This week, reporters cheer the Supreme Court ruling which saved ObamaCare from its own sloppiness, with ABC's Terry Moran enthusing: "'ObamaCare 2, conservatives 0' is the score right now," while NBC's newly-elevated anchor Lester Holt trumpets how "so many families" say the government takeover of health care has been "quite literally a lifesaver." And, Rolling Stone smears the GOP as provoking violence against African Americans: "The Republican Party has weaponized its supporters [and] made violence a virtue."
Lester Holt
By Matthew Balan | June 27, 2015 | 1:07 AM EDT
On Friday, ABC's World News Tonight aired a completely one-sided report on the Supreme Court's ruling that legalized same-sex "marriage" in all 50 states. Terry Moran hyped how Justice Anthony Kennedy "wrote today's landmark opinion describing the stakes in this case in the loftiest terms." Moran failed to include any soundbites from social conservative opponents of the decision, and hyped how "Justice Scalia, in a rage, scorning Kennedy's poetic opinion as little more than a 'fortune cookie.'"
By Curtis Houck | June 25, 2015 | 11:23 PM EDT
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in favor of President Obama in the ObamaCare subsidy case, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC were out in full force during their Thursday evening newscasts to cheer the “historic ruling” and labeled Chief Justice John Roberts as a “conservative” after having “saved” ObamaCare “from a devastating blow.” CBS anchor Scott Pelley assured viewers in an opening tease that “[m]illions of Americans will keep their health insurance as the Supreme Court today saves the President's signature law.”
By Curtis Houck | June 25, 2015 | 9:30 PM EDT
Touting how “over ten million people have now signed up for health insurance under the ObamaCare law,” NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt on Thursday night trumpeted “the ObamaCare law now directly effecting so many families who say it’s been quite literally a lifesaver.” Chris Jansing delivered heartwarming anecdotes about people who have benefitted and only, at the very end of her report, did she squeeze in a brief mention of how some have been hurt.
By Curtis Houck | June 24, 2015 | 8:58 PM EDT
While Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal became the 13th Republican on Wednesday to join the 2016 Republican presidential field, the top English and Spanish-language network evening newscasts all but dodged Jindal’s decision by providing a total of 54 seconds across English networks ABC, CBS, and NBC. As for the Spanish-language networks, MundoFox and Telemundo ignored Jindal’s announcement completely while Univision aired an 18-second news brief.
By Curtis Houck | June 22, 2015 | 8:50 PM EDT
In his first night as the permanent weekday anchor of NBC Nightly News, Lester Holt took time at the conclusion of Monday’s newscast to mention his new job by stating that he’s “honored” to be the “new anchor” and thanked “my friend and colleague Brian Williams for his kind words of support.” With Holt’s name now added to the show’s title, opening graphics, recorded introduction, and profile pictures on the program’s Facebook and Twitter pages, Holt took a few moments to acknowledge that “as of tonight, this program has a new name, and I'm honored to say a new anchor.”
By Mark Finkelstein | June 19, 2015 | 10:05 AM EDT
Yes, what could be better for an already-troubled network than to be saddled with a disgraced hand-me-down from the mother ship?
On today's Morning Joe, Mika Brzezinski gushed "I think that it's great for the network" that Brian Williams will be joining MSNBC as its anchor of breaking news. As dutiful employees, it's understandable that MSNBC people would greet Williams impending arrival respectfully, as did Joe Scarborough in saying--without excitement--that he was "very excited." But Mika went beyond the call of duty with her "great for this network" line.
By Curtis Houck | June 18, 2015 | 9:15 PM EDT
Hours after NBC News officially announced that Brian Williams will not return to anchoring NBC Nightly News following his six-month suspension, Thursday’s editions of NBC Nightly News and ABC’s World News Tonight gave news briefs to this decision as well as the move by the network to promote weekend anchor Lester Holt to the permanent weekday spot. It should be noted that while the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley did not cover this story on Thursday, CBS This Morning devoted a 23-second brief to the story by fill-in co-host Anthony Mason.
By Kyle Drennen | June 18, 2015 | 3:18 PM EDT
On Thursday, NBC News officially named Lester Holt as the new anchor of NBC Nightly News, permanently replacing suspended anchor Brian Williams. In a just-released statement, Williams apologized for his dishonest accounts of news events: “I'm sorry. I said things that weren't true. I let down my NBC colleagues and our viewers, and I'm determined to earn back their trust.”
By Curtis Houck | June 17, 2015 | 7:49 PM EDT
According to CNN's Brian Selter on Wednesday night, NBC News will announce that suspended NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams will not return to the anchor desk when his six-month suspension ends in August for having perpetuated lies about numerous stories he’s covered in his career. The network has stated that Williams will assume a new role in the network.
By Matthew Balan | June 12, 2015 | 8:23 PM EDT
On Friday's NBC Nightly News, Andrea Mitchell touted how Hillary Clinton "will get personal" at her upcoming NYC campaign rally, and that she will be will be "focusing on her late mother, Dorothy Rodham – twice abandoned as a child by her parents; forced to make her way across country and work as a maid." Mitchell played two clips from a campaign video where Mrs. Clinton spoke highly of her mom, and underlined that "Clinton credits her mother for her passion and values – especially fighting for women and children – one reason she wants to be president."
By Curtis Houck | June 10, 2015 | 11:14 PM EDT
Once again, NBC Nightly News offered the lone segment on the 2016 presidential campaign during its Wednesday program by choosing to hit expected Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush for some recently announced changes in his staff that interim anchor Lester Holt ruled has “overshadowed” his trip to Europe this week. Leading into senior White House correspondent Chris Jansing’s report from Berlin, Germany, Holt hyped that “his travels are being overshadowed by the drama in his unofficial campaign just days before he's expected to go all in.”