Whitewater: The Story Reporters Loved to Hate
Table of Contents:
- Whitewater: The Story Reporters Loved to Hate
- First, among the study findings:
- Some significant stories the networks barely or never covered
- Check out these recent quotes
First, among the study findings:
From February 29 to May 20, the four TV evening news shows aired only 23 reporterbased stories on Whitewater in more than 11 weeks. Only 13 reports came from the Big Three, compared to ten stories on CNN's The World Today. Eleven of the 23 stories focused on the President's testimony.
The most stunning lack of coverage came from NBC Nightly News, which aired only one reporterbased story in the entire 11 weeks on May 9.
The three network morning shows aired only 14 reporterbased stories and five interviews in 11 weeks. Again, much of the coverage (nine of the 14 stories and two of the five interviews) concerned Clinton's testimony.
None of the magazine shows covered the trial but then, from 1992 forward, all of the magazine shows combined have aired only two reporterbased stories on Whitewater.
Although Time carried a long cover story excerpting James Stewart's Whitewater book Blood Sport, the news magazines devoted fewer pages to the Whitewater trial than they did to the Jackie Onassis auction. In their May 6 editions, Time made the auction their cover story and gave it eight pages, Newsweek devoted six pages, U.S. News, two.
