All Three Networks Hype 'Bombshell Blast' Against Herman Cain

October 31st, 2011 11:35 AM
All three morning shows on Monday hyped a "bombshell blast" against Herman Cain, playing up a story in Politico charging the Republican presidential candidate with sexual harassment back in the 1990s. ABC's Good Morning America led with the allegations. Co-host George Stephanopoulos, whose former boss, Bill Clinton, repeatedly faced sexual harassment claims, touted, "And this morning,…

CBS Plays Up Perry 'N' Word Controversy; ABC, NBC Punt

October 3rd, 2011 6:07 PM
CBS's Early Show was the only morning show of the Big Three networks on Monday to cover the controversy over a ranch leased by the family of Texas Governor Rick Perry that formerly used the racist "N" word in its name. Political analyst John Dickerson hinted that the Republican's presidential campaign may not "weather" the controversy, adding that "it's a real problem." Fill-in anchor Jeff…

CBS's Wragge: Will Obama 'Lick His Chops' Over GOP Primary Strife

September 29th, 2011 6:41 PM
On Thursday's Early Show, CBS's Chris Wragge bizarrely wondered if the dissatisfaction with the current GOP field of presidential candidates would give President Obama an edge: "Is this just primary politics, or does this make candidate Obama kind of lick his chops, thinking he's got a real advantage here?" Mr. Obama actually trails a generic Republican candidate in two recent polls. Just…

CBS Airs Weird Puff Piece on Muslim High School Football Team

September 2nd, 2011 6:25 PM
CBS's Jim Axelrod spotlighted a Michigan high school football team mostly made up of Muslim students on Friday's Early Show and trumpeted the "the strength of this diverse community." An array of student athletes and school officials from Fordson High School in Dearborn, Michigan fought against a phantom of "Islamophobia" that was only vaguely described. In covering Fordson's custom of…

CBS Runs Out of Time Before Getting to Biden's China Gaffe; Covers It

August 26th, 2011 6:56 PM
CBS referenced Vice President Joe Biden's recent gaffe about "fully understanding" China's one-child policy on Friday's Early Show as "off-the-cuff remarks" and "interesting comments," but failed to get to it during the segment. Anchor Chris Wragge merely explained that viewers would find "more on that on our website." Oddly, Wragge and his colleagues did broach the subject in an online video…

CBS Poses Specter of 'Elitist' Romney as Obama Makes Posh Retreat

August 23rd, 2011 3:03 PM
CBS's Jan Crawford highlighted Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney 's fortune on Tuesday's Early Show and how "wealthier candidates, like Romney, John Kerry, and Jon Huntsman, are...hit with that nasty insult they're an elitist." Crawford did mention how that label has also been leveled at President Obama on more than one occasion, but also forwarded a myth about former President…

With Chris Wallace’s Help, ABC and NBC Paint Bachmann as Fact-Challe

June 28th, 2011 9:29 AM
All three broadcast network evening newscasts awarded full stories Monday night to Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign announcement, with ABC and NBC unable to resist pouncing on Chris Wallace’s “are you a flake?” question to frame their stories. ABC’s Jonathan Karl highlighted how she’s “been accused of being loose with the facts, saying, for example, that the President's last trip to…

CBS’s Crawford Sees ‘Spectacle’ in Media ‘Ripping Through’ P

June 15th, 2011 8:09 AM
 Catching up on an item from Saturday’s The Early Show, CBS correspondent Jan Crawford used the word "spectacle" to describe various media organizations "ripping through" the recently released emails from Sarah Palin’s time as governor of Alaska, noting that some media organizations were "enlisting people you don’t even know" to help examine the mountain of documents and "find something…

Morning Shows Tout White House Claim that 'Distraction' Sarah Palin Is

May 27th, 2011 12:49 PM
Covering the growing buzz that Sarah Palin might mount a 2012 presidential campaign, the morning shows on Friday repeated liberal talking points proclaiming that it would be a disaster. Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos insisted that the White House looks "at Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Michele Bachmann as, basically, re-election insurance." CBS's Chris Wragge hinted that Palin…

Nets Douse a Potential Palin Presidential Bid: Too ‘Divisive’ and

May 27th, 2011 10:00 AM
The evening newscasts on Thursday night eagerly devoted time to fresh speculation, prompted by Sarah Palin’s upcoming bus trip from Washington, DC to New Hampshire, that she may jump into the presidential race, but they all made sure to point out her high negatives amongst non-Republicans, characterizing her as “divisive” and “polarizing” while raising concern she couldn’t beat President Obama…

NBC Skips Supreme Court Ruling Freeing Thousands of Criminals and Scal

May 24th, 2011 12:37 PM
NBC's Nightly News on Monday and the Today show on Tuesday ignored a controversial, ideologically divided Supreme Court ruling that ordered California to release at least 38,000 prisoners. ABC, over two days, allowed a scant 11 seconds. Only CBS provided a full report. In a blistering dissent, Justice Antonin Scalia warned that "terrible things are sure to happen" if the action is…

Big Three Nets Trumpet Homosexual Activist's Glitter Attack on Gingric

May 18th, 2011 6:11 PM
On Wednesday, all three major broadcast networks' morning shows played up a homosexual activist throwing glitter at Newt Gingrich during a book signing in Minneapolis. Both CBS's Early Show and NBC's Today show played footage of the attack on the Republican presidential hopeful at the top of their programs, while ABC's Good Morning initially failed to mention the left wing cause of the…

CBS Highlights Tea Party Rallies, But Also Plays Up Bad Poll Numbers

April 18th, 2011 5:56 PM
CBS's Jan Crawford spotlighted the Tea Party movement on Monday's Early Show, but also played up how it might present a "challenge" for potential Republican presidential candidates due its apparent unpopularity: "Recent polls show 47% of Americans have an unfavorable view of the movement. So candidates looking for Tea Party votes have to be careful not to alienate moderates." Midway through…

CBS Celebrates Year of ObamaCare By Touting Its Benefits and Despairin

March 24th, 2011 9:01 AM
Wednesday’s CBS Evening News celebrated the one-year anniversary of ObamaCare by touting its benefits before Katie Couric, who devoted half her newscast to Elizabeth Taylor’s passing, fretted: “What about the legal battles? Could they actually derail health care reform altogether?” Neither ABC nor NBC touched ObamaCare on Wednesday night but, in contrast to CBS, on FNC’s Special Report Carl…