AP: CNN Planning Obama 100th Day Special Prime Time Coverage

April 19th, 2009 4:39 PM
Conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh says the mainstream media attitude on President Barack Obama is that he is too big to fail. What CNN has planned for the night of April 29 is one of several signs that could be the case. According to an April 19 report from the Associated Press, CNN has a big night of coverage planned for Obama's 100th day in office that will deviate from its normally…

ABC Upset 'Chilling' Memos Reveal Zubaydah 'Tortured with an Insect

April 16th, 2009 8:48 PM
ABC's Charles Gibson, Jan Crawford Greenburg and George Stephanopoulos all stressed Thursday night how, Bush administration Justice Department memos clarifying what techniques interrogators could use with suspected terrorists, included what Stephanopoulos described as “torture with an insect” -- a method ABC failed to note was not ever employed. “Tonight, secret memos,” anchor Charles Gibson…

ABC, CBS and NBC Try to Discredit 'Tea Party' Protests

April 16th, 2009 3:22 AM
The broadcast network evening newscasts on Wednesday provided prominent coverage of the “Tea Party” rallies across the nation with time for the views of participants, but they tried to discredit the protests as a front for “corporate interests” or a “fistful of rightward leaning Web sites” -- a concern for motives and hidden agendas the same programs lacked when championing the 2006 pro-illegal…

Just When You Think the Big 3 Evening Newscasts Can't Sink Any Lower

April 14th, 2009 11:56 PM
I could of course be commenting on the poor quality of the alleged journalism. But in this case I'm talking about their ratings, which is of course largely caused by said poor journalism. Three weeks ago (at NewsBusters; at BizzyBlog), I noted that the Big 3 networks' evening newscasts' combined ratings had dropped about 17% since the collective high they achieved during the week of January 26,…

Only 'Dwindling Number' of the 'Very Hard Line' Oppose Changing Cuba P

April 13th, 2009 8:56 PM
It may well be that a growing share of the American public favor expanding interaction with Cuba, but in reporting President Barack Obama's decision to allow Cuban-Americans unlimited travel and money transfers to the island, ABC's Jeffrey Kofman and NBC's Andrea Mitchell characterized opponents in a belittling manner -- while Mitchell also advanced complaints Obama did no go far enough. “With…

ABC Ignores Evidence Guns Useful in Confronting Criminals

April 13th, 2009 12:55 PM
On Friday’s World News with Charles Gibson on ABC, substitute anchor Diane Sawyer previewed the same night’s special on guns in America, "If I Only Had a Gun," and, on World News, ran a report focusing on how challenging it is to react to a gunman when taken by surprise, even if one is armed. ABC News enlisted the services of police officers to train college students in firearm use and then had…

'World News' Shills for Soda Tax to Fight Obesity

April 9th, 2009 10:27 AM
Saving the world one tax at a time might sound like a silly notion. Not to those who want a soda tax to control people's consumption habits in the name of fighting obesity.On ABC's April 8 "World News with Charles Gibson," John Berman reported that soft drinks were making people fat - something you don't see in soft drink advertisements."If you watch the commercials, soft drinks make us sing,…

Stephanopoulos: Obama's Trip a Test He 'Passed Pretty Easily

April 7th, 2009 9:02 PM
Assessing President Barrack Obama's overseas trip, ABC's George Stephanopoulos proposed it was “a real test for the President” and, no surprise, decided “he passed it pretty easily” since “he was confident, he had a sense of command in his personal and his public diplomacy, forged strong relationships with his European counterparts...” Furthermore, Stephanopoulos admired Obama's “strong”…

ABC Continues Push for More Gun Control, Laments 250 Million Guns in A

April 5th, 2009 1:43 PM
One night after ABC's World News featured Diane Sawyer and Pierre Thomas fretting over the lack of interest by Congress in passing new gun laws in response to recent shooting sprees, Thomas appeared on World News Saturday and again treated as problematic the statistic that there are "more than 250 million legally registered guns in this country," and seemed to complain that Congress is not…

Obama's Week Through ABC's Prism: 'Cool Kid in the Class

April 4th, 2009 9:59 PM
In a q and a with George Stephanopoulos on Saturday's World News, ABC anchor David Muir decided to sum up President Barack Obama's week in Europe by displaying a picture of jovial Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arm-in-arm with President Barack Obama during the G-20 group photo session, an image Muir contended showed how “other heads of state are…

ABC Frets ‘No Real Urgency' on ‘Meaningful Gun Control' to Stop

April 3rd, 2009 10:15 PM
Of the three network evening newscasts, ABC's World News, substitute hosted by Diane Sawyer, uniquely seemed to lament the lack of political interest in enacting new gun laws to combat what correspondent Dan Harris earlier called "a signature American disaster, a shooting rampage," referring to the shooting spree in Binghamton, New York.Sawyer introduced a discussion with correspondent Pierre…

'Inspirational' Michelle 'Mega-Star' Obama; Press Corps 'Begged' to Qu

April 2nd, 2009 9:23 PM
The broadcast networks continued their infatuation Thursday night with Michelle Obama as ABC anchor Charles Gibson teased: “Center stage. With substance and style, the First Lady steps onto the world stage, becoming something of a mega-star.” He soon equated her popularity with Jacqueline Kennedy, the last First Lady to so enchant the press. On NBC, Dawna Friesen trumpeted how “she has dazzled…

TV Journalists Enchanted by Obamas: 'America's Unofficial Royalty

April 2nd, 2009 8:06 AM
“There is so much to cover on this day,” ABC anchor Charles Gibson announced Tuesday night from London as the network anchors and reporters reflected their awe over how, as NBC anchor Brian Williams put it, “In a marathon, the President meets with the leaders of Britain, Russia, China, then the Queen, and the summit hasn't started yet.” NBC's Chuck Todd then admired how “the President was able to…

ABC and CBS Remind Viewers Obama More Popular than Bush

March 31st, 2009 8:37 PM
The day President Barack Obama arrived in London, the broadcast network evening newscasts on Tuesday night noted that he faces some tough challenges from other leaders who are not as enthralled with him as are their citizens, but ABC and CBS went out of their way to point out how Obama is more popular than was former President Bush. From London, ABC anchor Charles Gibson highlighted the American…