***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
Despite Michael Cohen’s shady history and federal conviction for lying to Congress, the liberal broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) hung on his every word following Wednesday’s hearing before the Democratic-led House Oversight Committee. While glowing about his “dramatic public reversal” and “deeply personal takedown of a sitting president” (as NBC reporter Kate Snow did) they all chided Republican members of the committee for reminding viewers of his impending jail time.
The networks gawked at the “split screen” of the Cohen hearing and President Trump’s visit to Vietnam for the denuclearization summit with North Korea. But the difference in the time they dedicated to the hearing was noteworthy.
In all, the networks spent a combined 26 minutes and 51 seconds on Cohen compared to 16 minutes and 12 seconds for the summit and reports stemming from it. NBC Nightly News had the most lopsided coverage, 11 minutes 41 seconds and three minutes 50 seconds respectively. ABC’s World News Tonight had seven minutes and 59 seconds, to five minutes and 40 seconds, respectively. CBS Evening News was the most balanced at seven minutes 11 seconds and six minutes 42 seconds, again, respectively.
CBS began the report with a soundbite of Cohen being sworn in, as if to signal to viewers he was telling the truth. “Like a witness for the prosecution, the President's former fixer and lawyer said he and Mr. Trump committed crimes together,” congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes added.
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. patrick.goodenough
