On Friday evening, the NBC Nightly News caught up with CNN in highlighting a couple of teenage environmental activists who are promoting an alarmist agenda against global warming while encouraging students to skip school to pressure adults into taking action on the issue. The CBS Evening News also gave the protests a 17-second brief.
Anchorman Lester Holt introduced the one-sided report: "Students took to the streets today in this country and far beyond, calling on our leaders to do more to protect the planet." No one makes the middle-schoolers prove they got an A in Science.
Correspondent Kelly Cobiella began: "Across America and around the globe, students today went on strike for the climate. ... Alexandria Villasenor is just 13 years old, and has been on strike for nearly four months after seeing Swedish teen, Greta Thunberg, calling out world leaders."
Then came a clip of 15-year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg speaking at an event: "You say you love your children above all else, and yet you are stealing their future in front of their very eyes."
Cobiella then returned to Villasenor's activism as the NBC reporter continued: "Alexandria helped organize the protests across the U.S."
The NBC correspondent added: "And to the adults who say these kids should stay in school?" The seventh grader oozed with disdain: "Adults didn't do anything to prevent this, so they shouldn't be telling us that. If enough youth keep striking, going out into the streets, having civil disobedience, we'll get the action that's needed."
Cobiella concluded: "Whatever it takes, they say, to save their future."
How much might that be? NBC didn't report "Their demands are uncompromising: Nations must commit to cutting fossil-fuel emissions in half in the next 10 years to avoid catastrophic global warming." How drastic will the "solutions" have to be on the American people and the American economy? Apparently, all that matters is striking a pose for the TV cameras.
Over on the CBS Evening News, anchorman Jeff Glor read a brief, hyping the number of participants (on behalf of leftist groups, your usual "organizers estimate" hype):
Hundreds of thousands of students skipped class today to protest against government inaction on climate change. They used social media to organize demonstrations in all 50 states in more than 100 countries. The student strikes were inspired by a Swedish teenager's protest last year.
