Nets Embrace 'Respected' Lugar on Iraq as 'Tipping Point' and 'Turning
The network anchors have found their new favorite Republican: Senator Richard Lugar, whose call for a change in policy direction on Iraq led the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts on Tuesday. Referring to Lugar's remarks Monday night on the Senate floor which were later echoed by Republican Senator George Voinovich, ABC anchor Charles Gibson engaged in some hyperbole as he teased: “Tonight, a…
CBS Frets Over Supreme Court's Turn to Right, ABC Rues Campaign Financ
The Supreme Court on Monday issued two rulings related to free speech, but CBS was more concerned by the court's move “to the right,” while ABC deplored the impact of the ruling striking down of a ban on advocacy advertising 60 days before an election. In the other case, the court upheld the right of school officials to ban student signs advocating illegal behavior. Substitute CBS Evening News…
NBC News: 'Ugly Emotions' on Illegal Immigration Being 'Fanned' by Rus
On Sunday's NBC Nightly News, reporter John Yang distorted Pat Buchanan's point about the level of crime committed by illegal immigrants as he impugned Rush Limbaugh for helping to “fan” such “ugly emotions.” Previewing the expected Senate vote Tuesday on whether to revive the immigration bill, Yang asserted that “the outcome is uncertain, largely because of the heated debate over how to treat…
Media Ignore Theft of Arafat’s Nobel Peace Prize, Downplay Palestini
On Saturday, NewsBusters asked two important questions: “Will Media Report Palestinians Fleeing Gaza For Israel,” and will they address the theft of Yasser Arafat’s Nobel Peace Prize by Hamas looters? At this point, the answer to the latter is a resounding “No.” The answer to the former is “Not much.”To be more specific, extensive searches of Google News and LexisNexis have identified that no…
Only NBC Nightly News Squeezes in Mention of Flag Day
Of the three broadcast network evening newscasts on Thursday, only the NBC Nightly News mentioned that it was Flag Day. But not until the very last seconds after the final story. Then Brian Williams observed as he closed his program: “That's our broadcast for this Thursday night, which also happens to be Flag Day. Thank you for being with us. I'm Brian Williams. We'll look for you right back…
Brian Williams Concedes Bias as NBC Discovers People Opposed to Illega
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams conceded on Thursday's newscast that NBC has focused on the interests of those in favor of the immigration bill as he acknowledged “a lot of people” have a different perspective. A week after the immigration bill collapsed in the Senate, NBC got around to the other side -- but that's still sooner than ABC or CBS. With "Immigration Backlash" on screen,…
Nets Ignore 20th Anniversary of President Reagan’s 'Tear Down This W
Was it the most important speech of President Reagan’s life? Who knows? But, on the 20th anniversary of the moment many historians believe signaled the beginning of the end of the Cold War, none of the broadcast evening news programs bothered to even mention it.Not one.Instead of covering the anniversary of President Reagan’s demands in front of the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin, Germany, for…
Katie Couric Contradicts College Commencement Address Four Days Later
Are you sick and tired of Paris Hilton and all the attention given to this wealthy debutant when there are so many more important issues facing the nation?Well, if so, you’re in good company, for in a commencement address at Williams College last Sunday, CBS “Evening News” anchor Katie Couric accurately stated that this “fluff…can rot your mind and distort your values.”Yet, just four days later,…
