Amidst the just about wall-to-wall protection of the second Trump impeachment trial, there have been quite a lot of unrelated information tales to speak about, together with new nursing residence bombshells involving Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) after which the suspension of White Home Deputy Press Secretary TJ Ducklo for sexist and threatening assaults towards Politico’s Tara Palmeri.
And on Friday evening’s broadcast community newscasts, all of them selected to lastly acknowledge however downplay the Cuomo story whereas ABC and NBC disregarded Ducklo. In fact, if the events had been reversed in each tales, there’s little doubt each tales would have acquired full segments.
ABC, CBS, and NBC coated for Cuomo on Thursday evening’s newscasts and the Friday morning reveals, however ABC’s World Information Tonight, the CBS Night Information, and NBC Nightly Information ended their silence on the admission from a prime Cuomo aide that the state dramatically underreported the variety of sufferers positioned in nursing houses by 40 p.c.
Worse but, the aide admitted that that they had carried out so out of concern the precise details can be used towards them by the Trump Justice Division and apologized to not New York households, however New York Democratic lawmakers.
Nevertheless, the “huge three” networks solely provided a mixed one minute and 14 seconds.
ABC correspondent Whit Johnson used up 26 seconds of a bigger COVID phase to tuck that in whereas NBC senior nationwide correspondent Miguel Almaguer did the identical and doled out a scant 17 seconds (click on “broaden”):
WHIT JOHNSON [ABC]: However tonight, new questions concerning the impression of the pandemic on essentially the most susceptible Individuals. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo beneath fireplace, accused of protecting up the state’s true loss of life toll in nursing houses. A prime aide admitting that the governor’s workplace withheld the numbers, saying they might “be used towards us” by the Trump Justice Division. This after a current report discovered the deaths had been undercounted by a a lot as 50 p.c.
(….)
MIGUEL ALMAGUER [NBC]: In New York, the place indoor eating resumed immediately, Governor Cuomo coming beneath fireplace after a prime aide stated his administration delayed releasing correct information on nursing residence deaths in addition to on the greater than 9,000 COVID sufferers transferred to long-term care services.
NBC’s puny nod got here regardless of anchor Lester Holt dedicating a gap tease to Cuomo, warning of “outrage over New York’s nursing houses” with “Cuomo beneath fireplace” for “[w]hat a prime aide admitted about COVID deaths.”
CBS anchor Norah O’Donnell additionally teased the damning information and devoted a separate information transient to Cuomo, however that solely ran for 31 seconds:
Tonight, there are bipartisan requires an investigation into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo after his prime aide admitted to democratic lawmakers that the Cuomo administration deliberately underreported the state’s COVID loss of life toll in nursing houses. In current weeks, a court docket order and the state’s legal professional normal pressured Cuomo’s workplace to confess the loss of life toll is almost 15,000, 1000’s greater than beforehand reported. The governor’s aide stated it was carried out out of concern that the Trump administration would use the numbers towards Cuomo.
Pivoting to Ducklo, the Jen Psaki lieutenant was suspended for per week with out pay after Self-importance Honest went public with feedback Ducklo made threatening to ruin Palmeri for reporting on his relationship with Axios’s Alexi McCammond and belittled Palmeri’s love life.
The article revealed that Psaki and different prime White Home communications aides knew about Ducklo’s habits, however solely had him write a observe of apology to Palmeri as in addition they reached out to Politico officers to specific their regrets.
After Psaki faced tough questions at Friday’s White Home press briefing, NBC Nightly Information and World Information Tonight gave the Biden administration an help by refusing to cowl it.
In the meantime, the CBS Night Information coated the scandal for 17 seconds. White Home correspondent Weijia Jiang (who requested a kind of questions) ended her report from the North Garden by calling out this disconnect between the administration’s name for civility and decency versus Ducklo’s habits however refused to say him by title:
Right here on the White Home, you’ll be able to see the First Girl has adorned for Valentine’s day. President Biden has stated he wished to revive decency and vowed to fireplace anybody on the spot who was disrespectful. However tonight, a deputy press secretary has solely been suspended for one week after utilizing sexist and threatening language with a feminine reporter.
The downplaying of Cuomo’s huge scandal and largely ignoring Ducklo’s ugly habits towards a feminine reporter was made doable because of advertisers resembling Allegra (on CBS), Consumer Cellular (on NBC), and Humana (on ABC). Comply with the hyperlinks to see their contact data on the MRC’s Conservatives Struggle Again web page. CBS Night has additionally requested folks to textual content anchor Norah O’Donnell at this quantity: (202) 217-1107.
To see the related community transcripts from February 12, click on “broaden.”
ABC’s World Information Tonight with David Muir
February 12, 2021
6:45 p.m. Jap[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Vaccines to Pharmacies; One Million Doses Sent to 6,500 Locations Across U.S.]
WHIT JOHNSON: However tonight, new questions concerning the impression of the pandemic on essentially the most susceptible Individuals. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo beneath fireplace, accused of protecting up the state’s true loss of life toll in nursing houses. A prime aide admitting that the governor’s workplace withheld the numbers, saying they might “be used towards us” by the Trump Justice Division. This after a current report discovered the deaths had been undercounted by a a lot as 50 p.c.
—
CBS Night Information with Norah O’Donnell
February 12, 2021
6:31 p.m. Jap [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Nursing Home Deaths]
NORAH O’DONNELL: Plus, an aide to New York governor Cuomo admits the state deliberately underreported the loss of life toll in nursing houses.
(….)
6:43 p.m. Jap
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; White House Suspends Press Aide Accused of Threatening Reporter]
WEIJIA JIANG: Right here on the White Home, you’ll be able to see the First Girl has adorned for Valentine’s day. President Biden has stated he wished to revive decency and vowed to fireplace anybody on the spot who was disrespectful. However tonight, a deputy press secretary has solely been suspended for one week after utilizing sexist and threatening language with a feminine reporter.
(…)
6:43 p.m. Jap
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Cuomo Under Fire for Alleged Nursing Home Death Toll Cover-Up]
O’DONNELL: Tonight, there are bipartisan requires an investigation into New York Governor Andrew Cuomo after his prime aide admitted to democratic lawmakers that the Cuomo administration deliberately underreported the state’s COVID loss of life toll in nursing houses. In current weeks, a court docket order and the state’s legal professional normal pressured Cuomo’s workplace to confess the loss of life toll is almost 15,000, 1000’s greater than beforehand reported. The governor’s aide stated it was carried out out of concern that the Trump administration would use the numbers towards Cuomo.
—
NBC Nightly Information with Lester Holt
February 12, 2021
7:01 p.m. Jap [TEASE][ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Nursing Home Outrage]
LESTER HOLT: Outrage over New York’s nursing houses. Governor Andrew Cuomo beneath fireplace. What a prime aide admitted about COVID deaths.
(….)
7:10 p.m. Jap
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Breaking News; Cuomo Aide Delayed Data on Nursing Homes Deaths]
MIGUEL ALMAGUER: In New York, the place indoor eating resumed immediately, Governor Cuomo coming beneath fireplace after a prime aide stated his administration delayed releasing correct information on nursing residence deaths in addition to on the greater than 9,000 COVID sufferers transferred to long-term care services.
