ABC Skips Own Poll of Dour News for Dems, Devotes 18 Minutes to 'Dancing With the Stars'
The journalists at World News on Monday and Good Morning America on Tuesday ignored the results of their own poll, a survey finding Democrats in deep trouble for the 2014 midterms. It's not as though GMA was packed with hard news and there was no available time. The morning show devoted an astonishing 18 minutes to promoting the new season of Dancing With the Stars. ABC News labeled this a "GMA dance party."
According to the ABC News/Washington Post poll, "...Republicans [are] in a stronger position than Democrats in the states with Senate races this fall and more than holding their own in the battle for control of the House." Writers Dan Balz and Scott Clement explained, "In the 34 states with Senate races, 50 percent of voters say they favor Republicans and 42 percent favor Democrats."
The poll found that Barack Obama's "overall rating is still a net negative, with 46 percent saying they approve of the job he is doing and 50 percent disapproving, the same as in January."
The Post highlighted some good news for Democrats. The headline read, "Democrats’ advantage on key issues is not translating to a midterm-election edge."
Balz and Clement informed:
The American people trust Democrats more than Republicans on some of the key issues of the day, but that has not translated into any political advantage in the battle for control of the House and Senate in this year’s midterm elections, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Midterm elections generally favor the party that does not hold the White House, which gives the GOP a head start this year. Political handicappers rate Republicans as favorites to maintain their House majority and say the GOP has a legitimate opportunity to gain the six seats it needs to take control of the Senate.
Yet, instead of covering this, Good Morning America promoted Dancing With the Stars for three segments, totaling 18 minutes and two seconds.
On World News, Monday, anchor Diane Sawyer similarly skipped ABC's own poll. Instead, the show budgeted two minutes and 40 seconds to hidden ways to make cash in your home. The entire Nightline on Monday was given over to the Oscar Pistorius case, competitive dating and the Oscars.
The superficiality of World News and Good Morning America certainly helps to bury bad news for Democrats.
— Scott Whitlock is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter.
