The “liberal media” is blamed for everything from swaying presidential elections to pushing the LGBTQ agenda, but how liberal is the 30 minute evening news on the three major broadcast networks?
When the media is collectively criticized as the "liberal media” and the conversation includes the broadcast networks of CBS, NBC and ABC, I have consistently distinguished them from the “news” that is presented on the cable news networks of Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC. The programming on the cable news networks is driven by strong opinions. Fox News steers to the right while CNN and MSNBC steer to the left. This is not a secret. The only people surprised are the gullible individuals that believe the cable news network they align with is the only one that tells the truth.
My argument has always been that the three main broadcast networks are more objective than the liberal label they have been given. To make this point, I suggested on the show that we watch the CBS Evening News and try to objectively assess if the news is blatantly biased.
Yesterday, I gave the audience of my talk show on WWL in New Orleans an assignment: watch the CBS Evening News at 5:30 pm - take notes - and write down anything that you think represents a strong liberal bias. I have no idea how many listeners participated in the assignment, but I will be talking about that on my talk show today.
Here’s what I saw while watching the CBS Evening News last night:
The opening story - presumably that is the story the network considers the most attention-worthy story - was about the growing problem at the southern border. In that story, CBS reported that over 13,000 immigrant children were being held in U.S. custody and that the children were being held up to 5 days rather than the standard 72 hours. CBS News included that President Biden was being blamed for relaxing border security. More criticism of the Biden administration came when the story said that the administration describes the situation at the border as a “challenge” while local officials are defining it as a “crisis.”
The second story on the CBS Evening News last night was about the race to vaccinate and that Moderna has begun testing children as young as 6 months old. That story included news that a woman in Florida who had received the COVID-19 vaccine had given birth to a baby born with the coronavirus antibodies. There was also news about the state of Mississippi opening up vaccinations to everyone 16 and older and that there is a semblance of life returning to normal in the hard-hit state of California.
The story about the vaccine went on to mention that 16 European countries have restricted the use of the Astrazeneca vaccine following reports of blood clots but added that the rate of blood clots from the vaccine was lower that the rate in the general population while a doctor said he believes the benefits still outweigh the risks.
The third story on the news was about the intelligence report just released showing that foreign governments did try to influence the 2020 presidential election and that the primary culprits were Russia and Iran. The report accused the countries of spreading anti-Biden information in an effort to boost Trump’s chances and that China considered interfering, but decided against it.
CBS News then reported that President Biden will hold his first press conference next week and that he was currently on a campaign to promote the recently-passed stimulus package. That story included mention that Blacks and Republican men are among the biggest groups refusing to get the vaccination and quoted some saying that former President Trump should encourage all Americans to get the shot. (It was revealed later last night that Trump did publicly tell all Americans to get the vaccination.
Story five was about the skyrocketing price of gas shooting up to a national average of $2.87 a gallon - a $0.30 increase in a month and a $0.60 increase over the past year. The reason for the jump in gas prices was attributed to the severe weather that hit Texas, shutting down many refineries, and the easing of COVID restrictions and the new-found confidence that many Americans now have which is leading to more travel. When the demand for gas goes up - so does the price.
The story pointed out that the world is opening back up, but the CDC is still recommending that people not travel.
The news stories that followed were a story about a house filled with fireworks that exploded leaving 2 dead; Sister Jean, the 101-year-old nun who is a huge college basketball fan, was cleared to travel to Indianapolis to attend the NCAA basketball tournament; and finally a story about a diner in Rockhill, SC that was the setting for a major moment in the civil rights movement when Black customers sat at the counter and were denied service. Refusing to leave, the black customers were arrested. The white owner of the diner met one of the black men who was refused service that day and decided to keep the counter and use it as a symbol of the progress that has been made in race relations in America.
Last night’s CBS Evening News was a presentation of the news stories considered the important stories to air and there appeared to be no blatant biased slant to the left. An argument could be made that the stories about the border, the vaccination and the rising gas prices could have gone into further detail that might lead to blame being placed on the Biden administration, but the evening news is only 30 minutes. The obvious goal was to cover the stories with strong content along with stories that relate to the general public.
What I saw last night was a network newscast that was mostly objective in its presentation of the stories it chose to feature. Any of those same stories could easily have been used to stir controversy on the cable news channels.
We live in a time where hysteria rules, and any opportunity to ignite hysteria is used to spark the controversy that the cable news channels and talk radio thrive on. We are also quick to label everyone into a single category because that’s convenient for the harsh judgment of groups.
Judging all media as the “liberal media” will continue, but it is fair to point out that the evening newscasts of the broadcast networks is more objective than people have been led to believe.
