Broadcast Bias: The Networks Adored Trump 'tell All' Books, But Downplay Books With Biden Scoops

One easy objection of broadcast web bias is their "news" sum of governmental books, particularly what’s called nan "tell-all" book. They adore Trump "tell-alls," and can’t abide those volumes astir Democrats. This bias first emerges astatine book publishers. Democrats are seldom encouraged to constitute "tell-alls" because it damages nan party’s brand.

Back successful 2018, ABC, CBS, and NBC awarded much than 2 hours and 20 minutes of breathless sum to Michael Wolff successful 1 week complete his anti-Trump book "Fire and Fury." On NBC’s "Today," co-host Savannah Guthrie nudged Wolff connected Trump’s intelligence fitness. "One of nan overarching themes is that, according to your reporting, everyone astir nan President – elder advisers, family members, each azygous 1 of them – questions his intelligence and fittingness for office."

Wolff eagerly underlined it: "Let maine put a marker successful nan soil here: 100 percent of nan group astir him."

BROADCAST BIAS: NETWORKS OOZE WITH SYMPATHY TO ANYONE WHO OPPOSES TRUMP

In August of 2018, they collapsed retired nan promotion instrumentality again for erstwhile "Apprentice" prima Omarosa Manigault-Newman and her tell-all book "Unhinged." ABC, CBS, and NBC rolled retired 93 minutes of web coverage, arsenic nan writer claimed from her clip pinch Trump extracurricular and wrong nan White House that he was a "racist" who had utilized nan "N-word." NBC gave it nan astir time, possibly doing penance for making Trump a nationalist prima connected "The Apprentice." ABC’s "Good Morning America" moreover hyped Omarosa's declare that Trump wanted to "start a title war."

These books came retired successful Trump’s 2nd twelvemonth successful office. The new Biden "tell-all" by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson came retired months aft President Biden near nan White House.  When nan first previews of nan book emerged successful The New Yorker and Axios, wherever we learned Biden didn't admit character George Clooney astatine a 2024 fundraiser and Biden aides pondered putting him successful a wheelchair aft nan election, only NBC offered a short study summarizing nan scoops. ABC, CBS, and PBS ignored it.

The shape continued. Before nan book came retired connected Tuesday, only NBC spent much than a infinitesimal connected nan book’s findings connected their greeting and evening newscasts. ABC and CBS mixed didn’t moreover scope a afloat infinitesimal of coverage. "PBS News Hour" was nan worst of nan bunch. They aired perfectly nary chat of thing revealed successful nan book (although they did concisely allude to nan beingness of "a book.")

Of nan Big Three, only CBS aired an question and reply pinch nan authors. NPR aired interviews starting connected Monday, and PBS followed connected Thursday. "CBS Mornings" big Gayle King raised nan evident mobility of timing: "Why didn’t you stock it before, arsenic soon arsenic you sewage it, arsenic opposed to gathering each nan accusation past putting it retired successful a book that you will undoubtedly profit from?"

Tapper claimed they would person broken these scoops if they had recovered them successful existent time. But it’s besides existent that Democrats felt freer aft they mislaid nan White House to tentatively (mostly anonymously) admit to these authors they covered up aliases downplayed Biden’s failings – contempt ample numbers of Americans saying Biden was excessively aged to service a 2nd term.  

Sadly, NBC was among nan broadcast TV networks successful playing a soundbite of audio from nan just-released tapes of typical counsel Robert Hur’s questioning of President Biden from October 2023, a condemnation of Biden not remembering erstwhile he was vice president. (NPR’s "Fresh Air" besides ran a Hur snippet successful their Tapper interview.)

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This matches really nan networks avoided Hur earlier he decided not to indict Biden. From February 1 done November 20 successful 2023, nan Big Three networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) could only muster 4 minutes and 52 seconds of wide sum of Hur – combined. Almost each of that clip was connected ABC.  By contrast, we counted 2,092 minutes of sum of Trump and alleged Russian collusion from January 20, 2017 done December, 2018. That's a melodramatic contrast.

While Tapper and Thompson expressed regrets successful respective interviews astir really they were excessively gentle connected Biden earlier this book and that blimpish media were "right" to thrust this rumor during Biden’s presidency, nan networks weren’t thing for illustration Megyn Kelly successful pressing that constituent of media spin. They didn’t conscionable prosecute successful neglect of Biden’s decline. They aggressively pushed nan White House statement that it was fringy MAGA talking points to mobility Biden’s fitness.

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Some TV journalists mightiness publically authorities "gee, we request to do amended successful nan future" aft this debacle. Some will usage this to heighten nan double standard, for illustration they learned to beryllium fierce successful questioning President Trump’s wellness disclosures. But they surely displayed that during Trump’s first term.

After nan Tapper-Thompson parade ends, nan betting money should beryllium placed connected nan networks returning to their earthy method, repeating nan Democrat message of nan time without earnestly questioning it.