The Wednesday editions of ABC’s World News Tonight and CBS Evening News ignored the news that Republican Senator and 2016 presidential candidate Rand Paul (Ky.) launched a new marathon speech on the Senator floor hours earlier in protest of the federal government’s collection of phone records.
Paul, who plans to go on for as long as possible, is being assisted by both Republican and Democratic Senators in affirming their opposition to the bulk collection of phone records under the Patriot Act, which is under consideration for renewal.
While ABC and CBS failed to cover this story, NBC Nightly News offered a 26-second news brief on the issue. With the live shot of the Senate floor on the screen, interim anchor Lester Holt reported that “Paul has been speaking for hours against the government's bulk collection of phone records allowed under the Patriot Act.”
Holt noted that “Paul and other senators...plan to control debates throughout the night, which could delay action on a vital trade bill.” He then closed by giving viewers a rather incomplete reminder of what Paul’s filibuster in 2013 was about: “In 2013, Paul filibustered for nearly 13 hours on the issue of drone strikes.”
Of course, Paul’s new session comes just over two years after he filibustered the nomination of John Brennan for CIA Director and demanded the White House promise that American’s won’t be targeted for drone strikes on U.S. soil from April 6-7, 2013. As for the media’s coverage of that filibuster, Media Research Center’s Scott Whitlock detailed, in part, the following on April 7:
ABC's World News on Wednesday and Good Morning America on Thursday offered confusing, incomplete and brief explanations for why Rand Paul filibustered John Brennan, Barack Obama's Central Intelligence Agency nominee. According to GMA news reader Josh Elliott, “Paul was protesting the Obama administration's use of drone strikes against Americans.”
World News anchor Diane Sawyer insisted the “Tea party firebrand” was opposing “the use of drones against U.S. citizens.” This is hardly a full explanation for ABC's viewers. On the Today show, Chuck Todd produced a more accurate description: “[Paul] decided to filibuster the confirmation of CIA director John Brennan in an attempt to get the White House to once and for all promise to never target Americans with drones on U.S. soil.” The “on U.S. soil” part is key. ABC allowed only news briefs on the filibuster. CBS and NBC offered full reports.
The news brief that aired on May 20's NBC Nightly News is transcribed below.
NBC Nightly News
May 20, 2015
7:10 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Taking a Stand]
LESTER HOLT: Also in the nation's capital right now, well, take a look. Live on the Senate floor where Senator and presidential candidate Rand Paul has been speaking for hours against the government's bulk collection of phone records allowed under the Patriot Act. Paul and other senators, including some Democrats, plan to control debates throughout the night, which could delay action on a vital trade bill. In 2013, Paul filibustered for nearly 13 hours on the issue of drone strikes.
