Networks Focus on Romney “Gaffes” in 86% of Coverage of Trip Abroad

Gave Obama Free Pass in 2008

ALEXANDRIA, Va. --- The Media Research Center has released a new analysis of the 21 ABC, CBS and NBC evening news stories about Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's trip to London, Israel and Poland between July 25 and July 31. The report’s findings are absolutely staggering. 18 of the 21 stories emphasized Romney’s perceived gaffes. That’s 86%!

Their analysis also found that:

- NBC and CBS savaged Romney for an innocuous remark about London’s readiness for the Games following security issues widely reported by those same networks. The comment was so unremarkable that NBC cut it out of their original taped interview with Romney.

- NBC and CBS only made Romney’s Olympic comments an issue after taking their cues from British tabloids.

- When candidate Obama toured abroad during the 2008 campaign, the networks ignored that Obama falsely presented himself as a member of the Senate Banking Committee to reporters in Israel referring to “his” committee’s calls for divestment in Iran

- Four years later Romney’s tough talk on Iran in defense of Israel was reported as an “error.”

- During Romney’s week-long trip, the networks committed 53 minutes of almost entirely negative coverage to the Republican candidate. During Obama’s trip in 2008, they spent 92 minutes gushing over Obama.

Media Research Center President Brent Bozell reacts:

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that the media took this opportunity to thoroughly trash Obama’s rival, but the near unanimous negativity of their coverage is as outrageous as it is transparent.

“It’s impossible to look at the fawning coverage of Obama’s trip in 2008
compared to the sliming Romney has taken in 2012 and not see a clear agenda on the part of the liberal media.

“There is no low to which they won’t sink to damage Mitt Romney in order to help Obama win re-election, even if it means shouting questions about gaffes at him during a visit to Poland’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It’s absolutely despicable.”



To schedule an interview with MRC President Brent Bozell or another MRC spokesperson, please contact Jeremy Little - jlittle@crcpublicrelations.com (703)-683-5004