Fox News anchor Bill O'Reilly on Friday marveled over the "amazing" disparity between how the networks deluged America with coverage on Chris Christie's traffic scandal versus how ABC, CBS and ABC covered Barack Obama's IRS controversy over the last six months. Commentator Bernard Goldberg also found the disparity "incredible." [See video below. MP3 audio here.]
Relying on an analysis by the Media Research Center, Goldberg explained, "In the last 24 hours, actually in less than 24 hours, ABC, NBC, and CBS News devoted 17 times more coverage, air time, 17 times more than they devoted are in the past six months to the IRS scandal." In fact, as of Friday morning, the number was up to 44-to-one.
Shocked by the difference in coverage, Goldberg exclaimed, "So, I guess we are supposed to conclude that a traffic jam in New Jersey, albeit a massive traffic jam pulled off stunt of retribution by one of Christie's aides, absolutely, we are supposed to believe this traffic jam is greater threat to democracy than the IRS going after political opponents of the President of the United States during a presidential election."
O'Reilly praised, "It's an amazing statistic and the Media Research Center should be congratulated for uncovering it."
For more on the study, go here.
A transcript of the January 10 exchange can be found below:
BERNARD GOLDBERG: I have no reason to doubt him. No reason at all.
O'REILLY: That's the same thing. We need to be fair about this.
GOLDBERG: Yeah. Absolutely. If he is not telling the truth --
O'REILLY: He is done.
GOLDBERG: I totally agree with what you said, he is done. Not almost done, totally done. But I have absolutely no reason to doubt him -- at this point. None.
O'REILLY: Okay. Now, the Media Research Center says that the network news went way overboard on the story, right?
GOLDBERG: Right. This is incredible. In the last 24 hours, actually in less than 24 hours, ABC, NBC, and CBS News devoted 17 times more coverage, air time, 17 times more than they devoted are in the past six months to the IRS scandal.
O'REILLY: Whoa!
GOLDBERG: Seventeen times more coverage.
O'REILLY: In 24 hours!
GOLDBERG: No. Less than 24 hours.
O'REILLY: Less than 24 hours.
GOLDBERG: Than in six months. So what are we supposed to conclude from this?
O'REILLY: I think we all know.
GOLDBERG: It's hilarious. So, I guess we are supposed to conclude that a traffic jam in New Jersey, albeit a massive traffic jam pulled off stunt of retribution by one of Christie's aides, absolutely, we are supposed to believe this traffic jam is greater threat to democracy than the IRS going after political opponents of the President of the United States during a presidential election.
O'REILLY: But it's worse than that and it ties in --
GOLDBERG: On what planet? On what planet?
O'REILLY: It's an amazing statistic and the Media Research Center should be congratulated for uncovering it.
