Newsbusters: TV networks air more NFL scandals than White House scandals
According to analysis and commentary from Newsbusters, TV’s bias towards the White House appears to still be in full swing as viewers are more likely to have heard about the off-season problems of Adrian Peterson than the latest on secret service prostitute cover-up.
Geoffrey Dickens details the “liberal bias” in his recent article, noting that “despite revelations in the Benghazi, IRS, Veterans Administration and Secret Service prostitution scandals it was the NFL domestic abuse scandals that captured the attention of the Big Three (ABC, NBC, CBS) networks.”
Some supporters of the President may point to the bias of the writer, but the stats are staggering: “Since September 4 (the start of the NFL regular season) through October 15 the networks, on their evening and morning shows, devoted a total of 171 (NBC 71, CBS 55, ABC 45) stories or briefs to five NFL players (Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Dwyer, Ray McDonald, Greg Hardy) embroiled in domestic abuse cases. …”
Contrast that to: “Number of stories on Obama scandals over that same time period? Just three. And while no one would dispute the seriousness of the charges underlying the NFL cases, the question has to be asked doesn’t the state of the body politic deserve at least the same amount of coverage as the state of the NFL?”
Yes, 171-3.
The Thursday article goes deeper into the language to attack the NFL players:
“Tonight, with the National Football League in full damage control mode, the former head of the FBI has now been called upon to head up what the league is calling an independent investigation into the handling of the whole Ray Rice case and the video evidence that has come to light.” – Brian Williams, NBC Nightly News, Sept. 11.
“The latest revelations suggest that after Ray Rice was arrested for domestic violence, the Ravens organization was very concerned about protecting their star player and keeping the video under wraps.” – Chip Reid, CBS This Morning on Sept. 22.
It appears as though that strong language is not suitable for the White House scandals.
Check out the full coverage at Newsbusters