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Update: Now 44 Times More TV Coverage of Christie's Traffic Scandal Than in Last Six Months on IRS
NewsBusters ^ | January 10, 2014 | Scott Whitlock

Posted on 01/10/2014 2:19:39 PM PST by Zakeet

In less than 48 hours, ABC, CBS and NBC deluged viewers with coverage of Chris Christie's traffic jam scandal, devoting a staggering 88 minutes to the story. In comparison, these same news outlets over the last six months have allowed a scant two minutes for the latest on Barack Obama's Internal Revenue Service scandal. The disparity in less than two days is 44-to-one. [See a chart below.]

From Wednesday through Friday morning, the latest on Christie's Traffic-Gate led 11 out of 13 news programs. NBC produced the heaviest coverage, over 34 minutes. CBS followed close behind with more than 30 minutes. ABC came in third with just under 23 minutes.

Over the last six months, NBC featured a meager five seconds on IRS targeting of Tea Party organizations. CBS allowed a minute and 41 seconds. ABC managed a mere 22 seconds.

The scandal exploded onto the media radar, Wednesday, when it was revealed that lane closures on the George Washington bridge last fall were as a because of political payback from the Christie administration. The resulting traffic jam caused a massive back-up.

NBC's Today on Friday opened with a graphic that announced "the crisis grows." Correspondent Kelly O'Donnell underscored, "The crisis feeds into critics' perceptions that Christie fosters hardball tactics."

On ABC's Good Morning America, Jim Avila ramped up the danger level, announcing "it was Governor Chris Christie's worst day in politics ever." He labeled Thursday's press conference a "political walk of shame" for the Republican.

On CBS This Morning, journalist Elaine Quijano saw it as "the biggest test yet of Christie's political career."

That may well be true, but a major scandal involving political targeting by Obama's IRS resulted in near media silence and a complete lack of hyperbolic, shocked language by reporters.

It wasn't as though there were a lack of potential IRS stories to follow-up on. In December, House investigator Darrell Issa announced that the FBI and IRS chief counsel is stonewalling the investigation.

In October, newly obtained e-mails showed that the scandal-plagued Lois Lerner, the woman at the center of the controversy, illegally gave Tea Party tax info to the FEC. Lerner retired from the IRS In September, but the networks skipped that. (For more, see a report by the Media Research Center.)

The accusations and revelations about the Christie administration's orchestrating and handling of a man-made traffic jam certainly warrant media attention. However, the same journalists who have jumped all over a scandal involving a potential Republican candidate in 2016 don't seem interested in the IRS scandal involving the current Democratic president.

(For the totals of the the Christie scandal as of Thursday morning, go here.)


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: 2012electionbias; bias; chrischristie; christie; media; memebuilding; msm; newjersey; obamascandals; orwelliannightmare; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; pravdamedia; randsconcerntrolls; tpinos; underthebus; yellowjournalism
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The MSM is the greatest threat to the Country.


21 posted on 01/10/2014 2:47:28 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Jack Hydrazine

Or Leftist-controlled media.


22 posted on 01/10/2014 2:48:16 PM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: Zakeet

Say what you want about Republicans, but one of the benifits of having them in office is that they turn the media from a State propaganda machine back into something resembling the legitimate watchdogs they are supposed to be.


23 posted on 01/10/2014 2:51:05 PM PST by thorvaldr
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To: Jane Long

You are MAGNANIMOUS! lol. freepers... they are the best (even in disagreement). Eagles Up! freepersup!


24 posted on 01/10/2014 2:52:25 PM PST by freepersup (Patrolling the waters off Free Republic one dhow at a time.)
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To: thorvaldr

Now that’s funny (ready for it) I don’t care who you are.


25 posted on 01/10/2014 2:53:28 PM PST by freepersup (Patrolling the waters off Free Republic one dhow at a time.)
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To: GeronL

BTTT for cool ;-)


26 posted on 01/10/2014 2:57:59 PM PST by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs assist!)
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To: freepersup
;-)

Eagles Up, always!

