Liars always be lyin'.
Posted on 01/30/2020 2:26:30 AM PST by gattaca
Before the Senate impeachment trial of President Donald J. Trump was gaveled into session, Chief Justice John Roberts presided over a swearing-in ceremony where all 100 senators pledged to be impartial jurors. The liberal media zeroed in on that pledge and decried Senate Republicans who seemed to be siding with the President.
But a Media Research Center study of broadcast evening news coverage of the opening arguments of both sides, found ABC, CBS, and NBC did not live up to the standard they demanded of Republicans. They gave Democrats double the airtime and showered their arguments with mostly praise, while expressing only criticism of the President’s legal team.
Between Wednesday, January 22, when Democratic House impeachment managers launched their opening arguments, and Tuesday, January 28, when the President’s defense team rested, evening newscast reporters and anchors made a total of 34 evaluative statements about the merits and effectiveness of both sides.
Democratic impeachment managers received a total of 21 evaluative statements from ABC, CBS, and NBC journalists. Of that total, 95 percent of those (20) touted their efforts and presentations, which means only one of their evaluative comments were negative. ABC’s World News Tonight had eight positive comments, CBS Evening News had five, and NBC Nightly News seven. NBC had the lone negative comment.
In stark contrast, every evaluative statement from reporters and anchors about the merits and effectiveness of Trump’s defense team were negative. Of the 13 total statements, ABC and CBS each had five with NBC pitching in with three.
The networks would roundly tear down the arguments Trump’s legal team was making despite the evidence they would present. When Trump lawyer Michael Purpura argued with evidence that the President was long interested in burden-sharing when it came to Ukraine’s defense, CBS chief congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes tried to shoot it down by saying, “Those claims run counter to witness testimony.” A common assertion by the networks.
After the manuscript of former National Security Advisor John Bolton was leaked, Holt announced that the book “contradicts his defense.” Moments later, NBC chief White House correspondent Hallie Jackson seemed to poke at how Trump’s lawyers were addressing senators by not “the elephant in the room.”
On day one on the Democratic arguments, they roundly praised how prosecutors were using the words of the President’s defenders against him. “But Chairman Jerry Nadler tried to dismantle that argument using one of the President’s top defenders to make the case,” said ABC senior congressional correspondent Mary Bruce. CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell echoed: “House managers laid out their case to remove Mr. Trump from office, at times using his own words against him.”
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt opened the segment for day two of Democratic arguments by suggesting they were “painting a damning portrait of the President.”
The lone negative evaluation for Democrats came from NBC News political director Chuck Todd on Saturday, January 25, when he shared his frustrations with how the managers seemed to be unable to convince Senate Republicans to vote for more witnesses:
You don’t really any shifts. And if anything, I think before this trial began, I thought they had a good shot at getting witnesses and maybe at least extending this a little bit … I think it’s pretty clear that Mitch McConnell has convinced them … it’s not worth it.”
Along with that heavy praise for House impeachment managers came a sizable boost in the amount of airtime allowed for their side. More than double, in fact.
In all, the networks covered the Democratic managers for almost 25 minutes (24:57). That’s compared to the 11 minutes and 34 seconds they gave to President Trump’s defense team. The most wildly imbalanced was CBS Evening News, which gave seven minutes, 42 seconds for Democrats and skimped on Trump’s team with two minutes and 26 seconds.
ABC gave Democrats the most time at nine minutes, 25 seconds. Contrast that with the five minutes and 21 seconds they gave the Trump team. NBC allocated seven minutes, 50 seconds for Democrats, while giving three minutes, 47 seconds to the defense.
With the liberal media’s demand that Republicans be impartial in hearing the case, it was clearly more of a ‘do as I say, not as I do’ suggestion.
Never have I ever seen the blatant arrogance, stupidity and hatred coming from network and cable news when it comes to a president that has done more in 3 years than Obama in 8, bush in 8 and Clinton in 8. The viewers are just as stupid. The scumbag media is truly the enemy of the people
Liars always be lyin'.
They’re supposed to be the “referees.”
Imagine if Pitt is playing against Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl for the National Championship.
Imagine it is revealed that of the 6 referees and 2 judges, it turns out that every damn one of them is a Notre Dame alum making sizeable donations to Notre Dame.
It turns out that every damn one of their wives is a Notre Dame alum or faculty.
It turns out that every damn one of their children is a student, band member or cheerleader for ND.
And every damn one of them made sizeable bets on Notre Dame winning the game.
Yet they all claim that it won’t affect their judgement.
Imagine...
Obama spied on the computers of journalists and locked up several filmmakers.
This prissy poofter claiming “dangerous war on the media” need to p!ss off.
people who demanded Trump’s impeachment before he was even sworn in now pledge to be impartial jurors. That’s a laugh.
And Schiff is a material witness, he should be cross examined.
L8r
There is a tool sold at Home Depot that can fix our media when applied correctly. It sells for $14.99. It’s sold in the tool section as a replacement handle.
Only Republicans will be held to the "impartial" standard, which will be monitored and determined by the mainstream media. Whatever they (the media) say is truth.
Democrats are saints. Everything they do and say is considered not only "impartial," but virtuous, truthful and trustworthy. Democrats are not capable of doing anything wrong. Only Trump supporters are.
Not only networks and cable, but local wannabe “journalists” too.
I saw a local Miami news report about what was happening in DC.
Guess how much time they spent reporting on the BIGGEST MULTINATIONAL TRADE PACT IN HISTORY. Go ahead, guess.
Six seconds. Six.
Got bias, fake news?
any senator running for president needs to recuse themselves from the impeachment rial
I don’t watch the color commentary. For people who demand impartiality of Republicans, they don’t live up to their own standard.
And we need to hear Democrat witnesses, why exactly? The only witness they want to hear from is Bolton but they won’t grant the same right to Trump.
Fairness, indeed.
Totally agree. And from the impeachment "trial" too.
But they won’t. This is a political trial. The only crime Trump is accused of is being a politician.
The Democrats are doing exactly what they accuse Trump of and its only impeachable when he does it!
Oh the horror.
....Chief Justice John Roberts presided over a swearing-in ceremony where all 100 senators pledged to be impartial jurors. ....
.....
Well I guess many rat senators forgotten their pledge because it was so.....so.....long ago. Bernie’s question should have been rebuked and Bernie sent to stand in the corner. ...meanwhile the really stupid fake Indian showed her bias with her “bribery” BS hidden accusation question.
I thought it great when Jay said last night. ....you want witnesses, ...well, I will call Adam Schiff, whistle blower. ...etc..that shut that nasty schumer up. ...
and the US media is purposely hiding world-wide efforts into the Biden matter such as this: https://www.les-crises.fr/breaking-news-prosecutor-shokin-files-a-complaint-against-joe-biden-for-interference-in-ukraine-s-legal-proceedings/
Sounds like the networks need to be sued to give Trump the in-kind donations that they give Democrats.
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