Over the past several days, the broadcast networks and CNN have shown a blatant double standard in showing more interest in a concealed carry holder who may have abused his right to self-defense by picking a fight with a man before shooting him, in contrast with several other cases from recent weeks in which gun owners more sympathetically used their weapons to defend themselves against unprovoked attacks.
Between Monday evening and Wednesday morning, CNN has spent a total of more than 24 minutes covering the story of MIchael Drejka -- a Florida resident who reportedly verbally harassed a woman who had parked in a handicapped parking spot at a convenience store -- who ended up shooting and killing her longtime boyfriend, Markeis McGlockton, when he confronted Drejka and shoved him to the ground.
Drejka reportedly has a history of provoking similar arguments with others over the same parking spot, according to the convenience store owner who once before called police on him, so the case raises legitimate concerns about whether Drejka's actions should have legal consequences in spite of what state law may dictate.
So far, Cuomo Prime Time, New Day, CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin, and CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow have all devoted full segments to the case, with Early Start running a couple of briefs.
ABC has given the story more than 18 minutes, with World News Tonight covering it twice, and Good Morning America giving it attention on three consecutive days between Saturday and Monday. Nightline also devoted a segment to it.
CBS gave it exactly seven minutes, with its evening shows covering it on three consecutive days between Saturday and Monday, and CBS This Morning discussing it on one day.
And NBC gave it a total of almost 10 minutes, with Megyn Kelly Today giving it almost eight minutes, and the NBC Nightly News almost two minutes, both on Monday.
By contrast, when it was reported the first week of July that a woman in Dallas used a gun to prevent her child from being taken in a carjacking, CNN only gave it less than three minutes as CNN Newsroom with Poppy Harlow gave it two briefs of a half minute each, and Early Start gave it two briefs that were under a minute each.
NBC gave the story a total of a little more than three and a half minutes as the NBC Nightly News and the Today show each gave it a full report. ABC only gave it a 21-second brief as CBS ignored it entirely.
The second week of July, Fox and Friends interviewed a waitress who used her concealed weapon to ward off an angry customer after he punched her manager in the face, but all the other networks ignored the story, even though the incident was caught on surveillance video.
And, just over the weekend, FNC ran a brief on the surveillance video of a pawn shop owner in Utah who used a gun to fight off two armed robbers -- a story which was also ignored by the other networks in spite of video being available.
