Already moving on from the IRS scandal? On Thursday night, only the CBS Evening News of the broadcast network evening newscasts bothered to note how Lois Lerner, the IRS official in charge of the division which processes tax-exempt applications, was put on administrative leave after she took the Fifth and refused to answer questions at a House hearing the day before. Anchor Scott Pelley squeezed in 20 seconds on it.
Yet, ABC World News and the NBC Nightly News made room to highlight a photo of a 17-year-old Barack Obama and his prom date along with a friend and his date.
Both ABC World News anchor Dan Harris and NBC Nightly News anchor Ann Curry took time to point out how Obama, in a note written in the yearbook of the friend’s date, called her “foxy.” The picture and yearbook page were given to Time magazine by the woman.
None of the newscasts made any mention of any other scandal, such as fresh revelations in case of the Obama administration’s eavesdropping and harassment of Fox News correspondent James Rosen.
Pelley’s short May 23 CBS Evening News item on Lerner:
In the IRS scandal, Lois Lerner was replaced today as the head of the IRS unit that targeted conservative groups. She was placed on administrative leave. Yesterday Lerner told Congress she’d done nothing wrong, then she pleaded the fifth and refused to answer any questions. The head of the IRS was essentially fired by the President last week.
-- Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here [1] to follow Brent Baker on Twitter.