The effort to recall embattled California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) surpassed a critical hurdle Wednesday, after they made the deadline with over half a million more signatures than required (2.1 million total). But instead of reporting on this heavy blow to the hypocritical liberal Governor, ABC’s World News Tonight was busy suggesting everything was hunky-dory in California by being corporate whores and touting the reopening of Disneyland next month.
“But with vaccinations quickly ramping up across the country, Disney CEO Bob Chapek revealing today that Disneyland in California will reopen at the end of next month. The park owned by ABC's parent company,” boasted correspondent and Good Morning America co-anchor Eva Pilgrim.
But while she was crowing about how awesome Disneyland’s reopening was, she was also decrying other states for allowing smaller businesses to do the same. “Although the national case average is falling, 15 states are seeing at least a 10 percent increase in the last week from the Midwest to the northeast. But half the country is now easing restrictions. Minnesota starting its rollback,” she whined.
In stark contrast, Fox News Channel’s Special Report dedicated a full report to documenting Newsom’s troubles. “After 26 months as governor, Gavin Newsom prepares for an election that could knock him from office,” reported correspondent William La Jeunesse. “The campaign to recall Newsom today filed more than 2 million signatures, enough to trigger a special election.”
La Jeunesse also poked a massive hole in the Governor’s efforts to smear those who signed the petition to remove him from office:
LA JEUNESSE: Newsom portrays his opponents as Trump-loving extremists and calls their effort a “Republican recall.”
NEWSOM: This is a sideshow – this is a circus going to cost 100 plus million dollars.
LA JEUNESSE: Opponents say Newsom’s out of touch, with a third of petition signatures coming from Democrats or independents.
“The recall still faces a number of bureaucratic hurdles before making the ballot. Should it survive, voters will be given two choices,” La Jeunesse added. “Number one, up or down on Newsom and a second vote on his were placement. Three Republicans are in so far, but most predict many more will join the race.”
While ABC was simply continuing its blackout of the Newsom recall on its flagship newscasts, CBS Evening News and NBC Nightly News seemed to think touching on it that morning was enough.
As NewsBusters reported Wednesday morning, NBC’s Today only spent 25 seconds on the story and CBS This Morning was afraid Republicans were “hijacking” the effort (it was unclear how that squared with Newsom’s framing). “Is there a concern that this recall is being hijacked solely to get a Republican in office in a fairly Democratic state,” CBS correspondent Carter Evans asked a recall organizer.
Interestingly, Evans also touted the reopening of Disneyland after decrying other states for easing restrictions during CBS Evening News. “And a dose of good news tonight in California: After being shut down for more than a year, Disneyland will reopen on April 30 at 15 percent capacity.”
ABC’s refusal to cover Governor Newsom’s woes while boasting about how well California was allegedly doing was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from Breyers and Consumer Cellular. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
Fox News Channel’s Special Report
March 17, 2021
6:27:01: p.m. EasternBRET BAIER: Today is the deadline for opponents of California's embattled governor to turn in signatures to place a recall question on the election ballot. National correspondent William La Jeunesse tells us what's at stake tonight.
[Cuts to video]
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM: The reality is it looks like it's going on the ballot, so we are ready to go.
WILLIAM LA JEUNESSE: After 26 months as governor, Gavin Newsom prepares for an election that could knock him from office.
RANDY ECONOMY (Recall Gavin Newsom senior advisor): He’s failed miserably, he locked down the fifth largest economy in the world, he let out prisoners, put all of us under house arrest.
LA JEUNESSE: The campaign to recall Newsom today filed more than 2 million signatures, enough to trigger a special election.
POLITICAL AD VOICEOVER: Who’s behind the partisan recall of Governor Gavin Newsom? Anti-vaccine QAnon extremist, violent white supremacist like the Proud Boys, who attacked our nation's capital on January 6.
LA JEUNESSE: Newsom portrays his opponents as Trump-loving extremists and calls their effort a “Republican recall.”
NEWSOM: This is a sideshow – this is a circus going to cost 100 plus million dollars.
LA JEUNESSE: Opponents say Newsom’s out of touch, with a third of petition signatures coming from Democrats or independents.
ECONOMY: It’s not about the Republican Party, it's not up at the Democratic Party, it's about the people. And the people have a gripe with Gavin Newsom and that's why we've been so successful thus far to be able to get this thing on the ballot.
[Cuts back to live]
LA JEUNESSE: The recall still faces a number of bureaucratic hurdles before making the ballot. Should it survive, voters will be given two choices. Number one, up or down on Newsom and a second vote on his were placement. Three Republicans are in so far, but most predict many more will join the race. Bret.
BAIER: William, thank you.
