On Tuesday night, ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir and NBC Nightly News omitted from their coverage any mention that President Obama’s upcoming speech to the country on Wednesday night will not include some crucial details on how he plans to go about defeating the Islamic terrorist group ISIS.
In contrast, the CBS Evening News offered a detailed report with CBS News chief White House correspondent Major Garrett telling viewers that the President’s speech “appears short on specifics.” Garrett reported in a one-minute-and-two-second segment that “[t]here will be no timetable for defeating ISIS and no cost estimates for the emerging military campaign.” Additionally, he said that “[t]he United States will need help from a still-evolving international coalition” to defeat ISIS in both Iraq and Syria.
ABC News chief White correspondent Jonathan Karl told anchor David Muir in a one-minute report that the President’s speech “is designed to reassure Americans that the President actually has a strategy for taking on the threat posed by ISIS.”
In the tease at the top of NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams described Obama’s upcoming speech as a “[c]ritical [m]ission” where the President is preparing “to make his case to the nation for destroying ISIS.”
Later, when it came time to preview the upcoming speech by the President, Williams provided some spin for Obama by saying that he’s “preparing to address the nation tomorrow evening to prepare the American people for a long campaign to destroy the terrorist group ISIS.”
Reporting from the White House, NBC News chief White House correspondent Chris Jansing continued the White House spin: "[T]he scheduling in prime time does raise the stakes. It points to both the seriousness of the threat and awareness of the White House that it's making people increasingly nervous."
The complete transcript from the segment that aired on ABC World News Tonight with David Muir on September 9 is transcribed below.
ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
September 9, 2014
6:41 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Fighting ISIS]
DAVID MUIR: Now, to Washington tonight, and this image today. President Obama meeting with congressional leaders in the Oval Office today before his high stakes prime time address tomorrow night here. He will make the case to the nation about taking on the brutal killers of ISIS. I want to bring in ABC’s chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl tonight and, Jon, what can we expect?
JONATHAN KARL: Good evening, David. More than anything, this speech is designed to reassure Americans that the President actually has a strategy for taking on the threat posed by ISIS.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Fighting ISIS; Obama to Address Nation]
White House officials say that this battle has entered a new phase in large part because, as of yesterday, there is a new Iraqi government. That opens up the door for more military support for the Iraqis and a more aggressive campaign of U.S. air strikes. Now longer just defending against attacks from ISIS, but beginning the process of destroying the group. The President will also call for an immediate effort to train rebels in Syria that are fighting ISIS, but he is not yet ready to call for air strikes in Syria. That is likely to come, but not yet. David?
DAVID MUIR: Jon, thank you.
The full transcript from the segment on President Obama and ISIS on September 9's CBS Evening News can be found below.
CBS Evening News
September 9, 2014
6:37 p.m. EasternBOB SCHIEFFER: President Obama will address the nation tomorrow evening about his strategy for defeating ISIS. That is the Sunni Muslim group that's been carrying out a campaign of terror across Iraq and Syria and beheaded two American journalists. The President briefed the leaders of Congress at the White House today in advance of the speech. We have a series of reports tonight. First chief White House correspondent Major Garrett. Major?
MAJOR GARRETT: Bob, in a 70-minute meeting, President Obama told the congressional leaders he has all the legal authority he needs to carry out his strategy against ISIS and doesn't need a congressional vote, but he did ask Congress, in the coming days, to give him $500 million and the legal authority to train Syrian fighters battling ISIS within that country. Afterwards, House Speaker John Boehner said he would support air strikes targeting ISIS leaders and sending more U.S. military advisers to Iraq. The Pentagon has recommended both to the President. Now, tomorrow's speech appears short on specifics. There will be no timetable for defeating ISIS and no cost estimates for the emerging military campaign. The President may use the address to announce an expansion of the air war into Syria. He's been considering that option for the better part of two weeks. Bob, senior White House officials stress that U.S. military action alone will not defeat ISIS. The United States will need help from a still-evolving international coalition that will include the Iraqi government, the Syrian rebels, kind of out-matched militarily and under-armed and help from neighboring countries including, but not limited to Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
SCHIEFFER: Okay, Major, thank you.
The relevant portions of the transcript from NBC Nightly News on September 9 are transcribed below.
NBC Nightly News
September 9, 20147:00 p.m. Eastern [TEASE]
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Critical Mission]
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Critical mission. The President prepares to make his case to the nation for destroying ISIS. Tonight here, we debut a new NBC News poll that reveals just how worried most Americans are.
(....)
7:07 p.m. Eastern [SEGMENT]
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Target ISIS]
WILLIAMS: We shift gears now to our other major story this evening: The President preparing to address the nation tomorrow evening to prepare the American people for a long campaign to destroy the terrorist group ISIS. Tonight, our new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll reveals nearly less than half of Americans think we are less safe than we were before 9/11.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: Safe Now Than Before 9/11; 47% Less Safe; 26% More Safe]
That's the highest since we started asking this question back in 2002. Our senior White House correspondent Chris Jansing on the north lawn at the White House where the President met with congressional leaders about this ISIS threat earlier today. Chris, good evening.
CHRIS JANSING: Good evening, Brian. That meeting lasted almost an hour and a senior White House official has just told me that the President asked for one specific thing from congressional leaders and that is the authority to train the Syrian opposition. It would require a congressional vote and, although he didn't get a commitment in the meeting, House Speaker John Boehner issued a statement saying he would support the President if he chose to deploy the military to help train and play an advisory role. Now, senior diplomatic officials say time is of the essence. They believe right now that they can get a buy-in from other counties in the region to help. They've been working toward that. Also in that meeting, the President did not ask leaders to vote to authorize military action. He doesn't think he needs that and sources say he didn't ask for additional funding for the ISIS operation either. He did outline the speech he's going to deliver tomorrow night to the American people and the scheduling in prime time does raise the stakes. It points to both the seriousness of the threat and awareness of the White House that it's making people increasingly nervous. Brian?
WILLIAMS: Alright, Chris Jansing at the White House tonight. We'll see you back there tomorrow night.
— Curtis Houck is News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Curtis Houck on Twitter. [1]