ABC & NBC Focus on Exxon Profits, Skip How Government Gets More in Tax

The broadcast network evening newscasts on Thursday night hyperventilated over “record” profits for ExxonMobil, but failed to point out how government taxes exceed oil company earnings. ABC even fretted about how much ExxonMobil “spent rewarding shareholders,” though it was less than the federal government took in taxes, and NBC excoriated the company for “cashing in” at 9.5 cents per dollar. “…

What's a Billion Between Adversaries? CBS Overreports Exxon Profits In

Katie Couric And Tim Russert's Gloomfest On Today

Networks Ignore How Big Government Rakes In More than Big Oil

All three network morning shows played the envy card Thursday morning, as they hyped the “record high profits” and “corporate greed” of American oil companies. High on their agenda: ExxonMobil’s announcement of $8.4 billion in profits, which the networks implied was scandalous given the high price of oil.But unstated in the network coverage was the fact that the U.S. government took in more than…

Good Morning America Hypes the Pain at the Pump, Ignores China

Meredith Vieira “Peeved” at Bush, Calls America a “Gas Guzzling

Meredith Vieira just can’t help herself. The View co-host will soon be taking over for Katie Couric on the Today show. One would think that she would try and reign in her bias. Apparently not, as she opened the April 26 edition of The View with another attack on President Bush: Vieira: "...I’m a little peeved when I hear the President say there’s not much we can do about this, folks. According…

Geraldo Calls Oil Company CEOs Pirates

Media Attack Executive Pay, Hide Effort to Seal Their Own Compensation

Networks focus on ‘staggering’ pay and pensions for Exxon and other corporate CEOs, even as media companies fight SEC rule on disclosing high salaries.Free Market ProjectGas price rage has blended with executive pay rage recently, since the media have been bashing ExxonMobil’s departing CEO, Lee Raymond, for his pay and pension package. “Runaway pay,” said NBC’s Brian Williams on April 20,…

CBS Hypes Gouging, NBC Focuses on Fears of Greens & ABC Rejects Libera

NBC's First Read Gets More Poll Numbers Wrong

CBS Weatherman Dave Price Once Again Enthusiastic Over Troop Morale In

CNN Solution for High Gas Prices: More Taxes

Tale of Two Titles: 'Today' Asks If There's Gouging, GMA Declares It E

Have a look at the two screen captures from this morning's shows. Same issue, different takes. Good Morning America is apparently sure that gas price gouging exists, and wants to stop it. 'Today' is agnostic, simply posing the question whether gouging is going on.But when you turn to the substance of the two segments, there was one consistency: neither show adduced any evidence of gouging. Not a…

Gregory on Gas: Surprising Voice of Reason