Broadcast News Coverage: A Tale Of Two Marches

Last weekend there were two marches both claiming to stand for women. But the network coverage was anything but similar, according to the conservative media watchdog group Media Research Center.

According to MRC: One was for abortion, the other was for life. One claimed larger numbers. But the other boasted a presidential address. And the networks that follow President Trump’s every tweet hardly noticed as, for the first time ever, the president addressed the March for Life live via satellite.

During their morning and evening news shows from Jan. 19 through Jan. 22, the three broadcast networks covered the 2018 Women’s March nearly seven times more than the 2018 March for Life. ABC, CBS and NBC combined devoted 25 minutes, 24 seconds on the Women’s March, but just 3 minutes, 46 seconds on the pro-life rally.

On Saturday, Jan. 20, several cities, including Washington, D.C. and New York City, hosted their second annual Women’s March calling for “Power to the Polls.  On Jan. 20, CBS This Morning and NBC's Today covered the March for Life as a part of their larger coverage of the Women’s March.

NRC noted CBS reporter Paula Reid admitted that the Women's March “has come under criticism, for only representing the views of liberal women,” before interviewing a woman who attend the pro-life march. For her part, NBC correspondent Morgan Radford noted the “stark contrast” between the Women’s March and the March for Life that was put “putting abortion rights advocates on edge.”

Other reports were glowing. On Jan. 21, ABC correspondent Eva Pilgrim highlighted the “#weekendofwomen” with over 250 marches with “hundreds of thousands packing in” “stretching as far as the eye can see.”