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TYNDALL HEADLINE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM NOVEMBER 26, 2007
Late breaking news about the health of the Vice President's heart headed both ABC's and NBC's newscast. Each started with a brief live report on Dick Cheney's irregular heartbeat before switching to regular taped packages. NBC's first produced report was a round-up on Thanksgiving holiday shopping and travel. ABC focused on New Hampshire for the Story of the Day, the cutting edge campaigning in the Republican primary field between Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani. On CBS, anchor Katie Couric too was in New Hampshire but she covered the Democratic side instead, kicking off with a sitdown with Hillary Rodham Clinton, for which she claimed an Exclusive.
TYNDALL PICKS FOR NOVEMBER 26, 2007: CLICK ON GRID ELEMENTS TO SEARCH FOR MATCHING ITEMS
NEW HAMPSHIRE HEATS UP Late breaking news about the health of the Vice President's heart headed both ABC's and NBC's newscast. Each started with a brief live report on Dick Cheney's irregular heartbeat before switching to regular taped packages. NBC's first produced report was a round-up on Thanksgiving holiday shopping and travel. ABC focused on New Hampshire for the Story of the Day, the cutting edge campaigning in the Republican primary field between Mitt Romney and Rudolph Giuliani. On CBS, anchor Katie Couric too was in New Hampshire but she covered the Democratic side instead, kicking off with a sitdown with Hillary Rodham Clinton, for which she claimed an Exclusive.
All three networks filed on the weekend's feuding between the former Mayor of New York City and the former Governor of Massachusetts, although none by reporters actually in the Granite State. "Pick an issue," suggested ABC's John Berman (subscription required), "chances are Romney and Giuliani are trying to pick a fight." CBS' Byron Pitts listed them: whose record was tougher as a crimefighter; who was sounder fiscally; whose social policies were more akin to Rodham Clinton's; even "a shot at who made the worse political appointments." NBC's David Gregory concluded that the increased heat "is the latest sign that Giuliani no longer appears to be playing down the early voting states." He is trying to close Romney's 18-point lead in New Hampshire opinion polls, ABC's Berman observed: "The winner in a tit-for-tat exchange like this might just be everyone else in the race. Aides for John McCain say they are thrilled watching this street fight."
On CBS, anchor Couric's interview with Rodham Clinton was unconcerned about her positions on the issues. Couric asked about her "new more aggressive tone;" her reaction to Oprah Winfrey's entry on behalf of rival Barack Obama; and the possibility of disappointment if she happens to be defeated. "You have considered that possibility?" "No I have not." CBS followed up on the Rodham Clinton interview with Chip Reid on John Edwards' criticism of her: "Hell yes I am confrontational and I am not ashamed of it. We need a fighter in the White House…She continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged and is corrupt." Mused Reid: "If you think of Edwards as a sunny candidate with a positive tone, things have changed."
Couric told us that Rodham Clinton represents the first of ten candidate interviews on CBS. On the Democratic side, besides Obama, Rodham Clinton and Edwards, Couric promised Joe Biden and Bill Richardson; among GOPers, besides Romney, Giuliani and McCain, she offers Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson. That means that if you are running for President from the House of Representatives, CBS counts you out. Sorry, Duncan Hunter, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo. Also consigned to the sidelines is one senator, Christopher Dodd. Only NBC supplemented Presidential coverage with the campaign for control of the Senate. With Trent Lott's resignation, six incumbent Republicans--in Colo, NM, Neb, Va, Miss, Idaho--will not run for reelection: "It is similar to what the Democrats went through after losing control in 1994," NBC's Gregory speculated, "a feeling that maybe the GOP does not have strength going into 2008."
VEEP BEAT Not only Dick Cheney but his predecessor as Vice President made news. Al Gore was at the White House for George Bush's annual ceremony to congratulate American winners of the Nobel Prize. CBS' Bill Plante saw the losing 2000 Presidential candidate "flashing a tight smile" as he met the victor. "It was a very good, substantive conversation," Gore announced after they talked. "We talked about global warming, of course, the whole time." NBC's Kelly O'Donnell ticked off the history of Cheney's heart--his "four heart attacks, bypass surgery, a pacemaker, blood clots and more." His latest problem, an atrial fibrillation, is new. ABC's in-house physician Timothy Johnson explained, that this irregular beat is in a different part of the heart, its upper chamber. An electric shock will be used to restore proper rhythm: "It is not a minor deal but it is a very routine procedure for this particular problem."
GAZA IS A PRISON Only NBC assigned a reporter to tomorrow's Middle East Peace Conference to be held in Annapolis--and even Andrea Mitchell's preview was cursory: "Critics say the President has simply waited too long" to broker a deal. "Perhaps now in search of a diplomatic legacy he has promised to push hard for a comprehensive peace--and not only between Israel and the Palestinians but also with Syria." CBS instead went to the region. Elizabeth Palmer walked down a deserted highway to illustrate the plight of the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. "This is Gaza's main freight route into Israel and normally this road would be bumper to bumper with heavily laden trucks." Since Hamas took control, Israel has sealed off all border crossings "to put pressure on Hamas and to retaliate for rockets fired from Gaza." All of the Strip's main businesses have been forced shut and more than one million people rely on international aid for food: "They are locked into a country that has become a prison, trapped between Israel and the sea."