27 posted on 01/10/2014 3:01:58 PM PST by Jane Long (While Marxists continue the fundamental transformation of the USA, progressive RINOs assist!)
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To: Nextrush

You want me to take Christie out to a field and club him like a baby seal? No problem. (just kidding Mr. law enforcement types listening in). I’m more of a concrete shoes kind of guy- hey it’s Jersey for crying out loud.

I have NOT been defending Christie by stating the obvious- and this thread/topic makes my point, AND my blood boil. The piling on is magnitudes beyond the punishment due this “crime”. Freepers are supposed to be seekers of the facts right? As much as donut boy is a turd in the punch bowl, a set up and public lynching needs to be called what it is. What brings you to this thread anyway, since this thread supports my contention of a hysterical, ferocious, blinded, out of control press that’s been piling on Christie doing the bidding of the left, and I took flak for pointing that out, and, as if it made me some kind of Christie supporter? That WAS a question (I think) wasn’t it? Pile on!


28 posted on 01/10/2014 3:04:33 PM PST by freepersup (Patrolling the waters off Free Republic one dhow at a time.)
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To: Zakeet

Typical Lib: The IRS targeting of Tea Party groups never happened. And besides, the Tea Party deserved it.


29 posted on 01/10/2014 3:04:35 PM PST by informavoracious (Root for Obamacare and healthcare.gov failure!)
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To: Zakeet

The Christie story had an ‘EASY’ button. Did not require the media to perform any investigation and the circumstances had more ‘reality show’ appeal to the commuting public; who hate congested traffic complications and the people who cause them.

The media is running scared - won’t touch any scandal that could cause trouble for BO or themselves. They don’t have an ‘INTEGRITY’ button.


30 posted on 01/10/2014 3:10:35 PM PST by sodpoodle (Life is prickly - carry tweezers.)
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To: Zakeet
Pat Caddell called it.

Pat Caddell slams the media: They have become an “enemy of the people” Sept. 29, 2012(video 26:00)

Emotional Pat Caddell on the MSM ignoring Benghazi: “These people have no honor!” Oct. 27, 2012 (video at link 4:06)

The MSM are enemies of the people!

31 posted on 01/10/2014 3:16:19 PM PST by TigersEye (Stupid is a Progressive disease.)
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To: Zakeet

The corrupt MSM need to be the first ones visited when it hits the fan.


32 posted on 01/10/2014 3:17:49 PM PST by Obadiah (I Like Ted.)
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To: Zakeet

It’s started. From now until the 2016 presidential primary, any Republican who might win will be taken down, leaving only a Dem-lite wimp like McCain or Romney to win the primary, conduct a lackluster campaign, and lose like a gentleman to the Dem candidate.


33 posted on 01/10/2014 3:21:09 PM PST by PapaBear3625 (You don't notice it's a police state until the police come for you.)
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To: PapaBear3625

About the headline: Is ANYONE surprised?


34 posted on 01/10/2014 3:47:17 PM PST by DaveA37
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To: Zakeet

Better they take him down now, than after he gets the nomination.


35 posted on 01/10/2014 3:48:25 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: PapaBear3625
, leaving only a Dem-lite wimp like McCain or Romney to win the primary,

Well Christie isn't Dem-lite.....he's Full-Blown Dem.

36 posted on 01/10/2014 3:49:21 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: a fool in paradise
Obama’s officially thrown Chrissy Christie under the bus.

"You've lost that loving feeling....."

37 posted on 01/10/2014 3:52:02 PM PST by dfwgator
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To: dfwgator

He ain’t a Dem-Svelte, I’ll give you that!


38 posted on 01/10/2014 3:52:42 PM PST by C210N (When people fear government there is tyranny; when government fears people there is liberty)
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To: Zakeet

On abc radio the repeater sounded soo excited talking about this fake scandal. Didn’t hear the same excitement over real Obama scandals.


39 posted on 01/10/2014 4:30:15 PM PST by RginTN
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To: a fool in paradise
Obama’s officially thrown Chrissy Christie under the bus.

That bus must of been souped-up with high suspension to fit the Fat Boy underneath it!


40 posted on 01/10/2014 5:13:31 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Bad things are wrong! Ice cream is delicious!)
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