ABC’s World News Tonight and NBC Nightly News appeared to side with Democratic teachers’ unions over kids struggling with learning and suicidal thoughts on Wednesday, after they refused to tell viewers that CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said vaccinating all teachers was not needed to reopen schools safely. The CBS Evening News, on the other hand, did note her comments. Though, they also blindly parroted union platitudes.
“The CDC’s director said today she's also confident that schools can begin to reopen even if teachers aren't fully vaccinated. And that's sparking a firestorm among educators,” announced CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell near the top of the newscast.
Noting that “pressure is building to reopen schools,” correspondent Meg Oliver reported how some cities were forced to take their own school boards to court in order to get students the education and settings they needed to healthy:
Today, San Francisco filed suit against its own school board demanding in-person learning as quickly as possible. Schools have been remote-only since last March. In Chicago, a looming showdown with the city pressuring its teachers' union to get back to the classroom now.
“Half of all states are now giving teachers priority to get vaccinated, but the CDC’s director is saying no shots required,” she added.
And according to Dr. Walensky, “The vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for safe opening of schools.”
On the Fox News Channel’s Special Report, correspondent Mike Emanuel showed how the Biden administration was beholden to the teachers’ unions and tried to walk back the Directors comments during the White House press briefing:
EMANUEL: The white house press secretary walked that back several hours later.
JEN PSAKI: They have not released their official guidance yet from the CDC on the vaccination of teachers and what would be needed to ensure the safe reopening of schools.
But at the end of her report, Oliver blindly parroted the platitudes of an unnamed president of an unnamed teachers’ union:
In response to the CDC statement that teachers aren't required to have the vaccine to safely return in person, tonight, the president of the nation's largest teachers' union says she’s advocating for vaccines and rapid tests as game-changers for classroom safety.
In another blow to the unions’ demands, during his confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona told senators: “We have examples throughout our country of schools that have reopened safely and did so while following mitigation strategies.” As reported by Emanuel.
We’ve been told to “listen to the science.” But clearly, parts of the Biden administration and the teachers’ unions were not. And while Democrats were demanding more money to reopen schools, Emanuel noted “states and school districts have only spent about $4 billion of the roughly $68 billion set aside for K-12 schools.” A fact that had gone largely ignored by the networks.
ABC and NBC's support for callous teachers' unions was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Advil on ABC and Geico on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they’re funding.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
February 3, 2021
6:32:46 p.m. Eastern(…)
NORAH O’DONNELL: The CDC’s director said today she's also confident that schools can begin to reopen even if teachers aren't fully vaccinated. And that's sparking a firestorm among educators.
(…)
MEG OLIVER: Meanwhile, pressure is building to reopen schools.
Today, San Francisco filed suit against its own school board demanding in-person learning as quickly as possible. Schools have been remote-only since last March. In Chicago, a looming showdown with the city pressuring its teachers' union to get back to the classroom now.
Half of all states are now giving teachers priority to get vaccinated, but the CDC’s director is saying no shot’s required.
DR. ROCHELLE WALENSKY (CDC Director): The vaccination of teachers is not a prerequisite for safe opening of schools.
(…)
[Cuts back to live]
OLIVER: In response to the CDC statement that teachers aren't required to have the vaccine to safely return in person, tonight, the president of the nation's largest teachers' union says she’s advocating for vaccines and rapid tests as game-changers for classroom safety.