BLAME THE VICTIM ABC's Claire Shipman told us about an outrage occurring in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An unidentified 19-year-old woman "was in a car with a former high school boyfriend trying to get a picture of herself back from him." A group of seven men found them and raped both of them. The rapists were sentenced to up to nine years in prison and the woman--"They forced my clothes off. The first man with a knife raped me. I was destroyed. Another man came and did the same thing to me. I did not feel anything after that"--was convicted of being in a car with a man to whom she was not related. She faces six months in prison and 200 lashes.
JUST A PAWN No network had a reporter file from Moscow, where opposition politician Garry Kasparov has been jailed. ABC did not even mention the arrest. For its In Depth feature, NBC turned to The New Yorker's David Remnick, who has profiled the former world chess champion: "He told me that, of course, he fears for his life. He is no fool. He goes around with bodyguards but that is no insurance. He knows that too. He is rather a brave man." As for Kasparov's political clout, that is "near zero." He called Russia a "kind of corporate state" under President Vladimir Putin: "If you stay out of public life, if you keep your nose out of politics, you are going to be OK. Opposition is shut down--insofar as there is one--almost absolutely."
SO WHAT? Anxieties about Thanksgiving travel delays were overblown last Tuesday (text link) and Wednesday (text link) but still NBC could get put the hype in proportion. Now Tom Costello tells us that 27m passengers traveled by air over the past twelve days without anything newsworthy to report: "The overall on time arrival rate was 73%, exactly the airlines' average." Neither could ABC stay away from the holiday formula, having Dan Harris (subscription required) cover the follow-up to the retail industry's Black Friday last week with today's hyped Cyber Monday. He told us about e-mail inboxes "clogged with offers of big sales, cash back and free gifts" before he too deflated the hoopla. "Online shopping is only about 6% of holiday sales."
ICE BUDDIES Friday's college football preempted ABC and CBS so neither was able to join NBC's Dawna Friesen is covering the cruise liner Explorer, which hit an Antarctic Ocean iceberg and was forced to abandon ship. At least ABC played catch-up with soundbites from passengers describing their chilly wait aboard lifeboats for rescue. Ned Potter (subscription required) explained that tour companies coordinate movements for safety "sort of a vast buddy system, so when Explorer got in trouble, three other cruise ships were close enough to come to the rescue."
MENTIONED IN PASSING The network newscasts do not assign correspondents to all of the news of the day. If Tyndall Report readers come across videostreamed reports online of stories that were mentioned only in passing, post the link in comments for us to check out.
Today's examples: the automaker Nissan announced a recall for its Altima and Sentra models for stalling problems…a slowdown of motorcycle sales will force Harley Davidson to halt production for a week…declining milk consumption is weakening children's bones…the wild fires in Malibu are contained…drought-stricken Atlanta enjoyed some unusual rain.
All three networks filed on the weekend's feuding between the former Mayor of New York City and the former Governor of Massachusetts, although none by reporters actually in the Granite State. "Pick an issue," suggested ABC's John Berman (subscription required), "chances are Romney and Giuliani are trying to pick a fight." CBS' Byron Pitts listed them: whose record was tougher as a crimefighter; who was sounder fiscally; whose social policies were more akin to Rodham Clinton's; even "a shot at who made the worse political appointments." NBC's David Gregory concluded that the increased heat "is the latest sign that Giuliani no longer appears to be playing down the early voting states." He is trying to close Romney's 18-point lead in New Hampshire opinion polls, ABC's Berman observed: "The winner in a tit-for-tat exchange like this might just be everyone else in the race. Aides for John McCain say they are thrilled watching this street fight."
On CBS, anchor Couric's interview with Rodham Clinton was unconcerned about her positions on the issues. Couric asked about her "new more aggressive tone;" her reaction to Oprah Winfrey's entry on behalf of rival Barack Obama; and the possibility of disappointment if she happens to be defeated. "You have considered that possibility?" "No I have not." CBS followed up on the Rodham Clinton interview with Chip Reid on John Edwards' criticism of her: "Hell yes I am confrontational and I am not ashamed of it. We need a fighter in the White House…She continues to defend a system that does not work, that is broken, that is rigged and is corrupt." Mused Reid: "If you think of Edwards as a sunny candidate with a positive tone, things have changed."
