For the third time in just under three weeks, the major broadcast networks ignored news related to the Obama administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the latest news coming on Wednesday that the agency has announced its goal to regulate aircraft emissions in a similar fashion that it does for automobiles and powerplants.
While the networks skipped a story that stands to impact multiple sectors of the economy, the Fox News Channel (FNC) program Special Report and the PBS NewsHour found time to inform their viewers of the agency’s latest foray into the economy.
Special Report host Bret Baier read the following in a 28-second news brief that made sure to mention that “[t]his is the first step” in what could be a multi-year process:
As we previewed Friday, the EPA has announced its intention to regulate aircraft emissions like it does cars, trucks and power plants. Environmentalists say American airplanes are responsible – responsible for about three percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Conservatives say strict emissions regulations would force airlines to raise ticket prices or add more seats to already cramped planes. This is the first step in a lengthy regulatory process.
Along with FNC, the Wednesday edition of the PBS NewsHour also mentioned this story. Co-host Judy Woodruff reported in a 20-second brief that the “EPA declared today that greenhouse gases from passenger airliners, cargo planes and business jets are a danger to public health.” Woodruff added that “[m]ilitary aircraft and smaller planes would be exempt from any new regulations.”
Instead of covering this development, ABC’s World News Tonight fretted that a manuscript of an upcoming 50 Shades of Grey book has vanished and could be made public before it is supposed to be published. On NBC Nightly News, a news brief was devoted to reporting that San Francisco Giants pitcher Chris Heston threw a no-hitter against the New York Mets in a game on Tuesday night.
Wednesday’s lack of coverage concerning the EPA’s desire to regulate airline emissions follows the zero coverage on June 4's network evening newscasts about an EPA report regarding fracking and on May 27 when the EPA announced new regulations for the nation’s waterways.
The transcript of the brief from FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier on June 10 is provided below.
FNC’s Special Report with Bret Baier
June 10, 2015
6:13 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Aircraft Emissions]
BRET BAIER: As we previewed Friday, the EPA has announced its intention to regulate aircraft emissions like it does cars, trucks and power plants. Environmentalists say American airplanes are responsible – responsible for about three percent of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Conservatives say strict emissions regulations would force airlines to raise ticket prices or add more seats to already cramped planes. This is the first step in a lengthy regulatory process.
The full transcript of the news brief that aired on the PBS NewsHour from June 10 can be found below.
PBS NewsHour
June 10, 2015
7:03 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Airline Emissions]
JUDY WOODRUFF: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to curb emissions from commercial aircraft. EPA declared today that greenhouse gases from passenger airliners, cargo planes and business jets are a danger to public health. Military aircraft and smaller planes would be exempt from any new regulations.
