Morning Shows Binge on Tabloid Criminal Trials: 56 Minutes vs. 7 for B

May 9th, 2013 12:29 PM
The network morning shows on Thursday went into tabloid overdrive for the Jodi Arias verdict and an abduction case in Ohio, offering a staggering 56 minutes of coverage. In contrast, NBC, CBS and ABC allowed just under seven minutes combined to hearings on the 2012 terrorist murder of a U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Libya. This is a disparity of eight-to-one. Good Morning…

David Gregory Claims Obama Administration Handling Of Benghazi Was Mer

May 9th, 2013 11:03 AM
In what could be seen as either ignorance or more likely denial of reality, NBC News's David Gregory seemed to minimize the severity of the potential cover-up following the September 11 terrorist attack on an American consulate in Benghazi, Libya.  Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe on May 9, the Meet The Press host simply claimed that the Benghazi talking points were merely handled by the…

NBC: Printable Plastic Guns A 'Game Changer,' Need for 'Much More Stri

May 8th, 2013 6:04 PM
Teasing an upcoming panel discussion on Wednesday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer proclaimed: "Today's Professionals are going to weigh in on what could be a game changer in the gun debate, a plastic pistol undetectable by most security systems that almost anyone can make at home using some modern technology." [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump] Fretting over details…

NBC and CBS Promote Michelle Obama's Year-Old Book With Softball Inter

May 8th, 2013 4:12 PM
On Wednesday's NBC Today, news reader Natalie Morales touted a "Today exclusive" with Michelle Obama, playing a clip of a "wide-ranging conversation" between the First Lady and Kelly Wallace of the NBC-owned iVillage website that amounted to little more than a friendly chat about current events and Obama's 2012 book, American Grown. On CBS's Sunday Morning, correspondent Lee Cowan conducted…

On NBC, HuffPo's Huntsman Turns GOP Win Into Dem Hope: Anthony Weiner

May 8th, 2013 1:25 PM
Appearing on Wednesday's NBC Today, Huffington Post contributor Abby Huntsman proclaimed that following Mark Sanford's win in Tuesday's special congressional election in South Carolina, disgraced ex-Congressman Anthony Weiner "probably slept well last night knowing that he can potentially come back, too." Co-host Willie Geist agreed: "Absolutely, absolutely." News reader Natalie Morales…

The Power of Media Bias: Most Americans Wrongly Believe Gun Violence H

May 8th, 2013 12:31 PM
The extent of the media's influence to shape public opinion was on full display in a new Pew Research Center poll that shows, even though gun crime has dropped by half since its peak in the mid '90s, most Americans (56 percent) wrongly think gun violence has increased. In an L.A. Times article that highlighted the poll, Emily Alpert posited "It's unclear whether media coverage is driving the…

Leno on CNN Reporter Robbed in Atlanta: ‘It Was on CNN So There Were

May 8th, 2013 11:11 AM
Jay Leno took a humorous swipe at the so-called most trusted name in news Tuesday. Commenting about CNN anchor Carol Costello recently getting robbed of her iPhone while walking down the street in Atlanta, the Tonight Show host quipped, “Unfortunately, it was on CNN so there weren't any witnesses" (video follows with commentary):

Tea Party to Protest NBC and MSNBC at Comcast Shareholder Meeting

May 8th, 2013 10:16 AM
Comcast is holding a shareholder meeting in Philadelphia next week, and the Tea Party is planning a protest of the company's so-called news outlets NBC and MSNBC. FreedomWorks recently sent the following email message out to 60,000 Tea Partiers around Philadelphia (published with permission):

NBC's Guthrie: Obama 'Deeply Disappointed' By Gun Bill Failure, But At

May 7th, 2013 5:10 PM
Appearing on Monday's Tonight Show, NBC Today co-host Savannah Guthrie told Jay Leno that President Obama was "deeply disappointed" by gun control legislation being voted down, prompting the late night host to complain: "Why do you think he's not able to close a deal? This seems to happen a lot....how come Obama hits this wall sometimes?" [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump…

NBC: 'Obvious Political Undercurrent' to New Benghazi Testimony, GOP T

May 7th, 2013 12:35 PM
Wrapping up a report on Monday's NBC Nightly News about a fresh round of congressional hearings on the Benghazi terrorist attack, correspondent Andrea Mitchell dismissed the development as political posturing by the House GOP: "There is an obvious political undercurrent. Republicans are taking direct aim at Hillary Clinton, the country's most popular Democrat and a possible presidential…

NBC Uses Sandy Hook Principal’s Daughter as Prop, Complains Critics

May 7th, 2013 12:18 PM
The air was thick with disingenuousness on Saturday’s Today show as NBC conducted a long-distance interview with the daughter of the slain Sandy Hook Elementary School principal. Co-anchor Erica Hill brought up the charge that Erica Lafferty has been used as a prop by the gun control crowd. Of course, in the process, NBC was using Lafferty as a prop during that very interview. Lafferty was…

NBC's Gregory Lobs Softballs to Obama-Backing Google Exec

May 6th, 2013 5:22 PM
During an interview with Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt for the Meet the Press web-based feature Press Pass on Sunday, NBC's David Gregory eagerly asked Schmidt about working for President Obama's 2012 campaign: "...what did you discover, what did you learn, what did you actually help to bring to the campaign that changes politics, that changes a politician's ability to say, 'Who is it…

CBS Devotes Two Straight Days of Coverage to 'Possible Cover-Up' on Be

May 6th, 2013 4:53 PM
CBS used its Sunday evening and Monday morning newscasts to keep the spotlight on the question of a "possible cover-up" surrounding the terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. Jeff Glor led CBS Evening News with the scoop from earlier in the day on Face the Nation – that a "career U.S. diplomat is raising new questions" about the Obama administration's claim that the attack…

After Dismissing Benghazi as 'Fox News's Super-Story,' WaPo's Ignatius

May 6th, 2013 12:24 PM
Appearing on NBC's Chris Matthews Show on Sunday, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius initially dismissed the Benghazi terrorist attack as being "Fox News's super-story," with left-wing host Matthews agreeing: "This is a big Fox story." Fellow Post columnist Kathleen Parker called out Ignatius: "I know Fox has been covering it, but, you know, that doesn't mean it's wrong." Ignatius…