Couric told us that Rodham Clinton represents the first of ten candidate interviews on CBS. On the Democratic side, besides Obama, Rodham Clinton and Edwards, Couric promised Joe Biden and Bill Richardson; among GOPers, besides Romney, Giuliani and McCain, she offers Mike Huckabee and Fred Thompson. That means that if you are running for President from the House of Representatives, CBS counts you out. Sorry, Duncan Hunter, Dennis Kucinich, Ron Paul and Tom Tancredo. Also consigned to the sidelines is one senator, Christopher Dodd. Only NBC supplemented Presidential coverage with the campaign for control of the Senate. With Trent Lott's resignation, six incumbent Republicans--in Colo, NM, Neb, Va, Miss, Idaho--will not run for reelection: "It is similar to what the Democrats went through after losing control in 1994," NBC's Gregory speculated, "a feeling that maybe the GOP does not have strength going into 2008."
VEEP BEAT Not only Dick Cheney but his predecessor as Vice President made news. Al Gore was at the White House for George Bush's annual ceremony to congratulate American winners of the Nobel Prize. CBS' Bill Plante saw the losing 2000 Presidential candidate "flashing a tight smile" as he met the victor. "It was a very good, substantive conversation," Gore announced after they talked. "We talked about global warming, of course, the whole time." NBC's Kelly O'Donnell ticked off the history of Cheney's heart--his "four heart attacks, bypass surgery, a pacemaker, blood clots and more." His latest problem, an atrial fibrillation, is new. ABC's in-house physician Timothy Johnson explained, that this irregular beat is in a different part of the heart, its upper chamber. An electric shock will be used to restore proper rhythm: "It is not a minor deal but it is a very routine procedure for this particular problem."
GAZA IS A PRISON Only NBC assigned a reporter to tomorrow's Middle East Peace Conference to be held in Annapolis--and even Andrea Mitchell's preview was cursory: "Critics say the President has simply waited too long" to broker a deal. "Perhaps now in search of a diplomatic legacy he has promised to push hard for a comprehensive peace--and not only between Israel and the Palestinians but also with Syria." CBS instead went to the region. Elizabeth Palmer walked down a deserted highway to illustrate the plight of the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. "This is Gaza's main freight route into Israel and normally this road would be bumper to bumper with heavily laden trucks." Since Hamas took control, Israel has sealed off all border crossings "to put pressure on Hamas and to retaliate for rockets fired from Gaza." All of the Strip's main businesses have been forced shut and more than one million people rely on international aid for food: "They are locked into a country that has become a prison, trapped between Israel and the sea."
BLAME THE VICTIM ABC's Claire Shipman told us about an outrage occurring in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. An unidentified 19-year-old woman "was in a car with a former high school boyfriend trying to get a picture of herself back from him." A group of seven men found them and raped both of them. The rapists were sentenced to up to nine years in prison and the woman--"They forced my clothes off. The first man with a knife raped me. I was destroyed. Another man came and did the same thing to me. I did not feel anything after that"--was convicted of being in a car with a man to whom she was not related. She faces six months in prison and 200 lashes.
JUST A PAWN No network had a reporter file from Moscow, where opposition politician Garry Kasparov has been jailed. ABC did not even mention the arrest. For its In Depth feature, NBC turned to The New Yorker's David Remnick, who has profiled the former world chess champion: "He told me that, of course, he fears for his life. He is no fool. He goes around with bodyguards but that is no insurance. He knows that too. He is rather a brave man." As for Kasparov's political clout, that is "near zero." He called Russia a "kind of corporate state" under President Vladimir Putin: "If you stay out of public life, if you keep your nose out of politics, you are going to be OK. Opposition is shut down--insofar as there is one--almost absolutely."
SO WHAT? Anxieties about Thanksgiving travel delays were overblown last Tuesday (text link) and Wednesday (text link) but still NBC could get put the hype in proportion. Now Tom Costello tells us that 27m passengers traveled by air over the past twelve days without anything newsworthy to report: "The overall on time arrival rate was 73%, exactly the airlines' average." Neither could ABC stay away from the holiday formula, having Dan Harris (subscription required) cover the follow-up to the retail industry's Black Friday last week with today's hyped Cyber Monday. He told us about e-mail inboxes "clogged with offers of big sales, cash back and free gifts" before he too deflated the hoopla. "Online shopping is only about 6% of holiday sales."
ICE BUDDIES Friday's college football preempted ABC and CBS so neither was able to join NBC's Dawna Friesen is covering the cruise liner Explorer, which hit an Antarctic Ocean iceberg and was forced to abandon ship. At least ABC played catch-up with soundbites from passengers describing their chilly wait aboard lifeboats for rescue. Ned Potter (subscription required) explained that tour companies coordinate movements for safety "sort of a vast buddy system, so when Explorer got in trouble, three other cruise ships were close enough to come to the rescue."
MENTIONED IN PASSING The network newscasts do not assign correspondents to all of the news of the day. If Tyndall Report readers come across videostreamed reports online of stories that were mentioned only in passing, post the link in comments for us to check out.
Today's examples: the automaker Nissan announced a recall for its Altima and Sentra models for stalling problems…a slowdown of motorcycle sales will force Harley Davidson to halt production for a week…declining milk consumption is weakening children's bones…the wild fires in Malibu are contained…drought-stricken Atlanta enjoyed some unusual rain.
