GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump blamed the media for blowing his “Second Amendment” comment out of proportion. It appears he could be right. A new analysis of broadcast attention paid to his offhand remark finds that the big three networks — CBS, NBC and ABC — gave it five times more coverage than Hillary Clinton’s campaign visit from Seddique Mateen, father of Orlando mass shooter Omar Mateen.
“ABC, CBS and NBC deluged viewers with more than five times more coverage — 25 minutes and 35 seconds versus 4 minutes and 41 seconds — to Trump’s ’Second Amendment people’ remark than they did to the father of an ISIS-inspired terrorist sitting right behind Clinton at a rally in Orlando, Florida,” wrote Scott Whitlock, an analyst for Newsbusters.org, a conservative press watchdog.
“Imagine if the situations were reversed and Trump had featured a terrorist’s father at a campaign rally and Clinton had made the quip about guns. Journalists wouldn’t yawn at the terrorist link and hype the Second Amendment comment,” Mr. Whitlock said.
Others have certainly imagined that scenario.
“Had that been a Trump rally, there would have been mass chaos in the media,” Katrina Pierson, a spokesperson for Donald Trump’s campaign, told CNN in the aftermath.
CBS offered over 14 minutes on the Trump comment with a scant 59 seconds given to Mr. Mateen, who could be seen behind Mrs. Clinton, on-camera, at the rally. NBC featured over 4 minutes on Mr. Trump’s comment, and just 32 seconds to Mateen. ABC gave about 7 minutes to the Trump remarks and just 3 minutes to Mr. Mateen.
The networks, analyst Mr. Noyes noted, “squashed Hillary’s terror woes and scolded Trump’s gun remark.”
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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