Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Network Coverage Of Pardons Was Lopsided


Flagship newscasts on ABC, CBS and NBC spent over 46 minutes covering President Trump pardoning Jan. 6 defendants but barely found time to mention former President Joe Biden issuing preemptive pardons for his family, according to a new study.

During the final hours of his administration last week, Biden issued preemptive pardons for relatives James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. That same day, Trump signed off on pardoning more than 1,500 charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the US Capitol, shortly after retaking office.

According to FOX News Digital, The Media Research Center analyzed flagship morning and evening newscasts on ABC, CBS, and NBC from Inauguration Day on January 20 through the morning of Jan. 22 to determine how the pardons were covered. While the pair of orders occurred on the same day, coverage was not exactly balanced.

The conservative media watchdog found that ABC, CBS, and NBC spent 46 minutes and 32 seconds on the Trump pardons, compared to only three minutes and 32 seconds on Biden’s preemptive pardons. 

ABC’s “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight” spent 15 minutes and 30 seconds on the Trump pardons compared to a brief 34 seconds on Biden. 

“CBS Mornings” and “CBS Evening News” devoted 16 minutes and 32 seconds to Trump’s pardons compared to only 64 seconds on pardons handed out by Biden, while NBC’s “Today” and “Nightly News” spent 14 minutes and 30 seconds on Trump and less than two minutes on Biden.

Trump previously promised that he would be “acting very quickly” on his first day in office to pardon the so-called “hostages,” a move that angered critics and prompted criticism that he was excusing violence against police. Biden preemptively pardoning his family was also criticized by political rivals, but it received only a sliver of the coverage his successor got.

No comments:

Post a Comment