Children must be making the news programming decisions at NBC “Nightly News.”
Aug. 14 was the 75th anniversary of Social Security, the largest government program and most troubled. Social Security is in the red this year – six years ahead of forecasts. The program faces a $41 billion shortfall [1] this year alone.
The major anniversary of a program often nicknamed the “third-rail” of politics didn’t even rate a mention on NBC “Nightly News.” Instead, NBC celebrated an “iconic” children’s cartoon: Dora the Explorer.
“If you’ve ever said the phrase: ‘Swiper, no swiping.’ then you know the power of the little girl who made that phrase famous.” Kate Snow enthusiastically teased. “Dora the Explorer will forever be a seven-year-old cartoon character, but this weekend marks the tenth anniversary of a ground-breaking show that has been almost inescapable for a generation of kids.”
While, Dora the Explorer may be more important to preschoolers and kindergartners it probably doesn’t resonate as deeply with taxpayers as Social Security and its problems.
ABC “World News” Saturday also failed to mention Social Security on Aug. 14, while CBS “Evening News” aired a story about the unemployed being “forced” to opt for early retirement (at 62) collecting lower Social Security benefits “permanently.”
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