the deaths of seven brave soldiers in Afghanistan."
—Tim Graham is Director of Media Analysis at the Media Research Center.




















Editor at Large
Comments Policy
Just the opposite of what I
November 10, 2009 - 19:10 ET by ThisnThatJust the opposite of what I did. Kept it on, then turned it off when obama appeared, turned it on again after he was done.
__________
"mmm, mmm, mm. Barrack-Hussain-Øbama↓." - The liberals coolaid drinking song
I caught some of his speech
November 10, 2009 - 19:51 ET by motherbeltI caught some of his speech while DH was watching the evening news.
What I noticed was that it sounded like every other speech he has given; it could have been the one one race, or the one in Berlin. He seems to me like a prepared actor, today in "solemn" mode.
The words were appropriate to this particular occasion, but there was no difference in his intonation or delivery, the cadence was the same as every other formal speech he has given.
Anyone else get this impression?
Second time not quite a charm.
November 10, 2009 - 20:05 ET by TomoramaI will never forgive him for his first speech he gave RIGHT AFTER the incident, BUT this wasn't a bad speech, but I agree, it was a speech and it had that type of cadence, where IT LACKED EMOTION.
Bush for all his faults speaking, you could TELL he was sincere and heartfelt when he spoke on these subjects and not cold and distant like the great orator.
He made some great points in the speech and his remarking on FAITH not being a reason for murder was telling and I give him props for saying it.
A great man once said, YOU only get out of life what YOU put into it, he obviously wasn't a liberal.
Re Lack of Emotion
November 10, 2009 - 21:32 ET by slickwillie2001You have to give the Bamster a break here, that was really a teleprompter entry error. When he is supposed to show emotion there is an entry on the teleprompter in [square brackets] that says 'show emotion now'. Somehow the clerk that puts Favreau's words into the machine missed the 'emotion prompt'. It's not his fault!
mb... I heard some of
November 10, 2009 - 20:05 ET by bigtimermb...
I heard some of after Rush was over, all I could stand of it that is.
If he didn't have the the teleprompter he would have given a 'Shout-Out' to someone there first...other than that, for me it was all monotone.
No real feelings...because he is incapable of them...plus as far as I'm concerned, he detests the military, past and present...just more face time and a must do thing by his advisers.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
bigtimer, I don't know if
November 10, 2009 - 23:20 ET by msh1973bigtimer,
I don't know if you all have talked about this, but the Bush's went in private to visit with the injured and talk with the families. They don't live very far from Ft. Hood. I thought that must have been really sad for them.
m73 & BT
November 10, 2009 - 23:22 ET by MrShyClass people who love and respect their country and their fallen soldiers.
mah I heard about that.
November 10, 2009 - 23:22 ET by Radical1979mah I heard about that. There were no cameras or photos at the Bush's visit. They are a class act.
mah I heard about that.
November 10, 2009 - 23:22 ET by Radical1979mah I heard about that. There were no cameras or photos at the Bush's visit. They are a class act.
Astonishing!
November 10, 2009 - 23:25 ET by MightyMouthI have not seen this reported anywhere! (doesn't mean it wasn't). You know if Bubba had gone the MSM would have been all over it!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
MM
November 11, 2009 - 00:22 ET by MrShyAbsolutely. The only thing the MSM cares about when it comes to Bush, is to write/report any slightest thing that helps to taint his name and legacy.
Good point Shy
November 11, 2009 - 00:28 ET by MightyMouthMaybe Dubbya should start driving around his Crawford ranch without his seatbelt buckled to grab some attention?
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
Lordy, lordy...I forgot all
November 11, 2009 - 00:37 ET by bigtimerLordy, lordy...I forgot all about that.
The msm was non-stop...no matter what, with seething contempt.
This world is completely upside down.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
MM & BT
November 11, 2009 - 00:52 ET by MrShyHelp me out... what was that one about? Did they scold him for being so straight-laced... that he wore his seatbelt? Or that he DIDN'T?
He was recently ridiculed/mocked for going to bed at normal hours and waking up early, or something.
Evil man, that Bush.
Shy
November 11, 2009 - 00:58 ET by MightyMouthThey had him on video on the ranch(private land) without his seatbelt on! I commented at the time they would next catch him running with sissors!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
Hi msh...we seem to hit and
November 10, 2009 - 23:27 ET by bigtimerHi msh...we seem to hit and miss each other...I did know about that and commented myself, I think you were one of them.
Nevertheless...their is a big difference between the two Presidents, one who truly cares...and another that really could care less.
