Two presidential hopefuls and two comments on abortion: One candidate got loads of broadcast coverage, the other got none.
“During their morning and evening news shows, the three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC) have not spent one second on Hillary Clinton’s abortion comments in which she declared Sunday that an ’unborn person doesn’t have constitutional rights.’ In comparison, when Donald Trump called for ’punishment’ for women who undergo abortions during an appearance on March 30, the news shows spent more than 20 minutes on the story in the 24 hours that followed,” wrote Katie Yoder, an analyst for Newsbusters.com, a conservative watchdog.
The two gaffes sparked outrage and much Twitter banter among pro-life and pro-choice critics alike. But the broadcast networks appeared to be shielding the Democratic front-runner from exposure, the study found.
“The outrage on both sides wasn’t enough to coax ABC, CBS and NBC,” Ms. Yoder said, noting that the pattern still continues.
“Both comments were about abortion. Both comments came from presidential candidates. Both comments faced outrage from the pro-life movement and abortion supporters. But the networks only covered one.”
Mr. Trump made his comment to MSNBC, Mrs. Clinton to NBC.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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