Leading With Deception: Networks Spend Only 28% of Somali Coverage on Fraud Scheme

This week, the major broadcast networks of ABC, CBS, and NBC have dedicated a stunning 22 minutes and 21 seconds to President Trump’s comments repeatedly slamming the Somali community in Minnesota as “garbage” and having “ripped off that state,” but only about 28 percent (or 27.7 percent) mentioned Trump’s remarks were in relation to a years-long welfare fraud scheme in Democrat-run Minnesota carried out by dozens of Somalis.

Put another way, only six minutes and 12 seconds were dedicated on the flagship network morning, evening, and Sunday political talk show newscasts to explaining why President Trump was sounding off on Somalis in Minnesota ahead of expected operations by Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE).

The scheme first resulted in indictments back in September 2022 and a New York Times story ran on Saturday about its fallout, but it took until Sunday’s edition of NBC’s Meet the Press for anyone to bring it up.

ABC News showed the strongest desire to engage in a disinformation campaign against the President and paint his comments as racist smears out of the blue. Only seven percent (6.9) of ABC’s coverage highlighted the context of Somalis being in the headlines, which broke down to a scant 25 seconds out of their six minutes and two seconds of overall coverage.

Their first mention on the December 2 World News Tonight was devoid of any context. Anchor David Muir asked chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce to elaborate on “President Trump lashing out at immigrants from Somalia. saying ‘I don't want them in our country.’”

Bruce continued to provide no context other than to say Trump was “increasingly going after Somali immigrants and now sources tell us that ICE is preparing for a surge operation in Minneapolis.” 

ABC engaged in this same spin cycle on December 3’s Good Morning America courtesy of co-host Robin Roberts and senior political correspondent Rachel Scott. The latter told viewers Trump was attacking Somalis simply because “does not want them in our country.”

The lone 25 seconds of honesty came hours later on World News Tonight during Bruce’s report on the ICE raids:

 

NBC was next with 24 percent (23.8) of its Somali/Minnesota coverage — or two minutes and 10 seconds — covering the welfare fraud that cost the state over $1 billion.

Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker had 59 seconds questioning Governor Tim Walz (D-MN) about why the fraud took place on such a massive scale while senior White House correspondent Gabe Gutierrez had a 10-second nod on the December 2 Nightly News and correspondent Maggie Vespa made up remaining 71 seconds over two reports on the December 3 Nightly News and December 4 Today.

Otherwise, chief White House correspondent Peter Alexander helped perpetuate on December 3’s Today the perception of Trump suddenly trashing Somalis from left field, calling it a “presidential tirade” during a Cabinet meeting.

CBS’s newscasts of CBS Mornings and the CBS Evening News represented genuine balance with over 50 percent (50.1) of its seven minutes and 13 seconds of Somali coverage explaining the backstory, which worked out to three minutes and 37 seconds.

That balance came thanks to CBS turning to Jonah Kaplan from their Minnesota affiliate WCCO for the December 3 CBS Evening News and December 4 CBS Mornings.

Here was report on the former that, while he gave room for Somalis to fret they were unfairly targeted, he started with the fact that the state was “reeling from a fraud scandal involving $1 billion siphoned from multiple federal programs during the COVID pandemic” with “87 people have been charged, 61 convicted, most of Somali descent”:

 

“According to investigators, the schemes involved bogus receipts and invoices for meal programs, housing assistance and behavioral health services, charging the state millions for services that were never provided,” he added.

He also ended with an emphasis on the Somalis playing Minnesota’s welfare system for suckers: “[T]he fraudsters allegedly stole the money and kept it for themselves and spent it on things like cars, houses, diamonds, and so much more.”

If anything, this exercise illustrated a news story where the Bari Weiss-led CBS News accomplished her desired goal of presenting the news accurately and fairly and fulfilling her core tenets of journalism she laid out when she took the helm of editor-in-chief on October 6.

For the others, this represented more of the same and a Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) that showed no signs of slowing down, facts be damned.