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In nearly four and a half weeks, the ABC, CBS and NBC morning and evening news shows have offered 110 minutes to an evolving Obama administration scandal involving secret lists designed to keep veterans from receiving proper medical treatment. Back in January, it took those same network shows just four and a half days to churn that much coverage for Chris Christie's Bridgegate.
Since the VA story broke on April 23 with the news that as many as 40 veterans seeking treatment at one Phoenix facility died while on secret waiting lists, CBS has provided the most coverage, 48 minutes and 46 seconds. NBC allowed 44 minutes and 53 seconds and ABC came in last with a scant 16 minutes and 44 seconds. None of the networks bothered covering the story until May 6, almost two weeks after it broke. (This is despite heavy investigative reporting by Fox News and CNN.)
An analysis last week by the Media Research Center found that through the morning of May 16, a mere five seconds of the coverage included criticism of Barack Obama's handling of the VA hospital scandal. Only this week, as the pressure mounted and new details emerged, the storyline finally shifted to including criticisms of the President.
Yet, when Bridgegate appeared on the national radar, the networks swiftly zeroed in on Christie as the focal point for criticism. On January 10, Today journalist Kelly O'Donnell opined, "The crisis feeds into critics' perceptions that Christie fosters hardball tactics." On the January 10 Good Morning America, Jim Avila described a Christie press conference as a "political walk of shame."
In just four and half days, from January 7 through the January 12 morning programs, ABC, CBS and NBC deluged Americans with 112 minutes and 23 seconds of analysis into what Christie knew about an intentional traffic jam created on the George Washington bridge last fall.
Read the full story: www.newsbusters.org
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Excellent reporting! I've posted recently that sadly, the Israelis consistently report what we are doing abroad days or even weeks before or even if it is reported in the US. Almost nobody has reported on Sgt Tahmooressi.
ReplyDeleteNo surprise. We have 4 branches of government - judicial, legislative, executive, and the Media. Unfortunately the latter seems to run the show over the last 20 years or so. Its so pathetic. They will protect the ones they love, it appears being conservative is almost a waste of time.
ReplyDelete