Alexandria, VA–The Media Research Center
today released a study documenting how ABC, CBS, and NBC have
presumed the worst about government anti-terror efforts since
Sept.11, 2001 and allowed leftist politics to skew their coverage of
NSA surveillance, the Patriot Act, and Guantanamo inmates. The
coverage overall makes government anti-terror tactics look as
frightening as terrorism itself.
MRC analysts examined all 496 evening news stories on ABC, CBS and
NBC about these three major elements of the post-9/11 war on
terrorism from September 11, 2001 through August 31, 2006 for the
Special Report,
The Media vs.
The War on Terror.
Major findings include:
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62% of Patriot Act stories highlighted fears that
the law infringed on Americans’ civil liberties.
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100% of the 19 soundbites on the Patriot Act from
ordinary citizens condemned the law, despite polls showing most
Americans believe it has prevented new acts of terrorism.
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Network reporters largely portrayed Guantanamo
inmates as victims, airing a total of 46 soundbites from prisoners
or advocates who professed their innocence. Not one report included
a comment from 9/11 victims or their families.
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Most network stories (59%) cast the NSA terrorist
surveillance program as either legally dubious or outright illegal.
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ABC, CBS and NBC were five times more likely to
showcase experts who criticized the NSA’s surveillance program. The
CBS Evening News has so far refused to show any pro-NSA experts.
“Instead of reporting what Americans are insisting – that our
government do everything in its power to prevent another terrorist
attack – network reporters continually choose to peddle the Left’s
accusations that the Bush administration is as dangerous as the
terrorists themselves,” said L. Brent Bozell, President of the Media
Research Center.
Read the full Special Report at
www.MRC.org
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