In a report out Thursday, the Justice Department sided with a group of Asian-Americans suing Harvard University for what they allege is racial discrimination in the admissions process by setting higher standards for them. That critical DOJ report could help propel the case to the Supreme Court, but for ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News, it was less important than speculating about when Attorney General Jeff Sessions was going to be fired.
During the CBS Evening News, legal correspondent Jan Crawford treated the case with all the seriousness that it deserved. “In a 40-page legal brief, the Justice Department said Harvard ‘engages in unlawful racial balancing’ when selecting its incoming classes, siding with Asian-American students who are suing the university,” she informed viewers.
While Harvard denied the allegations, the Justice Department thought otherwise. “’Harvard's race-based admissions process significantly disadvantages Asian-American applicants,’” Crawford read from the report. “’[C]ompared to applicants of other racial groups.’”
“The filing was widely expected as the Justice Department targets affirmative action in college admissions on multiple fronts. Last month it reversed Obama-era guidelines that encouraged schools to consider race in college admissions,” she continued.
Doing her due diligence as a journalist, Crawford interviewed people on both sides of the affirmative action debate:
KELLY BABPHAVONG (Harvard student): Harvard really only cares about diversity when it comes to forming a class of X percent of people which we’ve seen is wrong. We can't set quotas on what percent of each race we admit.
(…)
MICHELLE TURNAGE YOUNG (civil rights attorney, NAACP): We have so many well-documented racial disparities in access to educational opportunities in primary school and secondary school. Colleges need to be able to have a way to take those things into account.
In wrapping up her report, Crawford noted that since the case was all but guaranteed to make it the Supreme Court, affirmative action could become another point of contention in the confirmation process of Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
This omission by ABC and NBC came after both downplayed the lawsuit back in early July. Both networks were up in arms when the Trump Justice Department reversed an Obama-era policy dictating that race could be used as a factor in the college admissions process.
ABC ignored the lawsuit against Harvard while NBC’s Hallie Jackson skipped over how they blamed affirmative action for the discrimination against them. “A group of Asian-American students suing Harvard University, accusing the school of unfairly giving preference to other racial minorities,” she said at the time.
Again, Crawford was the fair one. “In recent years, Asian-Americans have become vocal opponents of affirmative action, which they say holds them to higher academic standards than white and other minority students,” she said back then. “The Justice Department has agreed to help them challenge affirmative action policies at Harvard University.”
In addition, Spanish-language networks Univision and Telemundo also ignored the DOJ's report supporting the Asain-American students.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
August 30, 2018
6:47 p.m. EasternJOHN DICKERSON: The Justice Department weighed in today on a discrimination lawsuit against Harvard University. The suit claims the schooling illegally limits the number of Asians admitted, as Jan Crawford reports, the case could lead to another Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action.
[Cuts to video]
JAN CRAWFORD: In a 40-page legal brief, the Justice Department said Harvard “engages in unlawful racial balancing” when selecting its incoming classes, siding with Asian-American students who are suing the university.
“Harvard's race-based admissions process significantly disadvantages Asian-American applicants,” the Justice Department said, “compared to applicants of other racial groups.” The court filing comes as Harvard is fighting to avoid a trial in the 2014 lawsuit which argues the university holds Asian-American students to higher academic standards than white and other minority students. Allegations Harvard denies.
The filing was widely expected as the Justice Department targets affirmative action in college admissions on multiple fronts. Last month it reversed Obama-era guidelines that encouraged schools to consider race in college admissions.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: It always takes courage to speak up against injustice.
CRAWFORD: In recent years, Asian-Americans have become vocal opponents of affirmative action. Kelly Babphavong is a junior at Harvard.
KELLY BABPHAVONG: Harvard really only cares about diversity when it comes to forming a class of X percent of people which we’ve seen is wrong. We can't set quotas on what percent of each race we admit.
CRAWFORD: But civil rights attorney Michelle Turnage Young says all students would suffer without affirmative action.
MICHELLE TURNAGE YOUNG: We have so many well-documented racial disparities in access to educational opportunities in primary school and secondary school. Colleges need to be able to have a way to take those things into account.
[Cuts back to live]
CRAWFORD: Now, affirmative action could be front and center in next week's Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. He would be replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a key swing vote and had refused to end all affirmative action in college admissions. John?
DICKERSON: Jan Crawford for us in Washington. Thank you, Jan.