...the proof has been in the pudding now...for all to see...no matter the msm Spin Machine.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
My impression is there is
November 10, 2009 - 23:30 ET by JerMy impression is there is absolutely nothing Obama could say--short of resigning the presidency--which would be favorably received at NewsBusters.
Jer
Resigning would do nicely
November 10, 2009 - 23:35 ET by BlondeBecause that man could bollix up "I'd like a vanilla ice cream cone".
Don't jump to conclusions, Jer.....elsewise (I presume you're a white man) you'll be accused of acting stupidly....well, except for the fact that Bamster doesn't know all the facts, except when he doesn't really know them, then he tells us not to overreact.
Oh yeah, and he takes his photographers and PR crews to visit the families of the returning war dead, and of course, only one of the families cares to allow him a photo op, and then we see it on the front page.
And his DITHERING.....going on three months.
I WANT A FREAKING APOLOGY FROM THIS MORON....as he called me a tea-bagger an an extremist in his little chat to the democrat party before the stupid health care vote.
Defend him at your peril, Jer.
He works for us, not the other way around. We are not his subjects...and he better get that clear in his narcissist brain. Soon.
I hope he fails, too.
No response, Jer?
November 11, 2009 - 00:41 ET by BlondeBecause I think you know me well enough to understand how totally offended I am by this person who holds the title of POTUS.
He's a cruel, cruel joke.
I hope he fails, too.
These fellas.
November 11, 2009 - 00:48 ET by MrShyThese fellas.
Here are those fellas with
November 11, 2009 - 01:31 ET by Scuba DudeHere are those fellas with the appropriate sound.
LOTUS has shown again and again he is not up to nor was he EVER qualified to be President. I wouldn't trust him and his minions running a lemonade stand.
The Obama Administration: THE most fiscally irresponsible Administration EVER
Blonde...
November 11, 2009 - 01:32 ET by JerYou appear to be spoiling for a fight. I'm not. Or to put it differently: My impression is there is absolutely nothing I could say in defense of Obama that would meet with a favorable reaction from you.
By the way, when and how exactly did he refer to you as an "extremist" and a "tea bagger"?
Jer
He said it right
November 11, 2009 - 01:50 ET by Scuba DudeHe said it right here:
"Mr. Obama, during his private pep talk to Democrats, recognized Mr.
Owens’s election and then posed a question to the other lawmakers.
According to Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who supports the
health care bill, the president asked, “Does anybody think that the
teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring
down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit” Democratic voters “and it will encourage the extremists.”"
The Obama Administration: THE most fiscally irresponsible Administration EVER
Thanks Scuba... It's
November 11, 2009 - 02:37 ET by JerThanks Scuba...
It's virtually impossible to extrapolate from the quoted excerpt the precise message Obama intended to convey. But I suspect it relates to the anxiety felt by a number of Democrats with regard to the sentiments of independent voters during the next election cycle.
Assuming that to be so, Obama's probable point is that this particular sector of independents would not be favorably influenced by a "no" vote on health reform under any circumstances, and that a more sensible strategy would involve candidates appealing to (and expanding) the potentially broader base--including Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents--who endorse it and other administration policies, rather than making futile gestures to an implacable constituency whose support isn't even in play.
He's not calling Republicans--mainstream party loyalists, moderates and conservatives--"extremists". The term, fairly or unfairly, is more likely being associated with anti-government independents.
Jer
You got that right
November 10, 2009 - 23:44 ET by bigtimerYou got that right Jer...especially after doing this.
How self-serving and shallow can one be for all to see...even you leftists.
Proof was in the pudding that day Jer...he told us all we need to know about him...it took him about two and a half minutes or more when he was supposed to 'Address the Nation' as the msm billed it previoulsy, breathlessly as always, to get to the point...the main subject...you know the DEATHS of 13 Military people...that KEEP THIS COUNTRY AND his arse SAFE!
He was busy giving 'shout-outs' instead for those two and half minutes...and the msm omitted this later, edited it, as if millions of us didn't see what really happened.
He is the definition of Empty-Suit....he's the Perfect Fit.
You think I give a rats rear what he has to say now..today after that performance....are you kidding?
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
BT, others
November 11, 2009 - 00:43 ET by MrShyTHIS MAN -- a Muslim, a Kenyan, a radical leftist, a true-blue socialist/Marxist, a no-nothing narcissist (take your pick... or 2 or 3... or heck, all of them) -- is a complete disgrace and embarrassment to this great nation. Sadly, when looking back on it's history (should this republic survive his attempted destruction of it) he will be listed as one of our Presidents.
Shy... The Republic will
November 11, 2009 - 00:50 ET by bigtimerShy...
