Following the unveiling [1] of President Obama’s 2016 budget proposal, two of the three major broadcast networks made time to mention the story during their Monday evening newscasts, but only in the form of short news briefs.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir dedicated 16 seconds of airtime to the subject and while it brought up how much of the President’s proposal centers around tax increases, anchor David Muir failed to note [2] that the prospects of the budget proposal coming to fruition is slim to none.
Instead, Muir put the news this way to viewers:
And now to Washington tonight. President Obama unveiling his $4 trillion budget today. The President’s spending plan includes tax hikes for the wealthy, tax credits for the middle class, more money for the military and infrastructure. Republicans angry tonight about the tax increases up to $2 trillion worth.
Meanwhile, the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley used 11 seconds to higlight the President’s proposal as part of a segment highlighting money-related stories from Monday.
Even though CBS spent even less time on the budget than ABC, anchor Scott Pelley admitted that “[t]here’s no chance for his tax increases” to be passed by the Republican Congress. Pelley also added that “the Republican majority says it can work with a bipartisan idea to lower corporate taxes.”
In contrast to the 16 seconds of budget coverage, World News Tonight devoted a whopping five minutes and 21 seconds of its program discussing the Super Bowl’s outcome, advertisements, and halftime show. This total led the coverage of the Super Bowl on the networks despite the fact that ABC didn’t even air the game (which NBC did this year).
Perhaps even more absurd than that, 29 seconds of time was spent teasing and hyping video of the runner-up at a Brazilian beauty pageant ripping [3] the crown off of the winner and storming off the stage, claiming that the winner had bought herself the title.
Over on CBS, the 11 seconds on the President’s 2016 budget stood in comparison to the two-minutes-and-56-seconds teasing and reporting on Super Bowl XLIX.
As for the network that actually showed the game in NBC, NBC Nightly News ignored the unveiling of the President’s budget, but earmarked three minutes and 24 seconds for hyping the Super Bowl (along with the ads and halftime show).
The transcript of the brief from ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir on February 2 can be found below.
ABC’s World News Tonight with David Muir
February 2, 20156:44 p.m. Eastern
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: $4 Trillion Budget]
DAVID MUIR: And now to Washington tonight. President Obama unveiling his $4 trillion budget today. The President’s spending plan includes tax hikes for the wealthy, tax credits for the middle class, more money for the military and infrastructure. Republicans angry tonight about the tax increases up to $2 trillion worth.
The relevant portion of the news brief that aired on the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley on February 2 is transcribed below.
CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley
February 2, 2015
6:37 p.m. Eastern[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE CAPTION: The Economy]
SCOTT PELLEY: The President sent his budget to Congress. There's no chance for his tax increases, but the Republican majority says it can work with a bipartisan idea to lower corporate taxes.
— Curtis Houck is News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Curtis Houck on Twitter. [4]