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.

Economic Growth Turns Negative, CBS Only Network to Admit Rate

julia.seymour — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 16:39:32 +0000

NBC ignores GDP, while ABC dances around the ‘speed bump’ with positive report; print downplays drop.

Julia A. Seymour

Economic activity in the U.S., turned negative in the fourth quarter of 2012 according to the Commerce Department, just one day after a huge drop in consumer confidence was announced.

This took the media entirely by surprise. It was the first time the economy went into negative territory since the recession ended. But this significant report was completely ignored by NBC “Nightly News,” carefully danced around on ABC “World News” and downplayed on CBS “Evening News” on Jan. 30. Print outlets downplayed the news by claiming it was “not so bad.”

negative growth

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

Economic Growth Turns Negative, CBS Only Network to Admit Rate