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As the Conclave of Cardinals got under way, ABC and CBS both replicated their coverage of Monday. Both anchors, Diane Sawyer and Scott Pelley, filed from the Vatican. ABC designated its newscast as a Special Edition with the title The Papal Conclave. Both newscasts led with extra omnes, the closing of the doors of the Sistine Chapel, which excludes all non-eminences, filed by Josh Elliott and Allen Pizzey respectively. The Conclave was Story of the Day again, although this time, NBC, too, joined in, choosing Anne Thompson in the Vatican for its lead spot. Yet anchor Brian Williams stayed in New York, and NBC covered the proceedings (3 min v ABC 10, CBS 5) least heavily.

For sidebars, CBS' Mark Phillips attached names to the frontrunners for the reformist and traditionalist factions among the electorate. Vaticanologist Marco Tosatti told him that geography does not mirror ideology: the Archbishop of Milan is favored by developing world reformers; the Archbishop of Sao Paulo leads the Italian diplomats of the Curia's bureaucracy.

ABC's David Wright took the lighter view. Father Antonio Hofmeister is the priest-behind-the-wheel, driving Brazilian cardinals round Rome's narrow streets. Do they talk church politics in the back seat? No, futbol. At least they were not tooling around in Anne Thompson's Twizy.

Also on ABC, Cecilia Vega (at the tail of the Elliott videostream) wandered around St Peter's Square gathering vox pop from the defiant and the devout. Female protestors went topless to protest "what they call patriarchy in the church," reported Vega (my italics). What does that mean, Cecilia? Do you think that patriarchal structure of the Roman church is a matter of debate?

Back in Illinois, CBS' Dean Reynolds (who missed out on the junket, just like his colleague Manuel Bojorquez on Monday) certainly fails to share Vega's doubt. Check out cantor Victoria Fleming of Our Lady of the Brook.

Rounding out the religious day of coverage, Father John Wauck has been signed up by ABC News as a boosterish contributor while Lester Holt filed a downer on NBC on why the faithful in this country are alienated, disaffected and lapsing. By the way, look at the production design in Josh Elliott's explainer on the election procedure. Does ABC News' art department believe that italic typeface graphics and washed out backlighting somehow signify sanctity?

And check out Dr Steve Simko's a capella Gregorian Kyrie Eleison for Scott Pelley on CBS.
Andrew Tyndall 3/13/13 11:33:43 pm

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