World News

David Muir Muses: Just When Can Cuba Get Off That Terrorism List?

scott.whitlock — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 21:50:54 +0000

Scott Whitlock

World News anchor David Muir on Wednesday scored an exclusive interview with Barack Obama to talk about normalizing relations with Cuba. While Muir offered a couple pointed questions about the poor human rights record of the communist nation, he mostly lobbed softballs.

— Scott Whitlock is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter.

ABC to Offer Six Hours of Midterm Coverage...on the Internet

scott.whitlock — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 17:30:15 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Considering that ABC's World News Tonight failed to cover the midterm elections from September 1 to October 26, one might think the network isn't interested in a possible Republican wave. ABC journalists are reinforcing that belief by promoting election night coverage: Seven hours of coverage. But six of those hours will be online only.

— Scott Whitlock is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter.

NBC Ignores NY Times Scoop on Chemical Weapons in Iraq

matthew.balan — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 20:03:01 +0000

Matthew Balan

As of Thursday morning, NBC's morning and evening newscasts have yet to cover the New York Times's front-page article on Wednesday about Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons stockpiles in Iraq, which were discovered by U.S. forces after the Iraq War.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

Networks Ignore Touching Story of 'Bucket-List Baby' and Parents

matthew.balan — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 19:48:03 +0000

Matthew Balan

ABC, CBS, and NBC punted on covering the poignant "bucket list" created by Jenna and Dan Haley for their son, Shane, who developed in his mother's womb with a major genetic defect. Shane Haley was born on Thursday morning, and died just a few hours later.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

Networks Confident in CDC over Ebola, 98 Percent Ignore Agency Failures

julia.seymour — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 15:09:27 +0000

Only 1 of 54 stories express concern about CDC’s competency, handling of dangerous diseases.

Joseph Rossell

In spite of revelations in recent months the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) mishandled strains of deadly bird flu, anthrax and botulism, the broadcast networks remained confident the government’s “disease detectives” could handle the Ebola outbreak.

Attkisson Reports Latest on Fast & Furious; ABC, NBC Omit Scandal in Holder Coverage

matthew.balan — Fri, 26 Sep 2014 22:05:55 +0000

Matthew Balan

Mere hours before President Obama announced Attorney General Eric Holder's resignation, Sharyl Attkisson reported on Thursday that U.S. District Court Judge John Bates ordered the Justice Department to "turn over a list of withheld Fast and Furious documents by Oct. 22 [2014].

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

As Diane Sawyer Signs-Off, a Look Back at Her Fawning Chats With Repressive Dictators

scott.whitlock — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 17:04:33 +0000

Scott Whitlock

World News anchor and long-time ABC journalist Diane Sawyer signed-off for the last time on Wednesday night. The host's final show included a music montage as she offered a behind the scenes look at how the program is created. Sawyer praised World News as "the flagship broadcast of ABC where Peter Jennings created a signature of such curiosity and courage."

— Scott Whitlock is Senior News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Scott Whitlock on Twitter.

Obama Admin. Admits Up to 310,000 Enrolled in ObamaCare Without Proof of Residency; Networks Yawn

matthew.balan — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 03:31:09 +0000

Matthew Balan

The Big Three networks' evening newscasts on Wednesday failed to notice the Obama administration's latest revelation about ObamaCare: that more than 300,000 people who signed up for health plans under the controversial law could lose them because they failed to prove they were legal residents of the U.S.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

Big Three Networks Avoid Calling ISIS 'Terrorists;' Label Them 'Rebels' and 'Militants'

matthew.balan — Sat, 09 Aug 2014 04:50:30 +0000

Matthew Balan

The Big Three networks steered clear of labeling the Islamist group ISIS "terrorists" on their evening newscasts on Friday. Instead, ABC's World News and CBS Evening News labeled the genocidal radicals "militants." NBC Nightly News used the more benign "rebels" in their coverage of the group's latest attacks on the Kurdish part of Iraq.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

ABC Out to Lunch on U.S. Attempt to Kindle Political Change in Cuba; CBS and NBC Cover

matthew.balan — Tue, 05 Aug 2014 21:32:01 +0000

Matthew Balan

As of Tuesday morning, ABC's morning and evening newscasts have yet to cover the Associated Press report that revealed the Obama administration's covert program in Cuba that attempted "recruit young Cubans to anti-government activism" on the communist-dominated island. The AP outlined that "over at least two years, the U.S.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

Networks That Ignored Bad GDP News, Eagerly Cover ‘Good News’

julia.seymour — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 15:00:16 +0000

ABC, NBC skipped first quarter drop and downward revisions, but happy to report growth.

Julia A. Seymour

All three broadcast network evening shows reported the higher than expected 4 percent gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate for the second quarter on July 30. However, ABC and NBC evening shows previously skipped the three prior GDP announcements that showed the economy shrinking in the first quarter.

— Julia A. Seymour is Assistant Managing Editor for MRC Business at the Media Research Center. Follow Julia A. Seymour on Twitter.

ABC Ignores Lois Lerner E-Mails Slamming Conservative 'Crazies;' CBS and NBC Notice

matthew.balan — Thu, 31 Jul 2014 02:48:07 +0000

Matthew Balan

ABC's World News stood out as the sole Big Three evening newscast on Wednesday to not cover the release of Lois Lerner's e-mails, where the former top IRS official slammed conservatives as "a**holes" and "crazies." Instead, the news program devoted full reports to the water main that burst on the campus of UCLA and the controversy over usage charges on cell phone bills.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

NY Times Decries ISIS's 'Brutal Crackdown' on Iraqi Christians; Big Three Networks Yawn

matthew.balan — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 22:11:00 +0000

Matthew Balan

ABC, CBS, and NBC's morning and evening newscasts have yet to cover the dire situation of Christians in Iraq, particularly after ISIS's takeover of the key city of Mosul.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

NBC Spotlights Bloomberg Blasting FAA for Suspending Flights to Israel; ABC, CBS Omit

matthew.balan — Thu, 24 Jul 2014 04:07:31 +0000

Matthew Balan

Wednesday's NBC Nightly News was the sole Big Three evening newscast to notice the criticism of the Obama administration banning U.S. airliners from traveling to Israel. Prominent politicians from both sides of the political spectrum, including Senator Ted Cruz and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, have denounced this move by the FAA.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.

CBS Shamelessly Hypes Climate Change Will Cause More Turbulence for Airplanes

matthew.balan — Thu, 17 Jul 2014 02:00:25 +0000

Matthew Balan

Wednesday's CBS Evening News unsurprisingly spotlighted a recent study that asserted that turbulence will become more common due to climate change during a news brief about the injuries on an international flight that encountered such unsettled air.

— Matthew Balan is a News Analyst at the Media Research Center. Follow Matthew Balan on Twitter.