ABC Gushes Over Spat Between ‘Popular’ Elizabeth Edwards and Tough
July 18th, 2007 12:15 PM
On Wednesday’s "Good Morning America," the ABC program actually reported on Elizabeth Edwards’s attack that ‘08 contender Hillary Clinton may not be a strong advocate for women. However, correspondent Claire Shipman managed the feat of somehow turning the story into a positive for both women. She also engaged in the standard media practice of identification bias.Shipman gushed that the spouse of…
Nets Bury Elizabeth Edwards 'Behaves Like a Man' Hillary Swipe
July 18th, 2007 8:42 AM
Quick -- which is Hillary Clinton's bigger liability as a candidate?:A. She's an insufficiently ardent feminist; orB. Her personality is cold, calculating and unfeminine.If you've been living on Planet Earth since 1992, surely your answer is 'B.' So when Elizabeth Edwards adds fuel to that fire, accusing Hillary of behaving like a man, that is very newsworthy stuff. Unless you're NBC or ABC,…
ABC Grills Edwards With Some Tough Questions; Pitched Softballs to Hil
July 16th, 2007 5:36 PM
Appearing on Monday’s special town hall edition of "Good Morning America," 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards endured a much tougher line of questioning from Diane Sawyer than Hillary Clinton received during a similar event in March.
Although Edwards received more air time, 38 minutes to almost 27 minutes, Senator Clinton had the advantage of friendly questions from the audience and a…
Man Snoozes During John Edwards's ABC Town Hall...Then Vanishes
July 16th, 2007 3:59 PM
Did "Good Morning America" physically remove a man who appeared to be dozing off during Democratic Senator John Edwards's town hall meeting on Monday? Early in the 7am hour, the man (pictured at right) appeared to be sleeping, or at least dozing, while Edwards discussed his plan for Iraq.
Around 7:11, the individual, who was seated to the back and right of Edwards, mysteriously disappeared (…
ABC Devotes 64 Minutes to Dem White House Contenders; Zero For GOP
July 16th, 2007 1:57 PM
On Monday’s "Good Morning America," ABC devoted 38 minutes of air time to Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards in a town hall special. This is in addition to the over 26 minutes they provided fellow ‘08 contender Hillary Clinton back in March. That’s a grand total of 64 minutes of publicity for Democratic candidates and zero for Republicans. Now, to be fair to "Good Morning America,"…
The NewsBusters Weekly Recap: July 7 to
July 14th, 2007 9:25 AM
One Man’s Terrorist...On "CNN Newsroom," correspondent Cal Perry asserted that Hamas is fighting for "independence" from Israel. Somehow, he failed to mention that the organization has often called for the destruction of that country. Just ‘Cause Al Gore’s Involved, Doesn’t Make it PoliticalDan Harrison, a senior VP of NBC, this week asserted that his network’s over-the-top coverage of Al Gore’s…
Luring Lamar: ABC Asks 'What Would It Take to Get You Behind Withdrawa
July 14th, 2007 8:42 AM
Is ABC's Bill Weir a TV journalist -- or a recruiter for Team Defeat? You had to wonder, watching his interview on today's "Good Morning America" of Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tn.). Alexander has co-sponsored legislation that would make the Iraq Study Group recommendations the basis for future U.S. strategy in Iraq. GMA CO-HOST BILL WEIR: You have introduced an idea now that really centers around…
Courtroom Explodes in Laughter After ABC’s Sawyer Touts Fairness of
July 12th, 2007 2:35 PM
Thursday’s edition of "Good Morning America" featured a Diane Sawyer anecdote that revealed the low opinion Americans have of journalists. After wrapping up a segment on people who avoid jury duty, the ABC co-host recounted the "hurtful" experience she had in a courtroom:Video (0:55): Real (1.51) or Windows (1.71 MB), plus MP3 Audio (607kB) and MP3 audio (just the soundbite -- 130 kB)[Wrap up of…
ABC Plans Another Town Hall Special With Another Democrat
July 11th, 2007 12:31 PM
"Good Morning America" has scheduled a second town-hall style special with a presidential candidate and, unsurprisingly, the recipient is another Democrat. 2008 contender John Edwards will appear on Monday, July 16 to discuss poverty with ABC co-host Diane Sawyer. Readers of NewsBusters will remember that the last such event, anchored by Robin Roberts and airing March 26, featured Hillary Clinton…
ABC, CBS Ignore Drug Angle of Gore Son; Stephanopoulos Gushes Over Nov
July 10th, 2007 3:19 PM
Kristin Gore, daughter of former Vice President Al Gore and author of a new political satire set in Washington, appeared on the Tuesday editions of "Good Morning America" and "The Early Show." Both shows only gingerly addressed the subject of Kristin’s brother, Albert Gore III., and his arrest for marijuana and prescription-drug possession after being pulled over last week in California. GMA…
ABC Minimizes Bush Court Victory; Speculated on Impeachment for Last R
July 9th, 2007 3:58 PM
Last August, a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional to monitor overseas conversations with suspected terrorists. On August 18, 2006, ABC’s "Good Morning America" treated the decision as a monumental event. However, Saturday’s GMA greeted the overturning of that decision by a federal appeals judge with a solitary 13 second news brief. In contrast, reporter Jessica Yellin described the…
AM Wrap: CBS Displays 'Libby Pardon,' ABC: 'Above the Law?', Vieira Sn
July 3rd, 2007 4:44 PM
The Tuesday broadcast network morning shows all led with President Bush's commutation of the 30-month prison sentence for Lewis "Scooter" Libby, but CBS displayed "Libby Pardon" on screen throughout a report from Bill Plante; over video of Bush and then Libby ABC put "Above the Law?" on screen to frame its coverage; and both CBS and NBC featured Hillary Clinton's slam at Bush's "cronyism" -- yet…