All three evening news broadcasts Thursday ignored the United States Supreme Court ruling against the Biden administration's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and sharply limited its powers to regulate wetlands. It was a big win for property rights in the United States and a stinging defeat for the unelected bureaucrats at the EPA. Since that was the case, it's unsurprising that the "big three" evening news broadcasts of ABC's World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News would ignore the story.
Instead, news about a recent shark attack (ABC & CBS), and another segment on recently deceased singer Tina Turner (NBC) were the stories the networks thought were more important for their viewers to hear about.
On Fox News's Special Report, anchor Bret Baier briefly informed viewers about the victory for private property rights: "The Supreme Court is sharply limiting the Biden administration's power to regulate water pollution in a closely watched property rights case. The justices ruled 5 to 4 in favor of an Idaho couple over whether their land contained wetlands, subject to federal oversight."
There was more nuance to the case that the media wasn't taking the time to point out, as NewsBusters' Alex Christy reported earlier. The case wasn't decided by a 5-4 vote, instead, it was a unanimous 9-0 decision.
Baier was right that the Alito test which set a new standard for how and when the EPA can regulate wetlands was decided by a 5-4 vote, but the Idaho couple who were denied the ability to build on their land was decided by a 9-0 vote.
If the case went 9-0 in the other direction, the three networks would have covered it.
This bias by omission from the three networks was made possible by Chase on ABC, SimpliSafe on CBS, and Ensure on NBC. Their information is linked.
The transcript of the May 25 Special Report segment is below:
FNC’s Special Report
5/25/2023
6:05:59 p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: The Supreme Court is sharply limiting the Biden administration's power to regulate water pollution in a closely watched property rights case. The justices ruled 5 to 4 in favor of an Idaho couple over whether their land contained wetlands, subject to federal oversight.