The Republic will survive.
We need to rid the scum that is suffocating the pond...and we will.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
"My impression is there is
November 10, 2009 - 23:46 ET by MightyMouth"My impression is there is absolutely nothing Obama could say--short of resigning the presidency--which would be favorably received at NewsBusters."
And a little more than half the country! (depending on the poll you like) Hopefully that wont happen because of the "Biden Factor"! Even Obama would not subject the country to Biden! (one would hope).
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
The Verdict of History...
November 11, 2009 - 00:08 ET by JerWashington: The Father of our Country
Lincoln: The Great Emancipator
FDR: Soldier of Freedom
Reagan: Conqueror of the Soviet Empire
Obama: He Saved America from "Joe"
Jer
Obama: He Saved America from "Joe"
November 11, 2009 - 00:14 ET by MightyMouthAnd what about the second heart beat = Pelosi!!!!!!!!! OMG!
Most voters can't think two moves ahead!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
→ Wish that was all
November 11, 2009 - 00:12 ET by Cool ArrowObama: He sold us into slavery, but 52% begged for it.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
One
November 11, 2009 - 00:15 ET by ACWman's slavery is another man's cure.
What the HELL does that mean?
November 11, 2009 - 00:16 ET by MightyMouth"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
It means you and your
November 11, 2009 - 00:23 ET by JerIt means you and your fellow 48 per centers are headed for that reindoctrination camp in Nevada, MM.
Jer
Well Jer...
November 11, 2009 - 00:33 ET by MightyMouthI was just wondering what he meant by "cure"...cure for what? Seems to me the "cure" is going to kill the patient.
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
MM...
November 11, 2009 - 01:15 ET by JerCan't help you. Maybe ACW will explain.
Jer
Jer
November 11, 2009 - 01:21 ET by MightyMouthYou just went up one notch on my credibility list! :-)
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
May I suggest you
November 11, 2009 - 01:52 ET by ACWponder that thought. I am sure you will make the connection eventually. At the very least it will keep you for continuing your endless empty headed post for a while.
Well apparently not!
November 11, 2009 - 02:05 ET by MightyMouthGrow up!
I don't suffer fools for long.
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
So you think of
November 11, 2009 - 02:10 ET by ACWyourself as insufferable ?
Well we agree on that much.
Careful, you are way out of your league.
Out of my league with you?
November 11, 2009 - 02:26 ET by MightyMouthYou don't even know that the one who doesn't suffer the insufferable is the one who is the sufferer!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
MM
November 11, 2009 - 02:29 ET by ACWYou can lead a "mouth" to reason but you can't make it think.
What a finale!
November 11, 2009 - 02:33 ET by MightyMouthI must now slink under my bridge having my ass handed to me by ACW. Good night!
"The bureaucracy is growing to meet the needs of the growing bureaucracy"
And
November 11, 2009 - 02:35 ET by ACWfarewell ...
→ I hear that.
November 11, 2009 - 00:23 ET by Cool ArrowThat is what disturbs me about Congressman Cao's vote.
Most people don't realize the Vietnamese communities of New Orleans completely rebuilt their own neighborhoods after Katrina in little more than a year.
Seems his other constituents, who adhere to a more nanny state rationale, are still waiting.
Does this mean second generation Vietnamese are better carpenters than other citizens of N.O?
Americans are addicted to pity.
LYDSEXICS UNTIE!
cool -->
November 11, 2009 - 00:41 ET by MrShyAmericans are addicted to pity.
How true. And really, with the "global village" being promoted ad-nausium, this addiction is everywhere.
ACW... Robbing Peter to
November 11, 2009 - 00:29 ET by bigtimerACW...
Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
Or paying Paul
November 11, 2009 - 00:37 ET by ACWto rob Peter.
There's no 'OR' in
November 11, 2009 - 00:59 ET by bigtimerThere's no 'OR' in this.
Period.
'Doubling down on stupid is not a particularly good idea'~Breitbart
JER you missed one
November 11, 2009 - 07:03 ET by jacktheripperBush the Younger: Kept us safe from MUSLIM TERRORISTS on the Homeland for SEVEN YEARS
Proud HillBilly from NNY
Sorry...GWB rates only an
November 11, 2009 - 07:37 ET by JerSorry...GWB rates only an honorable mention. True, the administration's anti-terrorism policies during those final seven years are to be applauded. Unfortunately, negligence during the first nine months preclude any chance of making the final cut.
