Broadcast networks ABC, CBS, and NBC have ignored a slew of radical bills introduced in Democrat-controlled state legislatures — a conspicuous move, considering the heaps of airtime they recently spent on Tennessee and Montana state lawmakers. However, of the five bills highlighted in this piece, only one received any coverage: a mere 23 error-laden seconds from CBS.
Minnesota: Protecting Pedophiles from “Discrimination”
Minnesota’s Human Rights Act, which prevents discrimination based on sexual orientation, contains language which specifically notes that pedophilia is not a legitimate sexual orientation. However, transgender Democratic state Rep. Leigh Finke has introduced a bill called the “Take Pride Act” (H.F. 1655), which would remove that language from the document.
How much attention has this bill received from the broadcast networks?
The bill also removes a line on the existing definition of "sexual orientation" that says: "‘Sexual orientation’ does not include a physical or sexual attachment to children by an adult."
Minnesota: Establishing a “Thought Crime” Database
Democratic State Rep. Samantha Vang recently introduced a bill (S.F. 2909) that would enable Minnesota’s Department of Human Rights to track “hate” incidents that do not rise to the level of a crime. The bill tasks the Department with creating a database of “bias-motivated incidents” regardless of whether the supposed transgressors have done anything illegal. This would essentially establish a thought crime hotline, and under this legislation, someone could wind up in a state database for accidentally “misgendering” a stranger.
How much attention has this bill received from the broadcast networks?
Washington: Granting Activists Custody of Other People’s “Trans Kids”
Washington State’s S.B. 5599 would permit state-approved shelters to house runaway children for months without contacting their parents, as long as the children are seeking “protected health services” — which includes both gender transition and abortion. Under this bill, the host homes would instead be required to contact Washington state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Liberty University’s Standing For Freedom Center noted that this legislation “does not specify how long the children can be kept from their parents,” but based on the language, it’s at least more than a month.
After a host home contacts DCYF, it must report to DCYF “about the youth’s participation in the host home program at least once every month when the youth remains in the host home longer than one month; and provide case management outside of the host home and away from any individuals residing in the home at least once per month.”
How much attention has this bill received from the broadcast networks?
Maryland: No More Felony Murder Charges for Anyone Under 25
The “Youth Accountability and Safety Act” (H.B. 1180) would prevent anyone under 25 years of age from being charged with felony murder. According to Maryland law, felony murder occurs when someone is killed during the commission of a violent felony — for example, running over a pedestrian while fleeing the scene of a violent crime. The Washington Examiner’s Byron York writes:
The bill, were it to become law, would prohibit charging anyone with first-degree murder in Maryland if the killing was committed when the killer was under 25 and the murder was carried out in conjunction with another serious crime — a combination offense referred to as felony murder. It would not matter how heinous a crime a, say, 24-year-old has committed or how aggravated the murder or how many murders were committed — the suspect could not be charged with first-degree murder.
How much attention has this bill received from the broadcast networks?
CBS contributor Kelefa Sanneh was the only broadcast journalist to mention this bill, which he did during a glowing January 15 interview with Maryland’s then-Governor elect on CBS Sunday Morning. During the segment, which featured the phrase “so-called felony murder,” Sanneh falsely claimed the bill applied only to “juveniles.”
Oregon: Abortion For Kids, Without Notifying the Parents
H.B. 2002 marks a radical leftward shift for Oregon on both abortion and gender experimentation treatments. The bill would grant abortion access to females of any age, including minors, and would force health insurers operating in the state to cover gender transition hormones and surgeries. From the Associated Press:
The parts of the proposal that have proved to be the most contentious have to do with minors. Under the legislation, doctors would be allowed to provide an abortion to anyone regardless of age, and it would bar them in certain cases from disclosing that to parents.
How much attention has this bill received from the broadcast networks?
The news media howl in protest whenever they catch wind of some socially conservative state legislation coming out of Florida and Texas. Consider the bizarre backlash against a Florida bill that prevented school teachers from talking about sex with third graders. Given that reaction, why would the broadcast networks suddenly go silent as Democrat-controlled legislatures around the country began passing radical, sweeping social legislation? Could it perhaps be that they know such laws are unpopular and might damage Democrats’ reputation nationally?
Methodology: NewsBusters analysts identified five bills introduced by Democratic state lawmakers in the past five months, and used a combination of Nexis transcripts and Snapstream keyword searches to identify any coverage they received from the big three broadcast networks. The study included all coverage from January 1 to May 1, 2023 on each network’s flagship morning and evening newscasts (ABC: Good Morning America, World News Tonight; CBS: CBS Mornings, CBS Evening News, CBS Sunday Morning, CBS Weekend News; NBC: Today, NBC Nightly News).
