'Big Three' Throw Cold Water on Chris Christie’s Iowa Visit: ‘A Lo

July 17th, 2014 11:27 AM
Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) visited Iowa on Wednesday to help raise money for Governor Terry Branstad (R-IA) and test the 2016 political waters but the “big three” networks did their best to diminish his visit to the Hawkeye state.  Starting with NBC Nightly News on Wednesday night, anchor Brian Williams introduced a story on Christie by playing up how “the New York Times calls the trip a…

NBC Finally Notices Latest on VA Scandal...Gives It Less Than 30 Secon

July 16th, 2014 3:55 PM
After days of censoring any mention of the latest congressional hearings on the ongoing Veteran's Affairs scandal, Wednesday's NBC Today finally found time to report on the topic, providing two news briefs amounting to a paltry 27 seconds of airtime. 27 seconds out of a 4-hour broadcast. [Listen to the audio or watch the video after the jump] By contrast, the network morning show devoted a…

Networks Gush Over Jon Stewart's 'Creative' Softballs to Hillary, Gett

July 16th, 2014 12:25 PM
On Wednesday, all three network morning shows eagerly promoted Hillary Clinton's friendly chat with Jon Stewart on Tuesday's Daily Show. On NBC's Today, co-host Savannah Guthrie praised Stewart for finding a "creative way" of pleading for Clinton to announce her 2016 presidential bid. Following a clip of the softball exchange, Guthrie declared: "Well played, Jon Stewart, well played." [Listen…

The Border Crisis Stories the Networks Aren't Telling You About

July 16th, 2014 11:39 AM
Government officials restricting reporter access to illegal immigrants at detention centers. Border patrol agents being infected with diseases “not seen in decades.” The general in charge of the U.S. Southern Command warning that terrorists and gang members could be hiding among the new influx of immigrants. These are just some of the startling new border crisis stories the Big Three (ABC, CBS…

‘Big Three’ Continue To Champion Jose Antonio Vargas: ‘America

July 16th, 2014 11:12 AM
Jose Antonio Vargas, a 31-year-old illegal immigrant, was detained by border patrol agents while trying to board a plane from McAllen, Texas without proper documentation. Following his arrest, the “big three” networks did their best to promote his cause on their Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning broadcasts.  ABC’s Good Morning America did the most to cheerlead for Vargas, with reporter…

Network Coverage of ‘Extreme Weather’ Up Nearly 1,000 Percent

July 16th, 2014 10:14 AM
A “bizarre cold snap” is hitting the U.S. and the media have already begun to draw comparisons to the polar vortex. It is only a matter of time before the networks resume panic over “extreme weather.” Use of the phrase “extreme weather” in news stories has exploded in recent years. Almost a decade ago, before former Vice President Al Gore’s film “An Inconvenient Truth” was released, the…

Blackout: ‘Big Three’ Ignore AG Holder’s Claim That ‘Racial An

July 15th, 2014 9:50 PM
Attorney General Eric Holder spoke with ABC’s Pierre Thomas over the weekend and made highly controversial comments in which he claimed that the lack of support for President Obama’s policies was a result of “racial animus.”  Despite the highly charged nature of Holder’s statement, none of the “big three” networks have yet to pick up on the story. During the interview, Holder insisted  that "…

NBC Ignores VA Whistle-Blower Hearing; ABC Gives News Only 23 Seconds

July 15th, 2014 12:40 PM
On Tuesday morning, NBC’s Today refused to cover the latest news in the Veterans Affairs scandal as the House Veterans Affairs Committee heard testimony Monday night from additional whistle-blowers who faced punishment from superiors for identifying allegedly manipulated response times for veterans who filed benefit and disability claims. Coverage of the latest news saw only two minutes and…

Howard Stern Sees Ratings Gold for 'Today' if Savannah 'Kills Matt on

July 15th, 2014 11:55 AM
During a simulcast of NBC's Today and Howard Stern's SiriusXM radio show on Tuesday, the outspoken America's Got Talent host suggested a way for the network morning show to boost its ratings: "You know, Savannah, it would be great for the ratings if you had the baby and then you had postpartum depression....a lot of women will relate to that. Matt could do a three-piece set on that." [Listen to…

NBC Avoids the Word 'Illegal,' Highlights 'Migrant Families' and 'Immi

July 11th, 2014 5:15 PM
The journalists at NBC's Today on Friday made sure to avoid using the word "illegal" and instead favored "migrant families" and, simply, "immigrants." ABC's Good Morning America followed a similar path, noting the "children crossing the border from Central America." Only CBS This Morning host Jeff Glor referred to "the flood of illegal immigrants."  On Today, news reader Craig Melvin…

ABC, NBC Censor Latest IRS Outrage, CBS Gives Story Only 19 Seconds

July 10th, 2014 12:25 PM
On Thursday morning, ABC and NBC refused to cover the latest scoop in the IRS scandal. Politico reported on Wednesday afternoon that former IRS official Lois Lerner cautioned her colleagues about what they write in emails in case any of them come under congressional investigation. CBS This Morning did not do much better, as the news warranted only a 19 second mention during the 7:30 a.m. half…

Only CBS Identifies Israel's Targets as 'Terrorists'; NBC and ABC See

July 10th, 2014 12:10 PM
Of the three morning shows on Thursday, only CBS allowed that Israel's targets in the ongoing violence could be called "terrorists." ABC and NBC described "militants " The networks all highlighted the plight of Palestinian civilians hurt or killed by Israel. But their journalists failed to wonder if Hamas was using people as human shields. Instead, Good Morning America's Alex Marquardt…

CBS Breaks 102-Day Blackout on Captive Marine; NBC Still Won’t Ackno

July 10th, 2014 10:01 AM
U.S. Marine Andrew Tahmooressi has been held in a Mexican prison for more than three months for accidentally crossing into Mexico with weapons and NBC News has yet to acknowledge the story. On Wednesday, July 9, Sergeant Tahmooressi made his first appearance in a Tijuana courtroom and on Thursday both ABC’s Good Morning America and CBS This Morning covered the developments whereas NBC’s Today…

Networks Fail to Mention VA Whistle-Blower Silencers Received $100K in

July 9th, 2014 2:50 PM
During the barely two minutes of coverage they allotted to a House hearing on VA scandal whistle-blowers, ABC, CBS, and NBC on Wednesday morning refused to report that the VA officials who tried to silence their colleagues for reporting wrongdoing within the agency received over $100,000 in bonuses in 2013. Coverage of the House of Veterans Affairs Committee hearing from Tuesday night totaled…