The media-backed October surprise is finally here. In the 24 hours since the liberal Daily Beast posted an accusation that Georgia Republican senatorial candidate Herschel Walker paid for an abortion in 2009, the ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening newscasts devoted almost 21 minutes to hyping the allegations.
These same networks weren’t interested in a 2020 domestic abuse police video of Walker’s opponent, the radically pro-abortion Senator Raphael Warnock (D). But they can’t get enough of the charges against the pro-life Republican.
ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight on Monday and Tuesday offered the most coverage, eight minutes and 23 seconds. The CBS Mornings show and the CBS Evening News came in second with seven minutes and three seconds. NBC’s Today and Nightly News managed five minutes and 25 seconds. The total in just over 24 hours: 20 minutes and 51 seconds.
The networks made no mention of just how extreme Warnock is on abortion. As noted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on June 30, the Democrat refused to mention ANY restrictions he supports:
Warnock, by contrast, didn’t take a position when pressed on whether he’d support any limits to abortion if there’s a new legislative push to reverse the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.
And yet, on Monday’s Nightly News, Kristen Welker only mildly explained, “Incumbent Democrat Senator Raphael Warnock not weighing in on the controversy, but saying he has been a consistent abortion-rights supporter.”
On Tuesday’s Good Morning America, congressional correspondent Rachel Scott spun, “And the Democrat in this race, senator Raphael Warnock, is making it clear that he supports abortion rights. He's telling voters they have a very real choice to make this November.” Supporting abortion up to birth (a very unpopular position with Americans) is a little more extreme than simply being an “abortion-rights supporter.”
But on these shows, it was the Republican portrayed as having the extreme position. On Monday’s Evening News, anchor Norah O’Donnell warned, “Walker supports banning all abortions without exceptions in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.” On Monday’s World News Tonight, Rachel Scott alerted, “Walker opposes abortion rights in all cases, no exceptions.”
On World News Tonight, Scott huffed about Walker not answering her questions:
Today, he was ducking reporters at a prayer breakfast in Atlanta. It's clear Herschel Walker's campaign is trying to keep us at a distance. We tried to attend the luncheon that he is attending today. Well, his campaign kicked us off the property and moved us all the way across the street. We don't know if we're going to get any closer. We didn't.
Of course, since journalists on the networks aren’t asking Warnock tough questions, he has no need to hide from the media.
Almost 21 minutes of obsessive coverage in just over 24 hours. Journalists clearly think they have found the October Surprise that will sink the GOP effort to retake the Senate majority.
For more on how the networks are hiding radical Senate Democratic candidates supporting abortion up to birth, go here.
