MRC Study: Media Blackout of Supreme Court 'Battle
June 24th, 2010 10:32 AM
When President Obama picked Elena Kagan to replace Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, the broadcast networks referred to the upcoming Senate confirmation process as “contentious” a “meat grinder” and a “battle,” warning Kagan was “in for a fight.”But a Media Research Center analysis of the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts in the six weeks since Kagan was nominated shows the broadcast…
NBC Guest: Obama White House a 'Team of Nine-Year-Olds
June 23rd, 2010 7:08 PM
NBC's Today show on Wednesday refreshingly brought on a conservative guest who ripped the Obama administration's management of the war in Afghanistan. Daniel Goure of the Lexington Institute blasted the "dysfunctional organization" at the White House overseeing the war: "It's not a team of rivals. It's a team of nine-year-olds, and something needs to be done about that" [audio available here].…
Media Praise Obama's 'Brilliant' Handling of McChrystal Controversy
June 23rd, 2010 3:38 PM
President Obama's decision to relieve General Stanley McChrystal of command in Afghanistan and replace him with General David Petraeus was met with a chorus of praise in the media, as anchors and pundits on CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC all sang in unison that it was a "brilliant" move. [Audio available here] During live special coverage leading up to the announcement in the 1PM ET hour on CBS, White…
On Networks, 'Controversial' Law Means Conservative Law
June 23rd, 2010 3:17 PM
Liberals may like to boast of fighting the establishment and taking on the status quo, but it's conservative laws that are 30 times more likely to be deemed "controversial" - at least by the mainstream media. In the past five years, when ABC, CBS, or NBC news reporters claimed a law was "controversial," they were most likely referring to legislation backed by the right. This analysis looked…
Network Morning Shows Rage Against BP CEO's Yachting Trip, Ignore Obam
June 21st, 2010 12:40 PM
All three morning shows on Monday railed against BP CEO Tony Hayward for attending a yachting race in England on Saturday, but they found no such anger for Barack Obama's golf outing on the same day, ignoring the story. The pattern was nearly identical on Sunday, with only Good Morning America briefly mentioning the President's recreational activities. On Monday's Early Show, Katie Couric…
'No Thank You, Mr. President' Highlights Entrepreneurship, Not Governm
June 21st, 2010 11:17 AM
Tough times don't last; tough people do. That's the theme of author John S. Cohoat's new book "No Thank You, Mr. President," which tells the story of 10 private companies in Elkhart County, Ind., that made their own way to economic recovery without government handouts. "My hope is that these stories provide some inspiration for you or make you remember why our capitalist economic policies and…
Sunday Talk Shows All Start With BP Hayward's Yachting, Ignore Obama's
June 20th, 2010 9:51 PM
As NewsBusters previously reported, America's media on Saturday had a collective hissy fit over BP CEO Tony Hayward having the nerve to participate in a yacht race on his day off.At the same time, no such outrage was expressed concerning President Obama and Vice President Biden going golfing.This double standard continued Sunday as the three broadcast network political talk shows all began with…
'Today' Shows Cop-Punch 14 Times, Leaves Out Suspect Resisting Arrest
June 18th, 2010 9:18 AM
The headline sounds sensational: "Cop punches girl in face during jaywalk arrest." That's how the June 17 NBC "Today" show began what might appear to be an even-handed story. But a closer look at what the network aired and what it left out show a far different result.The morning segment repeatedly played a clip highlighting what Matt Lauer referred to as a "violent arrest" - a police officer…
Obama Requests $50 Billion More, Networks Devote 38 Times More Coverag
June 17th, 2010 10:21 AM
The news media have recently been struck with World Cup fever, with two broadcast networks sending reporters to South Africa to cover the games. At the same time, a bailout request that could cost taxpayers another $50 billion was ignored by most broadcast news programs. ABC, CBS and NBC spent a combined 25 minutes 54 seconds talking about World Cup soccer between June 13 and 15. That was…
NBC Sees Gaza as 'Prison Sentence Imposed by Israel,' Ignores Reports
June 16th, 2010 3:56 PM
Catching up on an item from last week on the Tuesday, June 8, NBC Nightly News, correspondent Tom Aspell portrayed the residents of Gaza as living through a life prison sentence imposed by Israel: "Israel's blockade on Gaza isn't just about preventing goods from getting in, it's about preventing 1.5 million Palestinians from getting out. It sentences them to life inside a 140-square-mile prison…
ABC's Stephanopoulos Lobbs Softballs to Gibbs; CBS and NBC Provide Cha
June 15th, 2010 1:30 PM
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs made the rounds on the network morning shows on Tuesday, ahead of President Obama's prime time Oval Office address on the Gulf oil spill. While he had confrontational interviews on CBS's Early Show and NBC's Today, on ABC's Good Morning America, co-host George Stephanopoulos made sure Gibbs's appearance was low-stress.Stephanopoulos kept the questions…
Network News Shows Largely Skip President's $50 Billion Spending Reque
June 14th, 2010 3:46 PM
The network morning and evening news shows have all but ignored President Obama's Saturday letter to congressional leaders asking for $50 billion in additional spending to prevent the "massive layoffs of teachers, police, and firefighters." Only Sunday's Good Morning America on ABC has covered the President's request so far.The chief executive's June 12 letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate…
Jerry Brown Calls Meg Whitman a Nazi, Media Mostly Mum
June 12th, 2010 7:13 PM
California's Democrat gubernatorial candidate Jerry Brown on Tuesday called his Republican rival Meg Whitman a Nazi.You probably didn't hear about this because America's media largely ignored it. By contrast, the press had a field day when Republican senatorial candidate Carly Fiorina made a comment about Barbara Boxer's (D-Calif.) hair that was picked up by an open microphone Tuesday evening.Why…
Today Show Cares More About Fiorina Gaffe Than Sestak Scandal
June 11th, 2010 1:09 PM
As of this Friday, NBC's Today show has yet to mention the Joe Sestak scandal, (as noted by the MRC's Tim Graham in this Media Reality Check) however they did find time to poke fun at Republican California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina making fun of Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer's hair in an open mic moment. On Thursday's Today, they ran the clip of Fiorina's gaffe three times, even leading…