All Three Networks Hype 'Bombshell Blast' Against Herman Cain

October 31st, 2011 11:35 AM
All three morning shows on Monday hyped a "bombshell blast" against Herman Cain, playing up a story in Politico charging the Republican presidential candidate with sexual harassment back in the 1990s. ABC's Good Morning America led with the allegations. Co-host George Stephanopoulos, whose former boss, Bill Clinton, repeatedly faced sexual harassment claims, touted, "And this morning,…

NBC Gives 23 Seconds to State Department Buying Up Obama Books; Devote

October 27th, 2011 3:29 PM
On Thursday's NBC Today, White House correspondent Kristen Welker only managed to give 23 seconds to the State Department buying up $70,000 worth of President Obama's various books. However, on October 21, investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff offered a full report about Herman Cain's presidential campaign buying copies of the businessman's new book. Isikoff portrayed the large…

NBC's Matt Lauer Urges Obama to Prevent Unfair 'Income Distribution

October 27th, 2011 9:35 AM
Update : More analysis and full transcript added. In an interview with former White House press secretary and Obama campaign advisor Robert Gibbs on Thursday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer fretted over a report showing "the rich are getting richer" and pleaded: "So what responsibility does President Obama have in terms of dealing with income distribution in this country?" [Audio available…

NBC's Gregory: Rick Perry's Tax Plan Will Help the Rich and Hurt the P

October 26th, 2011 3:41 PM
Appearing on Wednesday's NBC Today, Meet the Press host David Gregory ripped Rick Perry's flat tax proposal: "The problem is, this does help the rich. It hurts a lot of the poor and the middle class. Political professionals I talk to say the problem with the flat tax ideas is that once voters look at it a second or third time they don't like it much." [Audio available here] Gregory even…

Networks Spin Violent 'Occupy' Protesters as 'Pushing Back,' Minimize

October 26th, 2011 12:08 PM
According to the network morning shows, violent Occupy Wall Street protesters are fighting back against government officials who are trying to rein them in. Early Show's Erica Hill highlighted "this growing crackdown on the anti-Wall Street protests around the country." She added, "In Oakland, California, the protesters are pushing back." The "pushing back" came in the form of throwing rocks…

Network Morning Shows Tout 'Comedian in Chief' Obama Mocking GOP on Le

October 26th, 2011 10:41 AM
All three network morning shows on Wednesday cheered President Obama's Tuesday appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. At the top of ABC's Good Morning America, co-host Robin Roberts declared: "Comedian in chief. The President hits late-night TV talking about all the people taking swings at him right now. And why what he's really worried about is what the First Lady's giving out for…

Big Three Nets All But Ignore Occupy Oakland Violence and Arrests

October 25th, 2011 7:21 PM
The morning shows of ABC, CBS, and NBC on Tuesday devoted just 19 seconds to the arrests of 75 people in northern California, after police evicted Occupy Oakland from their encampment in front of city hall there.  The Early Show devoted a news brief to the story during its last half hour, noting the violent reaction from some of the protesters. Good Morning America and the Today show both…

NBC's Lauer to O'Reilly: Did Obama 'Erase' Idea of GOP Being Tougher o

October 25th, 2011 10:30 AM
Updated : Video added During an interview with Fox News's Bill O'Reilly on Tuesday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer cited recent foreign policy successes for President Obama and wondered: "Republicans have run on a perception that they are tougher on national security, that they're the ones who can keep Americans safe....has Barack Obama done a lot to erase that perception?" [Audio available…

NBC's David Gregory: GOP's 'Lack of Understanding' of Foreign Policy i

October 24th, 2011 5:02 PM
Appearing on Sunday's NBC Today, Meet the Press host David Gregory cheered "a big week for the President's foreign policy" as a "leadership moment" while smearing Republican presidential candidates: "...there has been the betrayal of a lack of understanding in foreign policy in some sections of these debates that is stunning to a lot of people..." [Audio available here] Gregory fretted: "…

NBC Admits Obama Mortgage Plan Won't Work, But Cheers it As Good Polit

October 24th, 2011 11:45 AM
At the top of Monday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer touted a new plan to address the housing crisis: "After a series of foreign policy victories, President Obama is hitting the road to sell his plan to help turn around the struggling economy and today the focus is on the housing market." Lauer later wondered to chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd if the plan would, "help politically…

NBC: Occupy Wall Street a 'Civics Lesson' for Kids; GOP Debate an 'Ant

October 21st, 2011 5:48 PM
During a panel discussion on Friday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer asked of the Occupy Wall Street protests: "What's the civics lesson in this for our kids as they're watching this on TV?" News anchor Natalie Morales argued: "...there's a huge civics lesson....the idea of having that civil discourse is important to teach our kids and it's something in history we've seen." In contrast,…

NBC Portrays Herman Cain's Presidential Run as Money-Making Scheme

October 21st, 2011 3:05 PM
On Friday's NBC Today, co-host Matt Lauer noted Herman Cain leading the Republican presidential field but wondered: "is he really aiming for the Oval Office or something else?" In the report that followed, correspondent Michael Isikoff proclaimed: "Herman Cain is facing new questions about whether he is profiting from his own campaign." Isikoff reported: "Cain's campaign committee has used $…

NBC's Guthrie to McCain: Do You Retract Foreign Policy Criticism of Ob

October 21st, 2011 10:47 AM
Updated : More analysis and full transcript added. Guthrie takes swipe at GOP 2012 field.  On Friday's NBC Today, fill-in co-host Savannah Guthrie grilled Arizona Senator John McCain on his criticism of Barack Obama's foreign policy positions in the 2008 campaign and urged: "Bin Laden is gone. Anwar al Awlaki, who was the rising star in al Qaeda, is gone. Qadhafi is gone. Drone strikes have…

Coptic Christians Protest Obama, Egyptian Govt. Outside White House, M

October 20th, 2011 6:10 PM
Hundreds of Coptic Christians traveled to Washington D.C. yesterday "from as far as New York and Chicago" to call on President Obama to push Egypt's government to protect their brothers and sisters from persecution. Kudos are in order for the Washington Post for devoting a 14-paragraph story on page B3 of the October 20 paper. Editors also published a large photo from the demonstration,…