On Aug. 1, CBS Evening News ignored the massive crowds that turned out that day at Chick-Fil-A restaurants around the nation in support of traditional marriage, free speech, or simply tasty fast food. ABC and NBC, by contrast, covered “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day” [1] with full and surprisingly respectful reports.
The August 1 episode of CBS Evening News [2] completely failed to mention the massive crowds at Chick-Fil-A restaurants across the country. And it’s not as though the network was unaware of it. CBSNews.com mentioned Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day (without providing video), reporter Stephanie Condon treated the event as an inside-the-beltway political affair, calling it [3] a “rallying point for conservative pols.” The site also featured commentary [4] from writer Erik Sherman, arguing that Chick-fil-A’s “brand perception” took a major hit because of Chick-Fil-A President Dan Cathy’s remarks.
NBC Nightly News showed [5] five separate quick clips of protestors against Chick-fil-A, but showed numerous images of massive crowds in support of Chick-fil-A. Reporter John Yang noted: “From
ABC’s World News Tonight also noted the [6] “thousands and thousands of people at Chick-Fil-A restaurants from coast to coast” and showed several images of massive lines and crowds at several Chick-Fil-A restaurants. The report even featured a woman who declared: “I don’t support the politics, but I do support the food. Go Chick-fil-A.” But reporter Steve Osunsami couldn’t resist making one statement that could have been right out of a Human Rights Campaign press release: “Chick-Fil-A has long handed out millions to groups that fight against protections for gay Americans.”
The major networks tend to ignore trends [7] and major events [8] that do not fit liberal narratives. ABC and NBC's evening news programs bucked the trend this time, covering Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day fairly respectfully. CBS's evening newscast, however, played to type and ignored the “buycott” altogether.