NBC Fails to Report Its Own Scoop That AG Holder Approved Investigation of Fox's Rosen
As of Friday morning, NBC News broadcasts had completely ignored an important scoop from the network's own national investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff that Attorney General Eric Holder personally approved the Justice Department's aggressive investigation of Fox News reporter James Rosen. Meanwhile, both CBS News and FNC provided on-air coverage of the new development. [Listen to the audio]
[UPDATE: Nothing on the Friday or Saturday NBC Nightly News, but Isikoff finally got to report his scoop on the Sunday, May 26 NBC Nightly News.]
In an article for NBCNews.com
on Thursday, Isikoff reported that Holder "signed off on a
controversial search warrant that identified Fox News reporter James
Rosen as a 'possible co-conspirator' in violations of the Espionage Act
and authorized seizure of his private emails, a law enforcement official
told NBC News."
On Thursday's Nightly News,
White House correspondent Peter Alexander passed up the perfect
opportunity to mention the breaking news as he wrapped up a report on
President Obama's afternoon national security speech: "Also today, on
the topic of national security leaks, the President said that he's asked
Attorney General Eric Holder to conduct a 45-day review...of the
Justice Department's guidelines for investigations that involve
journalists."
Given the revelation from Isikoff, that would mean that Holder has been
put in charge of reviewing misconduct that he himself approved.
Friday's NBC Today didn't even mention the press crackdown scandals plaguing the administration.
However, Friday's CBS This Morning found the time, when co-host Gayle King posed this question to Face the Nation
moderator Bob Schieffer: "The President also said yesterday, Bob, that
he wants to protect journalists from the government's overreach. And now
comes news this morning that Attorney General Eric Holder signed off on
allowing an investigation into some reporters' e-mails. Is that an
awkward position?"
While NBC didn't bother to report its own exclusive on Thursday evening, Fox News's Special Report informed its viewers of the news. Not once, but twice. [Thanks to intern Nathan Roush for transcribing the Special Report coverage]
First, at 6:10 p.m. ET, a full 20 minutes before NBC Nightly News
began its 6:30 p.m. ET taping, Fox News correspondent Doug McKelway
announced: "Just moments ago, NBC News reported that Eric Holder signed
off on the search warrant on James Rosen as a co-conspirator. That
phrase is key. the co-conspirator part is apparently what the attorney
general signed off on."
Later, at 6:51 p.m. ET, 9 minutes before the 7 p.m. ET airing of Nightly News, Special Report
anchor Bret Baier again reported: "We learn tonight Attorney General
Eric Holder, according to NBC News, approved and signed off on the
controversial search warrant going after and identifying Fox News
reporter James Rosen as a possible co-conspirator..."
During the panel discussion that followed, columnist Charles
Krauthammer observed: "So here is a president saying journalists
shouldn't be at risk, legal risk, and yet he endorses full confidence in
Eric Holder, who now admits or it turns out signed off on a search
warrant essentially that named Rosen as a co-defendant..."
