CBS Covers Oregon 'Pulling the Plug' on Health Exchange, But Omits 'Ob

April 25th, 2014 10:17 PM
Friday's CBS Evening News was the lone Big Three evening newscast to spotlight how the State of Oregon decision to scrap its multimillion dollar health exchange website, and join the federal government's HealthCare.gov. ABC's World News was too busy covering violence over spots at mall parking lots to notice, while NBC Nightly News zeroed in on baby Prince George's first trip to Australia.…

Sleazy: ABC Notes Sean Hannity's Support of Cliven Bundy, But Ignores

April 24th, 2014 9:48 PM
For the first time on their weekday evening newscasts, the broadcast networks picked up Cliven Bundy's standoff with the federal government – but only after Bundy's racist comments went viral and his conservative supporters denounced them. Amidst what NBC called a "firestorm," the networks made sure to tie Bundy to the conservatives and Republicans who sympathized with his cause, but were…

NBC (Again) Talks About Caroline Kennedy Supporting a Hillary Presiden

April 24th, 2014 9:10 PM
Thursday's NBC Nightly News decided it was newsworthy to air a Democrat's tentative support for a hypothetical Hillary Clinton presidential run. NBC's Chuck Todd pressed U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy on the matter. "Can you foresee yourself supporting Hillary Clinton in 2016 if she chooses to run?" Todd asked Kennedy, who reservedly expressed her support. "Because the last time…

Networks Continue to Ignore Obama Admin Considering Pardons for Thousa

April 24th, 2014 1:26 AM
The broadcast networks have still not reported a new Justice Department initiative that would consider clemency for thousands of drug offenders. As NewsBusters reported on Tuesday, Monday evening's news casts ignored the story while Fox News reported it. The broadcast network blackout continued through Tuesday and Wednesday. Fox News continued with the story on Wednesday evening as Special…

NBC Lets Critics Shred Georgia's New Gun Law; the 'Guns Everywhere Bil

April 23rd, 2014 8:42 PM
Wednesday's NBC Nightly News slanted steeply toward critics of Georgia's new gun bill, allowing them four quotes as opposed to just one for supporters of the bill. The state's legislation expands the places where citizens can carry guns to include bars, schools, churches and government buildings, with certain limits. NBC's Gabe Gutierrez opened his report quoting the law's critics: "It's official…

CBS, NBC Evening Newscasts Omit IRS Tax Cheats Getting Bonuses; Mark

April 23rd, 2014 5:27 PM
Tuesday's World News on ABC stood out as the only Big Three network evening newscast to cover a new "watchdog report" that found that the IRS "handed out more than $1 million in bonuses to employees who were delinquent on their federal taxes." Jeff Zeleny also pointed out how "more than 1,000 IRS workers, who didn't pay their taxes, received not only cash bonuses, but extra time off." [MP3…

NBC and ABC Feature Same Teenage Activist Supporting Affirmative Actio

April 22nd, 2014 9:27 PM
Reporting on Tuesday's Supreme Court decision that enabled states' voters to ban affirmative action, the NBC and ABC evening newscasts featured a soundbite from the same teenage activist who called the ruling "disgusting" and charged it is "creating a new Jim Crow." Both networks simply labeled Markeith Jones a high school student without disclosing he is an activist who recently marched…

Obama Admin Will Consider Pardons for Thousands of Drug Offenders; Net

April 22nd, 2014 12:43 AM
The broadcast networks gleefully reported the White House Easter festivities on Monday evening while ignoring President Obama's new plan to step around Congress and consider clemency for thousands of drug offenders.   On their evening newscasts, both CBS and NBC smiled upon Obama reading "Where the Wild Things Are" to children, with CBS capturing the moments using a photo album graphic. NBC's…

CNBC vs. NBC: Did Democrat Donor Influence Latest Keystone Delay

April 21st, 2014 10:52 AM
On Friday April 18, the Obama Administration announced yet another delay on whether or not to proceed with the Keystone XL pipeline. The Obama Administration’s decision came in the wake of a new ABC News-Washington Post poll which found 65 percent of Americans support the construction of the pipeline with only 22 percent opposed. Following the latest delay, NBC mostly ignored the story,…

Not All Presidential Offspring Equal: Newscasts Which Ignored Bush Pre

April 17th, 2014 8:27 PM
On Wednesday morning, December 12, 2012, Jenna Bush Hager, the daughter of former President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush, announced on NBC’s Today show that she was expecting. That evening, the NBC Nightly News allocated 33 seconds to the revelation while neither ABC’s World News nor the CBS Evening News bothered to mention it. Today (Thursday, April 17), Chelsea Clinton,…

Reefer Madness: Only 3 Percent of Pot Stories Mention Health Risks

April 17th, 2014 1:05 PM
As stoners prepare for their annual 420 smoking “holiday” on April 20, the broadcast networks have done little to educate users on the risks of their leafy drug of choice in spite of extensive reporting on state legalization of pot. Network evening news reported the growth and legalization of recreational marijuana in Washington state and Colorado. ABC, CBS and NBC evening news programs spent…

NBC Touts Bloomberg's New Gun Control Group After Lamenting Big Money

April 16th, 2014 10:08 PM
Wednesday's NBC Nightly News featured an overwhelmingly positive profile of Michael Bloomberg's new gun control advocacy group. That built upon the network's cheerleading of Bloomberg on Wednesday morning. Almost the entire story featured quotes from Bloomberg and supporters, with just one soundbite from the NRA. Anchor Brian Williams reported Bloomberg's $50 million pledge without a hint of…

ABC, CBS, NBC, New York Times, Washington Post All Skip RNC's Lawsuit

April 16th, 2014 12:16 PM
On Tuesday the Republican National Committee (RNC) filed a lawsuit against the IRS for that agency’s “illegal stonewalling” of the RNC’s request of documents related to the targeting of conservative groups. So far there hasn’t been one second of airtime on ABC, CBS, NBC’s Tuesday evening shows or Wednesday morning shows. The New York Times and Washington Post also have yet to devote even a…

Obamacare Stories Ignore Taxes, Penalties 88 Percent of the Time

April 15th, 2014 11:05 AM
The federal tax filing deadline has arrived. Tax season, when H&R Block commercials are as inescapable as news how-to segments about filing taxes, is nearly over. But there’s one big tax story the broadcast networks practically ignored this year: the Obamacare taxes that just took effect. The network evening news shows have aired 40 stories or news briefs that mentioned “Obamacare” or…