Julianna Goldman spotlighted the latest ObamaCare glitch on Friday's CBS Evening News. Goldman reported that 800,000 people who "bought insurance through the health care website, and qualified for tax credits to help them pay...received inaccurate information on their tax forms." She also noted that "it's all reminiscent of last year's debacle, when the federal website crashed multiple times during its launch."
The same evening, ABC's World News Tonight aired a ten-second news brief on the "outrage over another glitch to the ObamaCare website – nearly 800,000 people received inaccurate forms from the site." However, Friday's NBC Nightly News ignored this story completely. Instead, the evening newscast hyped Rudy Giuliani "doubling down" over his recent remark that "the President of the United States doesn't love America," as anchor Lester Holt put it. [videos below]
Anchor Scott Pelley led into Goldman's report by underlining that "there was stormy weather today for ObamaCare – and this time, it was self-inflicted. The federal health care website sent bad tax information to folks who get government subsidies to help pay their premiums." The correspondent detailed the glitch, and briefly touched on the political fallout:
JULIANA GOLDMAN: Scott, we're talking about 800,000 people who are affected. These are the people who bought insurance through the health care website, and qualified for tax credits to help them pay. Now, the administration says they received inaccurate information on their tax forms, and they should wait before filing their returns. Officials say they need time to sort out the mistakes. They're calling and e-mailing those affected. But making this even more complicated is that roughly 50,000 have already filed their taxes.
The government says they should be ready with the correct information by early next month, but it's all reminiscent of last year's debacle, when the federal website crashed multiple times during its launch. And Scott, Republicans are already pouncing. You can expect they'll be adding this to the list of reasons they say the law should be repealed.
The CBS Evening News segment was nearly seven times the length of anchor David Muir's news brief on the development on ABC's World News Tonight:
DAVID MUIR: Outrage over another glitch to the ObamaCare website – nearly 800,000 people received inaccurate forms from the site. Those who already filed taxes with those forms will likely have to file again now.
Neither CBS nor ABC covered the Giuliani controversy on the evening newscasts.
On NBC Nightly News, Holt previewed correspondent Chris Jansing's report at the top of the broadcast: "Doubling down – Rudy Giuliani going even further in his claims President Obama doesn't love America. Tonight, the White House fires back." The anchor reused much of the same language as he led into the segment: "Facing a storm of controversy over his assertion that the President of the United States doesn't love America, the former mayor of New York, Rudy Giuliani, isn't backing down. In fact, he's doubling down – and the White House is hitting back hard."
Jansing also used the "doubled down" term, and played up the apparent reaction to the former New York City's comments:
CHRIS JANSING (voice-over): The man once known as America's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, now the target of a biting attack from the White House.
JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY (from press briefing): It's sad to see when somebody who has attained a certain level of public stature, and even admiration, tarnishes that legacy so thoroughly.
JANSING: The backlash growing, after Giuliani said Wednesday night, 'I do not believe that the President loves America.' Then last night on Fox, doubled down.
RUDY GIULIANI (from Fox News Channel's "The Kelly File"): I'm right about this. I have no doubt about it. I do not withdraw my words. I do not detect in this man the same rhetoric and the same language – the same love of America – that I detected in other American presidents, including Democrats.
JANSING: But today, at a meeting of the Democratic National Committee, the President used this language.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: It's about making this nation we love more perfect.
JANSING: The White House denies that was a response to Giuliani – though the hashtag 'ObamaLovesAmerica' was started by the White House, and was Tweeted more than 54,000 times in 24 hours – with comments from both sides. And the President's spokesman wasn't done.
EARNEST: I think, really, the only thing that I feel, is I feel sorry for Rudy Giuliani today
JANSING (on-camera): There are now calls for Rudy Giuliani to apologize. But I just spoke with him. He told me he absolutely will not apologize for saying what he truly believes. He also said he never intended to question the President's patriotism.
