CBS, NBC Omit Likely Newsom 2028 Run from Commutation Coverage

Jorge Bonilla
November 6th, 2026 1:40 AM

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We are just days removed from the 2026 midterm election and aftershocks remain ongoing, but the Elitist Media have officially jumped into the 2028 presidential election season. The first story out of the gate is their coverage of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s mass commutation of over 500 death row inmates.

Coverage is uneven for this story, with two out of the three major networks omitting the obvious fact that Newsom is a likely candidate. It feels like he’s been running forever, too, which makes this omission extra weird. Even weirder, still: the most consistently biased evening newscast got this one right:

 

 

DAVID MUIR: Tonight, a major move by California Governor Gavin Newsom, calling it one of the most difficult choices of his career. Tonight, Newsom says he is commuting the death sentences of 548 prisoners currently on death row in that state, giving them all life sentences. He calls capital punishment “morally objectionable.” Opponents expected to file suit now. Newsom, who leaves office in two months, is considered a likely presidential candidate in 2028.

It was a brief to close out A-block, but an accurate one nonetheless. Commutations, quotes, potential litigation, and potential presidential candidacy. All the elements are there for ABC viewers to consider prior to commercial bombardment. 

This is more than can be said for the CBS Evening News, which did a brief and mentioned the Supreme court but said nothing about Newsom's presidential aspirations.

TONY DOKOUPIL: California Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that none of California's death row inmates will be executed. He's knocking every sentence down to life in prison, saying in an open letter to Californians that the death penalty is incompatible with the state's values. The move affects 548 inmates, so it will still have to be approved by the state’s Supreme Court.

The Media Hall Monitors will undoubtedly tell you that this is somehow “mAgA-cOdEd”, and proof evident of a sinister plot by Bari Weiss. But as we said on the NewsBusters Podcast, the overwhelming body of evidence points in the other direction- CBS News still a safe haven for liberals.

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Finally, there's NBC Nightly News with an item that showcases Newsom as presidential without ever mentioning his candidacy:

TOM LLAMAS: We head to California now, where Governor Newsom announced the largest death row commutation in modern American history, granting clemency to hundreds. Laura Jarrett has the details.

LAURA JARRETT: Tonight, the lives of more than 500 inmates on California's death row, now spared. Governor Gavin Newsom today issuing the broadest commutation of death sentences in modern American history, reducing every sentence in the state to life without the possibility of parole. Writing in an open letter, “I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California's values, undermines the foundations of our legal system, and diminishes each of us.” It's a move the Democratic governor had mulled over for months, with more inmates on California's death row than any other state.

GAVIN NEWSOM: I have to prepare for my own consciousness. My rocking chair test. Do I commute the largest death row in the Western Hemisphere?

JARRETT: Anti-death penalty advocates urged the Governor, more recently, to clear death row entirely. While opponents of the move expressed outrage today, like the father of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, kidnaped and killed by Richard Allen Davis in 1993.

MARC KLAAS: I'm terribly disappointed by what he did. It's a knife in the back to the victim families.

JARRETT: Though Newsom may not have the final word in most cases, as California's law requires the state's highest court to review his clemency move for those on death row with multiple felony convictions. Laura Jarrett, NBC News. 

First, the good: NBC devoted some time to this story beyond a filler brief. The item includes a blurb from a victim's father opposing the mass commutation. And judicial review is disclosed.

But there is ample screen time for Newsom, especially a podcast quote wherein he talks about preparing his own consciousness. This gauzy frame is clearly designed to depict him in the best possible light. And, again, there is no mention of 2028.

Newsom is the beneficiary of protective framing and convenient omissions. The Elitist Media make clear that the 2028 presidential election is in fact already upon us. Expect more stories like these to come down the pike.

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