When reporting on the big news out Monday that Democrat New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy plans to drop his state's school mask mandate, the leftist evening news broadcasts predictably got in line and supported the move. This despite wailing exactly two weeks ago over Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin doing the exact same thing.
During ABC's World News Tonight's report on Governor Murphy's announcement, correspondent Erielle Reshef eagerly announced "as new Covid infections fall in nearly all 50 states, more Americans are getting ready to see school mask mandates lifted."
Reshef continued: "New Jersey, once a Covid epicenter and home to some of the strictest mandates, announcing masks will no longer be required in schools starting one month from today. The Governor leaving it up to school districts to make their own rules."
To help make their hypocrisy less noticeable, they then aired a clip from Doctor Ashish Jha to bless Murphy's decision, claiming, "I thought that was a good decision. Basically, because infection numbers are coming down, I think it's pretty reasonable to pull back on those mandates."
Over on CBS Evening News, anchor Norah O'Donnell breathlessly reported that the move was "the first glimmer of hope in what could be life after the pandemic." Her rationale? The fact that "three states across the northeast, once the epicenter of the omicron surge, have announced timelines to end strict Covid mask mandates."
Those three states are New Jersey, Deleware, and Connecticut which, conveniently are all heavily Democratic states with Democratic Governors, so naturally O'Donnell is fine with this.
Only two weeks ago on January 24, CBS correspondent Meg Oliver hyped lawsuits brought against Governor Youngkin for his decision to lift the public school mask requirement:
Seven county school boards have filed a lawsuit against Governor Youngkin seeking to block the executive order. The lawsuit represents more than 350,000 students across Virginia, arguing that the state constitution gives local school boards the authority to enact policies that protect the health and well-being of students and staff.
That same night, on NBC Nightly News, anchor Lester Holt opened the segment hyperventilating over "the explosive situation in Virginia over mask requirements in public schools." Correspondent Catie Beck, in the same segment, complained in her report that "newly-elected Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's executive order allowing parents to decide whether their child should wear a mask at school" was "undoing the previous statewide mandate."
Beck also hyped the fact that several districts were refusing to "comply with the order and requiring students to continue wearing masks" and that "seven of them now taking Youngkin to court, challenging an order they call unconstitutional."
Just to recap, it's good when a Democratic Governor seeks to repeal mask mandates, but bad when a Republican Governor wants to do the same. To paraphrase the legendary conservative talk radio host Chris Plante: "if it weren't for double standards, the liberal media wouldn't have any standards at all."
And as the Daily Wire's Matt Walsh said on his podcast last week, the left doesn't have double standards, they have one standard: it's only good when they do it. You decide whether Walsh or Plante is right. Either way, the liberal media are hypocrites.
This example of liberal media hypocrisy was made possible by CarFax on ABC, Fisher Investments on CBS, and T-Mobile on NBC. Their contact information is linked so you can let them know about the biased news they fund.
To read the transcripts of each segment click "expand":
ABC's World News Tonight
2/7/2022
6:33:47 PMERIELLE RESHEF: Tonight, as new Covid infections fall in nearly all 50 states, more Americans are getting ready to see school mask mandates lifted.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT: I'm very happy. I can see easier, but also breathe easier and, you know, just enjoy school more without the mask.
UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: I think they should still be wearing the masks. It's not that big of a deal in my opinion. It's something small that's working.
ERIELLE RESHEF:: New Jersey, once a Covid epicenter and home to some of the strictest mandates, announcing masks will no longer be required in schools starting one month from today. The Governor leaving it up to school districts to make their own rules.
GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHY: Perhaps most importantly, this is a huge step back to normalcy for our kids.
DOCTOR ASHISH JHA: I thought that was a good decision. Basically, because infection numbers are coming down, I think it's pretty reasonable to pull back on those mandates.
CBS Evening News
2/7/2022
6:32:05 PMNORAH O’DONNELL: Tonight, the first glimmer of hope in what could be life after the pandemic. Three states across the northeast, once the epicenter of the omicron surge, have announced timelines to end strict Covid mask mandates. The Governors of New Jersey, Delaware, and Connecticut all made the announcement to end their state's in-school mask mandates as cases continue their steep decline nationwide. According to Johns Hopkins the number of new cases yesterday are down more than 95 percent from the high of nearly 1.4 million on January 10. More states are expected to follow suit even as the White House today said that universal mask-wearing in schools still remains our recommendation.
NBC Nightly News
1/24/2022
7:15:30 PMLESTER HOLT: Let's return now to the pandemic and the explosive situation in Virginia over mask requirements in public schools. Seven school districts suing the Governor today over his order to make them optional. Catie Beck with that story tonight.
(...)
CATIE BECK: In effect Monday, newly-elected Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin's executive order allowing parents to decide whether their child should wear a mask at school, undoing the previous statewide mandate.
(...)
7:16:28 PM
BECK: While some districts are celebrating the new direction, others stand firmly against it, saying it puts children's health and safety at risk at a critical time. Several districts refusing to comply with the order and requiring students to continue wearing masks. Seven of them now taking Youngkin to court, challenging an order they call unconstitutional.
CBS Evening News
1/24/2022
6:38:43 PMMEG OLIVER: But seven county school boards have filed a lawsuit against Governor Youngkin seeking to block the executive order. The lawsuit represents more than 350,000 students across Virginia, arguing that the state constitution gives local school boards the authority to enact policies that protect the health and well-being of students and staff. It also cites a state law requiring school systems to follow C.D.C. Health guidelines which recommends universal masking in schools regardless of vaccination status.
