CBS This Morning was the only broadcast network news show that covered the latest discovery in the IRS scandal on the morning of June 18. Meanwhile, all three networks devoted at least two minutes to report on Dr. Oz’s appearance before the Senate’s Consumer Protection Committee to discuss the unconsented use of his image to endorse diet products online.
While CBS devoted only 30 seconds to the revelation that the emails of six more IRS employees have been reported lost, the network spent 2 minutes and 32 seconds describing how the celebrity doctor was berated by Democratic Senators for peddling diet products on his show that may not actually work. (See video below. Click here for MP3 audio)
Good Morning America did not touch on the IRS at all but devoted 2 minutes and 42 seconds to Dr. Oz coverage. NBC’s Today spent over 5 minutes discussing Oz without any mention of the IRS throughout the four hour show.
It seems that to these networks, celebrity inquiries held by Democrats are more important than hearings on a real administrative scandal lead by Republicans.
The brief item on the June 18 CBS This Morning
at 8:05 a.m. Eastern:
CHARLIE ROSE: In Washington the IRS has more explaining to do. This morning the New York Times reports the tax agency lost another batch of emails. They could help explain the improper targeting of conservative groups including tea party supporters that wanted tax exempt status.
Last week the IRS admitted to losing two years of emails from Lois Lerner's computer. She used to head the division that handled those applications. The agency says emails from six more workers disappeared because of computer crashes.
