On Thursday night, ABC and NBC cheered the “historic” agreement of an outline for continued talks with Iran and declared that “the United States could be entering a new era in its relationship” with the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. NBC's Andrea Mitchell reflected on the “18 months of tough negotiations” that “end[ed] with an all-nighter” with the possibility that “the United States could be entering a new era in its relationship with Iran and President Obama is telling critics this will make our world safer.”
Scott Pelley
By Curtis Houck | April 2, 2015 | 2:57 AM EDT
On Wednesday’s CBS Evening News, anchor Scott Pelley devoted a few moments after a news brief on the Iran deal negotiations to explaining the centuries-long divide between the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam and, in the process, also took time to reflect on President Barack Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo. After noting that the negotiations are taking place “against a backdrop of a disintegrating Middle East,” Pelley fretted that, for Obama, “this isn’t what he had in mind” following the speech where the President had “declared a new beginning for the Arab world.”
By Curtis Houck | April 2, 2015 | 12:20 AM EDT
Following five straight days where the network evening newscasts slammed Indiana for passing its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), Arkansas joined the barrage of criticism on Wednesday after Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson requested the legislature make changes to its own version. The CBS Evening News failed to mention how a small Indiana pizza parlor has been forced to at least temporarily shutter after receiving violent threats while NBC Nightly News only said that the shop closed after “so much criticism online.”
By Curtis Houck | April 1, 2015 | 9:51 PM EDT
While all three of the major broadcast networks covered the indictment of Democratic Senator Robert Menendez (N.J.) on Wednesday night, the CBS Evening News chose to largely downplay the news by spending just 22 seconds on the story and hailed Menendez as someone “who often seems to relish a fight.” Additionally, the “big three” of ABC, CBS, and NBC all made sure to mention that Menendez is a Democrat, but stopped there and declined to label him a liberal or progressive.
By Curtis Houck | April 1, 2015 | 7:17 AM EDT
In a commentary masquerading as a news brief, CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley took multiple shots at Indiana and its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) on Tuesday by complaining about the bill’s length and indirectly using the First Amendment to support opponents of the law: “We may have found the reason for all this confusion.” He complained it contains “eleven paragraphs, 62 lines, and 832 words” and then thumbed his nose at lawmakers by saying that “James Madison did more in 16 words” in writing the First Amendment.
By Curtis Houck | April 1, 2015 | 12:33 AM EDT
For the fifth straight night, the major broadcast networks used their evening newscasts to blast the State of Indiana on Tuesday for sparking an “uproar” and “national outcry” over its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) while also choosing to heavily promote the arguments of opponents.
By Brent Bozell | and By Tim Graham | March 31, 2015 | 10:55 PM EDT
Imagine an eighth grader, presented with a portrayal of Sen. Edward Kennedy, the late patriarch of the “royal family” of American politics. The student would learn nothing but legends about “the greatest Senator of all time,” as Sen. Ed Markey proclaimed.
On the occasion of the opening of an “Edward M. Kennedy Institute” in Boston, CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley oozed, "Another New England superstar was honored today. Politics was his game, and we'll have his story next.” There was not one discouraging word...not even the word “liberal,” applied to arguably the single most left-wing senator of all time.
By Scott Whitlock | March 31, 2015 | 11:12 AM EDT
CBS's love for the Kennedy family continued on Monday night. Evening News journalists hyped the opening of a new institute in Massachusetts that is named after Ted Kennedy. Anchor Scott Pelley swooned, "Another New England superstar was honored today. Politics was his game and we'll have his story next."
By Curtis Houck | March 30, 2015 | 10:35 PM EDT
On their Monday evening newscasts, the major broadcast networks kept up their attacks on the State of Indiana for having enacted a religious freedom law that aims to protect individuals from government infringement based on their religious beliefs. While ABC, CBS, and NBC mentioned that there are those supporting the law, their coverage continued to veer off in a slanted direction against the law by painting Republicans as being “in damage control mode” while the “avalanche of criticism” continues to grow.
By Jeffrey Meyer | March 30, 2015 | 12:56 PM EDT
On Thursday, March 26 Indiana Governor Mike Pence signed the Religious Freedom Act into law, aimed at protecting private businesses from government infringement on their religious beliefs. Ever since, the “Big Three” (ABC, CBS, and NBC) networks have done their best to promote the bill’s opponents, who insist that the bill will lead to discrimination against gays and lesbians. From March 27 through the morning of March 30, the networks promoted the opponents of the law over its supporters at a rate of 2:1 through the use of soundbites, quotes and arguments criticizing the religious freedom law.
By Matthew Balan | March 27, 2015 | 11:43 PM EDT
Friday's CBS Evening News played up the "growing backlash" by social liberals against a new law in Indiana that protest the religious liberties of business owners. Correspondent Adriana Diaz spotlighted how "the protests have grown from Indiana's state house to a torrent on social media." She also played clips or read excerpts from statements of four opponents of the law, while only featuring two from supporters.
By Curtis Houck | March 26, 2015 | 10:56 PM EDT
After the network morning and evening newscasts ignored a Reuters poll showing tumbling support for Hillary Clinton last week, the CBS Evening News bucked the trend and covered the results of its own poll that also found dwindling support for Clinton in light of recent scandals. While the program spent only 32 seconds on the results of the poll, anchor Scott Pelley was still able to highlight three key results from the poll that served as bad news for former Secretary of State Clinton as she’s expected to launch a presidential campaign in the near future.