MediaWatch: May 1993

CBS Stands Apart from Other Networks In Promoting Clinton Stimulus

Selling the "Job Creation Bill"

The Republican defeat of President Clinton's stimulus package drew a great deal of media attention, but the defeat was hardly unique: the Democrats did the same to George Bush and his "stimulus" tax cut proposal in his first year.

To compare the TV treatments of the blocked Bush and Clinton proposals, MediaWatch analysts reviewed every evening news story (on ABC's World News Tonight, CBS Evening News, CNN's Prime News or World News, and NBC Nightly News) and morning news report (on ABC's Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, and NBC's Today) from the House passage of the bills to their deaths on the Senate floor (from September 28-October 26, 1989 for Bush, and March 19-April 23 for Clinton).

Analysts found that in 1989, the Bush plan was never described as a "jobs bill," but simply as a "capital gains tax cut." So, in 1993 did the networks call the Clinton bill an "emergency spending-increase bill." No, they were more promotional: 46 percent of stories used the Democratic term "jobs bill" to describe the plan, and only 15 percent explained the GOP opposed the bill as pork-barrel spending.

Unlike Clinton, Bush had not made the capital gains cut a major initiative (and ultimately dropped it instead of fighting for it), and it received less attention than Clinton's plan. Only 17 morning and 16 evening reports mentioned it. But the tone was unmistakable: Bush and the Republicans wished to shower money on the rich.

CBS eagerly played up the class-war angle. On September 28, 1989, the night the House passed the tax cut, anchor Dan Rather announced: "A vote to support President Bush's idea to cut the capital gains tax cut for the wealthy. Sixty-four Democrats bucked their own House leaders, abandoned them, and joined the Republicans to support the measure. Mr. Bush says that cutting the capital gains tax for the wealthy will boost the economy and create jobs. Opponents don't believe that and call it simply a tax giveaway for the wealthy."

On October 5, Rather reported the House passed a spending bill to "cut capital gains taxes for the wealthy." When the Bush plan failed on October 25, Rather noted the cut "would benefit mostly the wealthy."

Of the 33 network reports on the Bush plan, only two used statistics. Both CBS and NBC relied on Democratic estimates of who would benefit. On September 28, 1989, NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell made the Democratic charge that taxpayers making $200,000 a year would typically receive $25,000 in tax breaks, while those making $50,000 would get $300. CBS This Morning also attacked the proposal in an October 5 segment with its then- "political columnist," Christopher Matthews. Matthews' self- described "sermonette" claimed 80 percent of the cut would go to those making over $100,000. Neither mentioned the cut's potential to create jobs.

Compare that record to 1993. The volume of stories is larger -- 63 evening reports and 117 on the morning shows. In the April 19 edition of Newsweek, Eleanor Clift reported: "Watching reports on CNN, a top aide noted that the network flashed `Jobs Bill' on the screen each time the impasse was discussed. `We'll take it,' he smiled, knowing a debate framed by jobs was one Clinton could win."

Once again, CBS set the pattern for bias. While the other networks described the Clinton package as a "jobs bill" or "job creation bill" in 31 percent of news stories, CBS used the terms in 83 percent. The evening and morning totals were nearly identical.

CBS repeatedly portrayed the heroic package's holdup as a tragedy. On April 6, reporter Bill Plante hit the GOP: "At an unemployment office in Fairfax, Virginia, they don't understand why politics is getting in the way of helping people find work." On April 21, Dan Rather said: "Clinton's big jobs bill is still being held prisoner in Congress tonight."

But viewers were reminded of the 1989 blockage only once. On April 5, ABC's Brit Hume recalled: "For the record, four years ago, Senate Democrats filibustered to block a measure George Bush said would stimulate the economy -- a cut in the capital gains tax. The White House claimed the bill would, that's right, create jobs. Senate Democratic leader Mitchell, who now complains about this filibuster, led that one, which succeeded."

In only 28 stories (15 percent), the networks related that the GOP claimed to oppose "pork" or "wasteful" spending. NBC (63 percent of its evening stories, 35 percent overall) far outdid second-ranking CBS (20 percent). In only four stories (3 percent), reporters cited examples of pork items in the stimulus bill, three of them by NBC's Lisa Myers. On the March 30 Nightly News, Myers read from "wish lists of mayors" including "swimming pools in eight states, tennis courts in four cities."

On April 7, CBS reporter Bill Plante cited two examples, reporting that while Clinton sees the projects as "good for jobs and people, Republicans see [them] as frivolous." This was the only story in 180 to include the GOP contention that 20 projects would create no jobs, and another 103 would create 10 or less jobs each.

Though they outscored ABC (8 percent) and CNN (10 percent) in mentioning pork, CBS sounded Democratic notes. On This Morning April 8, co-host Harry Smith asked Sen. Al D'Amato: "Isn't the pork a small part? Aren't we talking about money for jobs programs that could be used effectively in New York City?" CBS also sent Eric Engberg to attack GOP Sen. Phil Gramm as a hypocrite for opposing pork, but supporting projects in his state. CBS never savaged Democrats in 1989 who opposed a broad- based capital gains cut, but supported individual tax breaks for the wealthy in their districts, made famous by ousted House Speaker Jim Wright.

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