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So, the federal sequester did kick in and each newscast reacted true to form. ABC, with Jim Avila, smelled exaggeration. CBS, with Ben Tracy, was solicitous of the Department of Defense and its contractors, in this case the Dante Valve Company. NBC's Kelly O'Donnell filed a party-lines procedural.
Unusually, ABC had a double-barreled White House dateline. Avila's on the budget was his first from his new beat. The other, from Jonathan Karl, mapped the assortment of voices -- from Apple to Xerox, from Clint Eastwood to Barack Obama -- that is urging the Supreme Court to uphold the decision that overturns California's Proposition 8. Convolutedly, Prop 8 is the ballot initiative that overturned the state court ruling that recognized same-sex marriages.
After extended coverage of Julian Assange back in late 2010, the case of the WikiLeaks.org State Department cables has been all but ignored. David Martin's coverage of Private Bradley Manning marks only the fourth report by a correspondent on the nightly newscasts in the past two years, three by CBS, one by NBC, none by ABC. CBS' Martin delivered a black eye to both Washington Post and The New York Times for failing to pursue the scoop that Manning offered them. As for Manning, he still denies aiding al-Qaeda by leaking the secret cables, even though he pleads guilty to the underlying breach. Check out Martin's chilling definition of how little the prosecution claims you would have to do and still be guilty of "aiding the enemy."
Coverage of the rebellion in Syria has so far been almost entirely concerned with the internal factional fighting there. The role of the United States has been minimal, and that is reflected in the balance been international stories and foreign policy stories (185 v 34). Here is NBC's Andrea Mitchell on the State Department's decision to spend $60m on non-lethal assistance to the anti-Baath insurgency. As is her routine, she used her own Andrea Mitchell Reports on MSNBC to collect soundbites for her nightly package.
Dust Bowl Anna Werner in Texas has kept a close eye on the drought there and the decimation of its ranching. Here she is on CBS on the departure of Cargill, the meatpacker, from Plainview. Her previous coverage here and here looks like The Last Picture Show.
Coca-Cola reaped a backlash of scorn when it was found out to be the sponsor of research at the University of South Carolina into how long modern household chores take, compared with those of 1965. ABC's Cecilia Vega implied that Coca-Cola was trying to demonstrate that more energetic housework would lead to less obese housewives -- as opposed to, for example, drinking fewer sodas. CBS' in-house physician Jon LaPook filed a more straightforward story on what causes obesity: in part two of his sitdown with Michelle Obama in her role as nutrition activist (part one here), she failed cite a lack of household chores. Instead the First Lady pointed her finger at macaroni cheese and hot dogs and, yes, sugary soft drinks.
The Cleveland Clinic's hi-tech in-vitro fertilization clinic got a sweet public relations boost from NBC's in-house physician. See Dr Nancy Snyderman and the clinic's flashy new embryoscope.
Also receiving free publicity…
The Thrill of the Chase by Forrest Fenn, from NBC's Janet Shamlian amid the awe-inspiring treasures of New Mexico's Jemez Mountains.
VICE magazine and HBO and the Harlem Globetrotters, from ABC's John Donvan, who should be reminded that Dennis Rodman, Kim Jong Un's new best friend forever, was never known for his hook shot. The Worm cleaned the boards.
dognition.com the pay-per Website from Professor Brian Hare, marking ABC's third oh-so-cute foray into the mysteries of dog intelligence (previously here and here). David Kerley's spaniel proved to be less brainy than charming. The same could be said for pet-owners, Kerley included, who find themselves persuaded by the professor to fork over $40 for his test.
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