Jon Karl

At Obama Press Conference, No Questions on Skipping Anti-Terror Rally

scott.whitlock — Fri, 16 Jan 2015 21:51:27 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Barack Obama on Friday conducted an almost hour-long news conference with journalists, but faced no questions on his administration's much-maligned decision not to send a representative to last Sunday's massive anti-terror rally in France. ABC journalist Jon Karl wondered if the President had any thoughts on Mitt Romney possibly running for president again.

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

ABC: Chris Christie 'Lashes Out' While Hillary Shows 'Softer Side'

scott.whitlock — Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:43:30 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Good Morning America's Jon Karl on Thursday couldn't help but contrast Chris Christie and Hillary Clinton as "lashing out" vs. the "softer side." Featuring the two possible 2016 contenders, George Stephanopoulos chided, "We're going to turn to politics now and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie lashing out on the stump." An ABC graphic underlined, "Caught on Camera: Chris Christie Lashes Out."

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

ABC Skips Own Reporter's Battle With White House, Gushes Over Clooney

scott.whitlock — Mon, 29 Sep 2014 16:53:43 +0000

Scott Whitlock

The viewers of ABC News might not know it, but one of the network's senior reporters, Jon Karl, grilled White House press secretary Josh Earnest on Friday about claims that al Qaeda had been "decimated." From Friday to Monday, ABC ignored the contentious exchange and Earnest's doubling down. Yet, over that same period, the network's news programs devoted over 20 minutes to the deeply superficial topic of George Clooney's wedding in Venice.

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

ABC Yawns as Jon Karl Grills Obama: Are You an 'Imperial President?'

scott.whitlock — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 15:48:33 +0000

Scott Whitlock

ABC journalist Jon Karl dared to push Barack Obama on his use of executive power, demanding to know if the commander-in-chief is an "imperial president." But Karl's own network ignored the question, declining to air it on Wednesday's World News and Nightline or on Thursday's Good Morning America.

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

ABC Ignores Its Own Journalist Hounding Carney on Obama's 'Accomplishments' in Iraq

matthew.balan — Fri, 13 Jun 2014 04:03:35 +0000

Matthew Balan

Thursday's World News on ABC led with the rapid advance of an Islamist group into the heart of Iraq, but glossed over how correspondent Jonathan Karl grilled outgoing White House Press Secretary Jay Carney over how this development casts doubt on two of President Obama's supposed "top foreign policy accomplishments: ending the war in Iraq and decimating and destroying core al-Qaeda."

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

ABC Hypes Michelle Obama's 'Rare Political Move' Against Republicans

scott.whitlock — Tue, 27 May 2014 21:43:48 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Although the journalists at Good Morning America on Tuesday found no time to discuss what NBC called a "potentially dangerous mistake" by the White House, reporter Jon Karl devoted a report to promoting Michelle Obama's latest efforts on healthy lunches. Co-anchor George Stephanopoulos touted it as a "a rare political move now from First Lady Michelle Obama." [MP3 audio here.]

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

ABC Ignores Correspondent Grilling Carney Over V.A. Scandal; Exalts Walters' Exit Instead

matthew.balan — Sat, 17 May 2014 03:29:18 +0000

Matthew Balan

Friday's World News on ABC mentioned the ongoing scandal surrounding the Veterans Administration only in passing, despite the fact their own chief White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl, hounded Press Secretary Jay Carney at the regular White House press briefing on the issue.

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

NBC Hypes 'Late Surge' to Make ObamaCare Deadline, Allows a Mere 22 Seconds for New Problems

scott.whitlock — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 16:02:39 +0000

Scott Whitlock

All three morning shows on Tuesday hyped an "eye-popping" surge on the final day of ObamaCare sign-ups, but NBC's Today minimized the latest problems for those attempting to meet the deadline. Despite two segments on the topics, the four-hour program covered this angle for a scant 22 seconds.

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

ABC's Jon Karl Swears: New Hillary Documents Are 'Positive' and Not 'Politically Damaging'

scott.whitlock — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 17:19:03 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Nothing to see here, according to ABC's Jon Karl. The Good Morning America correspondent on Tuesday told viewers that the so-called "Hillary papers," a treasure trove of quotes and documents, are a "positive portrayal" and "none of this appears to be politically damaging." [MP3 audio here.] In contrast, Monday's NBC Nightly News worried that the papers are "brutal" and include "inflammatory excerpts."

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

ABC Promotes Obama's 'Call to Action,' But Allows a Scant 16 Seconds to GOP Response

scott.whitlock — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 17:40:16 +0000

Scott Whitlock

The journalists at Good Morning America on Wednesday discussed Barack Obama's State of the Union address for seven minutes and 19 seconds, but only allowed a scant 16 seconds for the GOP response (a 27-to-1 disparity).

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

ABC Pushes Obama's Efforts to Unilaterally 'Act Without Congress,' Hit Bush on Intransigence

scott.whitlock — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 17:18:33 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Previewing Barack Obama's State of the Union on Tuesday, Good Morning America's Jon Karl hyped the President's move to unilaterally act "where he can without Congress." [MP3 audio here.] Eight years ago, however, ABC hit George W. Bush for being unwilling to compromise.

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

ABC, CBS Acknowledge Obama's 'Broken Promise,' But Knock Americans' 'Sub-Par Insurance'

scott.whitlock — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 17:04:13 +0000

Scott Whitlock

ABC and CBS on Thursday and Friday reacted to Barack Obama's health care apology by acknowledging his "broken promise." At the same time, both networks attempted to spin the NBC interview with qualifiers on the millions of Americans who will be losing their health insurance.

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

Surprise: GMA Commits Journalism, Exposes 'Frustrating' 'New Troubles' for ObamaCare

scott.whitlock — Mon, 04 Nov 2013 17:11:55 +0000

Scott Whitlock

After offering sympathetic coverage to the disastrous roll-out of the ObamaCare website, ABC on Monday actually uncovered "new troubles" and alerted viewers to misleading comments by the White House. Near the top of Good Morning America on Monday, co-host George Stephanopoulos trumpeted, "ABC News has obtained copies of internal administration memos revealing for the first time that extensive hurdles to signing up for insurance are not limited to the website."

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

ABC's Jon Karl: GOP Taking 'Biggest Hit' in Poll, Downplays Bad News for Obama

scott.whitlock — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 16:45:15 +0000

Scott Whitlock

The journalists at Good Morning America on Tuesday hyped bad news for the GOP, citing a poll showing disapproval of the party's handling of the recent government shutdown. But the show's reporters downplayed and ignored ominous results for the President and his health care law. George Stephanopoulos trumpeted that Republicans are "taking the biggest hit."

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

ABC Touts 'Contentious' Interview With Ted Cruz, Blames Him for Shutdown

scott.whitlock — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 16:41:23 +0000

Scott Whitlock

Good Morning America's Jon Karl on Friday continued his efforts to assign blame for what he called the "Ted Cruz shutdown." This prompted the Texas senator to shoot back: "A lot of the media did" that. [MP3 audio here.] GMA co-host George Stephanopoulos touted the Republican's appearance as a "contentious and defiant interview."

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