NBC and CBS's morning shows on Thursday completely skipped any reference to the
false quotes that forced Rush Limbaugh to be dropped [1]
from a group bidding to buy the St. Louis Rams. Only Good Morning America had
any coverage at all. News anchor Chris Cuomo simply recapped the development and
added, "[Limbaugh] had been criticized for past statements about black
players."
Cuomo made no mention of the untrue quotes, such as Limbaugh supposedly
having said in the past that "slavery had its merits." Wouldn't it be only fair
for Good Morning America, NBC's Today and CBS's Early Show to at least discuss
how false statements derailed the conservative's attempts to own a team?
Media Research
Center [2] has called upon the cable outlets that ran the fake quote to retract. So far, MSNBC has refused. CNN [3]'s Rick Sanchez asserted that Limbaugh has denied the remark. (Anderson Cooper
admitted the falsity on Wednesday's AC360.) The MRC has also produced a
special report [4] on
the liberal media's attacks against the host.
On Tuesday's
GMA [5], the program's host and reporters danced around the inaccurate comments
attributed to the radio host. Correspondent David Muir played a clip of Limbaugh
complaining, "They have to go somewhere to find concocted quotes, which are now
bordering on slander, libel, whatever it is, that I never said." But, Muir
didn't describe the false information. Instead, he mysteriously referenced
"actual quotes" that Limbaugh made about the sports media's touting of Donovan
McNabb.
Wednesday's Nightly News on NBC and ABC's World News both had brief items on
Limbaugh no longer being part of the bid to buy the Rams. CBS's Evening News did
not file a report.
A transcript of Thursday's Good Morning America anchor
read, which aired at 7:07am EDT, follows:
CHRIS CUOMO: Rush Limbaugh has been sacked in his bid to help buy the St. Louis Rams football team. An investment group has dropped Limbaugh, saying he had become a distraction. He had been criticized for past statements about black players.
-Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center.