Jer
So seven years of keeping
November 11, 2009 - 08:15 ET by NonanonSo seven years of keeping you and your family's butts safe only rates an 'honorable mention'? Do you really think the 9/11 terrorist attacks were conceived, planned, and carried out only after GWB was elected? It started during Clinton's term (as early as 1997) and his showing how weak he was on protecting the country. (In addition, we have all been told how now 10 months into Obama's term, Bush is still to blame for what is going on with the economy. How can it be both ways? Wasn't Clinton's fault but is Bush's? No one had flown jets into buildings before and wasn't expected, but several have done the things Obama has done and we all know the damage that they have caused every time they have been done.)
Likewise, Obama's first address concerning FT. Hood was almost an afterthought after chumming it up with his cronies then almost grudgingly spoke in the most un-emotional terms about 40 people under his command being wounded or killed. Then after his speechwriters had time to read polls and emotions of the public and penned a speech, he again reads it, saying some proper things but seeming almost to be punishment for him. And then to withhold judgement on the killer as opposed to quickly accussing the Cambridge officer of acting stupidly before knowing anything about what happened in that instance.
Obama has shown no inkling of doing the right thing on any of several fronts, so him saying (reading a telepromter) the right thing here or there is not enough for thinking, concerned American citizens. We will need to see solid action in the right direction before we will change our thinking on him. Afterall, we have the previous eight years of the liberals and Democrats showing us how we are to treat the President that we don't agree with. I'm sure most of us will never stoop to the levels they went to, but we won't give him credit until he earns it.
Disonorable mentions..
November 11, 2009 - 08:21 ET by Sergeant ROCKDoesn't Klinton's refusal to kill Osama when he had a chance deserve mention?
"I ask, Sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people. To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them."
George Mason
My impression is there is
November 11, 2009 - 02:41 ET by Dan The Man 2My impression is there is absolutely nothing Obama could say
Duh Vain One says many things, mostly lies, that he never means. I am looking at the actions and they fall short. There are many actions he could take that would thrill the NB community. We dont hold much hope for him or others.
Barry
November 10, 2009 - 20:27 ET by iveseenitallObama's a self-centered creep. It must have killed him to say the nice things he said about our armed forces. God bless those heroes and all the others who serve and protect us.
As for the MSM, we've come to expect nothing less than immaturity and ignorance. Sad.
P.S. Did you hear what Barry said about sending the troops to war?---he complained about how much it costs! What a nerve!
NEVER,NEVER trust a "liberal.
Satellite Radio
November 10, 2009 - 21:15 ET by jaywlOne advantage of Sirius is that I don't have to watch Obama speechify. As I drive alone I can even try to mimic the rhythmic da-de-da-de-boom, da-de-da-de-boom he so often uses. Kinda like singing along as you drive. Today I noticed the man has a Gabby Hayes affliction (showing my age). He can't avoid whistling his S'es (is that correct?). Today he was very bad and consistent, even whistling twice saying the word tests. That is hard to do. I bring this up as a way to occupy your mind when the man starts into the 321st rant on health care or warns the country again and again on the evils of our hasty conclusions (not his) or tells us again that all Muslims are good except that guy who just blew up a ----fill-in-anything-----. Get the rhythm down, try the whistling S, try two in a word. Pretty soon your mind will be a blank, your mind and his --blank. A Vulcan mind meld, but empty.
The Two Cases Only Prove That The MSM Have A Guilty Conscience
November 10, 2009 - 23:55 ET by The7SticksThe over-extended coverage of the Michael Jackson funeral was pretty obvious from the get-go: the MSM had a deeply guilty conscience of trashing a good man's name, like Michael Jackson's, in the mud by digging up false accusations that never were even proven in a court of his peers, much less possibly convicting him. The MSM realized they had blood on their hands by killing Michael Jackson. That's what mudslinging essentially does: it kills.
The same is true with the murderer at the Ft. Hood shootings. The MSM have a guilty conscience of causing this murderer to be influenced to commit the evil deed. They have blood on their hands in this instance as well: their influence was channeled into the murderer's motivation to kill our fighting men and women on our own soil.
Interesting comparison, though, but ultimately, the separate premises are cancelled out by the liberal guilt of the MSM. It can't be any simpler.
Your conclusion sucks. I
November 11, 2009 - 02:38 ET by Dan The Man 2Your conclusion sucks. I come to the conclusion that the SCM believes it can control the masses through its pablum. It puts out the Jackson crap while igoring the stuff important to the country, similar to what they ignored during the election.
The SCM wants to project a meme of Islam being a religion of peace but it doesnt work for the thinking person. I can see you are taken though.
Jacko's "good name"?
November 11, 2009 - 08:22 ET by SickofLibsOh brother.