On Wednesday, it was announced that the Biden Department of Justice decided not to charge Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz on allegations of sex trafficking. This was the culmination of a years-long investigation into alleged wrongdoing by Gaetz. When the investigation was first announced back in March 2021, ABC's World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News were quick to report on the allegations and subsequent investigations. This is according to a NewsBusters review of network transcripts. Yet now that charges weren't forthcoming, only ABC's World News Tonight managed to cover the good legal news for Congressman Gaetz.
Instead of reporting on the Gaetz revelations, CBS & NBC decided to report on local weather forecasts. While CBS ran a story about Kansas City celebrating the Chief's Super Bowl win and NBC dedicated an entire segment to rare footage of the Titanic.
Meanwhile, ABC's World News Tonight exercised what the late-great Rush Limbaugh often called a "random act of journalism" by reporting on the Gaetz news. Fill-in anchor Whit Johnson reported how "lawyers for Congressman Matt Gaetz say the Justice Department has ended its investigation and he will not be charged."
"The investigation focused on the Florida Republican and his one-time political ally, Joel Greenberg, for alleged relationships with women recruited online. Gaetz has always maintained he did nothing wrong," Johnson added before going to a commercial break. All in all, the segment lasted a grand total of 18 seconds.
Fox News's Special Report also unsurprisingly reported on the Gaetz news with anchor Bret Baier announcing that "the Justice Department will not pursue sex trafficking charges against Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. That decision comes after the years-long probe into the allegations. Gaetz has maintained his innocence all along since it was first reported in March of 2021 that he was under investigation over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him."
This bias by omission from CBS & NBC was made possible by Ensure on CBS and Liberty Mutual on NBC. Their information is linked.
The transcripts are below. Click "expand" to read:
ABC’s World News Tonight
2/15/2023
6:47:46 p.m. EasternWHIT JOHNSON: Lawyers for Congressman Matt Gaetz say the Justice Department has ended its investigation and he will not be charged. The investigation focused on the Florida Republican and his one-time political ally, Joel Greenberg, for alleged relationships with women recruited online. Gaetz has always maintained he did nothing wrong.
FNC’s Special Report
2/15/2023
6:20:52 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: The Justice Department will not pursue sex trafficking charges against Florida Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. That decision comes after the years-long probe into the allegations. Gaetz has maintained his innocence all along since it was first reported in March of 2021 that he was under investigation over whether he had a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and paid her to travel with him.
