MRC Watchdogs churn out breaking news on a daily basis. Don't miss Today's Highlights, where you can keep up with the top MRC content, whether it's the latest study on media bias, a glaring omission from the elitist media, or how the Big Tech companies are serving up the same leftist spin as the media.
Top Stories:
- Top CBS, NBC Shows Ignore Case of Actual Journalist Being Jailed by Actual Dictator
- Big Four News Apps Erase Don Lemon’s Grand Jury Indictment
- Finally, Some Journalisming! NY Times Front-Pager Exposes Epstein Ties to Clinton Machine
- January Job Growth Shocks Analysts by More than Doubling Expectations
Top CBS, NBC Shows Ignore Case of Actual Journalist Being Jailed by Actual Dictator
CBS and NBC Flagship Shows Completely Ignore Jimmy Lai's 20-Year Sentence — Top evening and morning programs on CBS (CBS Evening News, CBS Mornings) and NBC (NBC Nightly News, Today) provided zero coverage of pro-democracy journalist Jimmy Lai's February 8, 2026, sentencing to two decades in prison by the CCP-controlled Hong Kong judiciary — with CBS offering only a fleeting scrolling headline during a commercial break.
Actual Journalist Jailed by Actual Dictator Gets Minimal Airtime — While an "actual journalist" like 78-year-old Jimmy Lai faces what his family describes as a de facto death sentence for running a newspaper that defended freedom and accountability (after Apple Daily was forced to close in 2021), major networks largely skipped the story — unlike their intense focus on domestic cases involving figures like Don Lemon.
Media Hypocrisy Exposed in Selective Outrage Over Authoritarianism — ABC's Good Morning America gave the only notable segment among big-three morning shows (February 10), but evening broadcasts ignored it; PBS and niche outlets covered it more extensively — highlighting how U.S. networks prioritize narratives of "authoritarianism in America" while downplaying or erasing real oppression by the Chinese Communist Party, even as Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the sentence "unjust and tragic."
Big Four News Apps Erase Don Lemon’s Grand Jury Indictment
Big Four News Apps Shield Don Lemon from Indictment Scrutiny — Apple News, Google News, MSN, and Yahoo News collectively erased or buried Don Lemon's federal grand jury indictment (January 29, 2026) tied to the Cities Church riot, limiting coverage to just 8 stories — all from left-leaning outlets — and avoiding any headlines that mentioned the grand jury's probable-cause finding.
Misleading Framing as 'Arrest' Instead of Indictment — Rather than highlighting the grand jury's role in charging Lemon with conspiracy and religious-freedom violations, the apps' rare coverage fixated on a "simple arrest" by the DOJ, creating a softer narrative that downplays evidence and insulates the former CNN anchor from accountability.
Yahoo News Delivers Total Blackout, Others Offer Token Left-Leaning Coverage — Yahoo News completely ignored the story across its top 20 promoted slots (promoting distractions like dog breeds and clickbait), while the other three apps provided minimal, biased exposure exclusively through sympathetic left-leaning sources — exposing how dominant news aggregators act as gatekeepers to control narratives and protect favored figures.
Finally, Some Journalisming! NY Times Front-Pager Exposes Epstein Ties to Clinton Machine
Rare Accountability from the Prestige Press — Even liberal outlets like The New York Times occasionally deliver real investigative journalism on Democrats, as seen in its front-page exposé on Ghislaine Maxwell's key role in launching the Clinton Global Initiative — including budget input, coordination with aides, and arranging $1 million in funding — based on newly released Epstein files.
Media Double Standard Exposed — While broadcast networks have lavished over 1,000 minutes on Epstein stories since last summer (almost entirely focused on Trump connections), they largely ignored or downplayed the Times' major Clinton-related scoop: CBS and NBC provided zero coverage, ABC offered just ~20 seconds, and follow-up discussions (e.g., PBS's extended Epstein segment) conveniently omitted the Clintons entirely.
Strategic Media Monitoring Tactic — When a "prestige press" outlet like the Times breaks a damaging story on Democrats from the front page, the real test of bias comes next: Do the major networks amplify it? In this case, their near-silence on Maxwell's documented aid to the Clintons — despite heavy Epstein-Trump focus — underscores a clear pattern of selective outrage and uneven scrutiny.
January Job Growth Shocks Analysts by More than Doubling Expectations
January Jobs Report Delivers Major Beat — U.S. employers added 130,000 nonfarm payroll jobs — more than doubling economists' forecasts (55,000–70,000 consensus) — with private-sector growth surging to 172,000 and the unemployment rate dropping to 4.3%, signaling a stronger-than-expected labor market rebound.
Federal Downsizing Fuels Efficiency Gains — Federal government payrolls fell by another 34,000 in January (total drop of 327,000 since October 2024), hitting the lowest level since 1966 as a share of the workforce — proving that reducing bureaucracy can coexist with overall job growth and even contribute to broader economic improvement.
Solid, Broad-Based Progress Amid Prior Weakness — Despite downward revisions showing 2025 added only 181,000 jobs (far below initial reports), January's gains — driven by health care, construction, and declining part-time/underemployment — mark the strongest monthly increase since April 2025 and highlight positive momentum under current policies.
