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TYNDALL HEADLINE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM MAY 20, 2008
My mother Ruth Tyndall died of brain cancer, just four months or so after her symptoms first appeared. It was certainly bitter news that led the three network newscasts. The seizure that struck Edward Kennedy--the senior senator from Massachusetts, the Democratic lion of liberalism, the 76-year-old patriarch of the Irish-American clan, the former First Brother--has been diagnosed as a symptom of a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe of his brain. Coverage was extensive, accounting for 38% of the three-network newshole (22 min out of 57) and ranging from the human to the medical to the political. The shock of the news was dramatized by the wail of anguish on the Senate floor from Kennedy's longtime colleague Robert Byrd: "Ted, my dear friend. I love you and I miss you."
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TEDDY KENNEDY IS IN A PARLOUS STATE My mother Ruth Tyndall died of brain cancer, just four months or so after her symptoms first appeared. It was certainly bitter news that led the three network newscasts. The seizure that struck Edward Kennedy--the senior senator from Massachusetts, the Democratic lion of liberalism, the 76-year-old patriarch of the Irish-American clan, the former First Brother--has been diagnosed as a symptom of a malignant glioma in the left parietal lobe of his brain. Coverage was extensive, accounting for 38% of the three-network newshole (22 min out of 57) and ranging from the human to the medical to the political. The shock of the news was dramatized by the wail of anguish on the Senate floor from Kennedy's longtime colleague Robert Byrd: "Ted, my dear friend. I love you and I miss you."
NBC's Andrea Mitchell noted the irony that Kennedy, "the Senate's leading champion for healthcare, recently declared War on Cancer." ABC's Jake Tapper described the mood in the halls of the Senate as one of "mournful pessimism…shock, with senators waiting to hear just how bad the prognosis is. A couple of senators, wanting to do something but not wanting to bother Kennedy or his family, took to the Senate floor to give their well wishes hoping that he was watching C-SPAN from the hospital."
There was no sugarcoating to be found from the medical coverage. "When you hear about somebody dying suddenly of brain cancer, sadly, it is usually this kind," NBC's Robert Bazell stated. "Statistically, as everybody is pointing out, this is grim news." ABC anchor Charles Gibson consulted his network's in-house physician Timothy Johnson (embargoed link) and found the same stark reality: "It is not a good cancer. It is a fast-growing cancer." The fact that the senator had a brain scan less than six months ago that found nothing "shows how fast this tumor can arise and grow. It is a startling tumor in many ways." On CBS, anchor Katie Couric talked to Michael Sisti, a Columbia University neurosurgeon: "If the tumor is infiltrating deeply into the brain then there would be risk to sensory function or movement, in which case surgery would probably be a bad idea." "Pretty dangerous?" "Yes."
The assessment of Kennedy's political clout came close to the tone of an obituary. NBC's Mitchell reported that Kennedy is "described by political allies and adversaries as the greatest legislator of his time." CBS' Bob Schieffer observed that "the politicians the public sometimes sees as the most partisan and divisive are often seen within the institution of the Senate as the most respected and most willing to reach across the aisle to get things done. No one--liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat--was more trusted by his colleagues." ABC anchor Charles Gibson put it this way: "Fellow senators, political friend and foe alike, say he has influenced virtually every important piece of Congressional legislation in his 46 years in the Senate."
CBS--which did not even mention the word Chappaquiddick in a potted bio although ABC and NBC both did--had Randall Pinkston cover the news of Kennedy's illness from Boston: "Back in his home state voters are also in shock." He quoted from the statement by Teddy's wife Victoria that he is "making me crazy and making me laugh by pushing to race in the Figawi this weekend." Pinkston helpfully explained that the Figawi is a yacht race without elaborating on the local lore of its name's derivation, since to do so he would have had to curse like a sailor.
SPLIT DECISION EXPECTED Normally a Tuesday during primary season would have been dominated by Campaign 2008. It was not only Edward Kennedy's diagnosis that pushed the votes in Oregon and Kentucky down the news agenda; the contest itself has diminishing drama. NBC's Tim Russert (no link) explained why: he not only assumed a split decision--Barack Obama to win in Oregon, Hillary Rodham Clinton in Kentucky--he also stated with confidence that she would add 55 delegates and he 48. Her net gain, he argued, was not nearly as important as he abiding lead. He would need 61 delegates to secure the nomination with 86 available in three remaining contests; she would need 246, "meaning the only way she could win the nomination is if practically every undeclared superdelegate" chose her.
