The end of the Derek Chauvin trial is the hot topic for Wednesday's edition of the NewsBusters Podcast. The media angle here is the importance of video, which can lead to more certainty in controversies like this, whether they show police were justified or unjustified. It also shows, though, that the presence of video can make some deaths way more newsworthy than other deaths.
People watching our TV news shows can develop the false impression that police only shoot black and brown people. And the false impression that they’re usually unarmed. Stats may show that twice as many white people were killed in police incidents than blacks, but the media coverage almost never touches on it. They also barely touch on policemen killed in the line of duty. There won't be weeks of live coverage of any trials on that sad subject.
MRC Research Director Rich Noyes joined the show to discuss his latest study of the ABC, CBS, and NBC evening newscasts and how they have promoted President Biden with 59 percent positive evaluations (as opposed to 89-percent negative coverage for President Trump during the same time period in 2017.) We also discussed the liberal spin put on the late Walter Mondale's 1984 campaign against Ronald Reagan.
Enjoy the podcast below, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