On ABC, George Stephanopoulos played along with Rodham Clinton's scenario for winning all those superdelegates. First she persuades the Democratic National Committee to reverse itself and count the votes from the disqualified primaries in Florida and Michigan; next she adds those states to the running total of popular votes cast; and "that will give her an argument for the superdelegates." Stephanopoulos pointed out the flaw in that logic: "The superdelegates are all going the way of Obama right now."
All three networks offered their current estimate of the delegates standings going into Tuesday's voting: Obama 1917 (NBC), 1916 (ABC), 1911 (CBS); Rodham Clinton 1725 (NBC), 1715 (CBS), 1711 (ABC).
CBS had Jim Axelrod (no link) with the Rodham Clinton campaign in Kentucky where she is 'expected to win big" and Dean Reynolds following Obama who was planning "no crowing" about his expected haul of delegates. On NBC, Ron Allen picked up on the latest spin from husband Bill to explain his candidate wife's second place. The former President "strongly suggested her bid for the White House was hurt by the reluctance of some Americans to accept a woman as President." Allen repeated--but did not evaluate--Clinton's casual comment. Surely Rodham Clinton's gender has been a major factor in her appeal to women voters. Can it really be true that such a huge female boost was a net liability, canceled out by the sexism of some men? Can the former President back up his low opinion of his own gender? Allen should either have asked for evidence or not treated such musings as newsworthy.
NOT CONCRETE NBC and ABC continued coverage of the earthquake in Sichuan Province. ABC's Stephanie Sy visited a 20,000 person shelter in a sports stadium in Mianyang, which provides food, first aid, psychological counseling, "even barbers clipping hair." NBC's In Depth feature had Ian Williams accompany inspectors from the San Francisco based Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. "In school after school the engineers have reached the same chilling conclusion: the buildings were so shoddy the children never stood a chance." Some structures were built only of masonry with no reinforcing concrete beams. Civil engineer Kit Miyamoto told Williams that the weakest structures were built during the '80s and '90s when "China's economy had a building boom. Even where buildings remain standing they can no longer be used. Entire towns and cities are now uninhabitable."
FEDERAL ALPHABET SOUP CBS kicked off its series The War on Cancer with anchor Katie Couric examining the status of basic medical research at the National Institutes of Health. CNBC's Steve Liesman showed us part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for NBC. Wyatt Andrews covered opposition to Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations in the second part of his investigation of fire retardant chemicals for CBS.
NIH cancer research funding has shrunk since 2004, CBS' Couric told us. American biotech used "to lead the pack in terms of novel cancer treatments and medicines" but budget cuts have created "a brain drain" sending young American scientists offshore. Duncan Odom, for example, has left his MIT lab in Cambridge Mass for a government-funded lab in Cambridge England.
President George Bush has "reluctantly signed a bill" to halt purchases of oil to fill the SPR until the cost of crude declines, CNBC's Liesman reported from outside the heavily guarded Bryan Mound in Freeport Texas, one of the reserve's three storage caverns. The SPR was created in the '70s "in response to the Arab oil embargo" to provide emergency supplies. If all oil imports were cut off, the SPR's 700m barrels of crude could power the United States for two months.
Monday, CBS' Andrews was in Maine, where the state legislature has prohibited the use of toxic MBDEs as a fire retardant. Now Andrews tell us that Dell Computer and IKEA furnishings have also phased out brominated chemicals; California is among seven other states that may soon have a ban; and the CPSC has proposed regulations for MBDE-free furniture. Fighting the ban are "neutral sounding front groups" like Californians for Fire Safety, which is running bromine-funded TV ads. The National Association of State Fire Marshals, which has also accepted bromine funds, has hired Peter Sparber to lobby the CPSC against the ban. Sparber also happens to be the lobbyist for the bromine industry. The fire marshals' official line is that it is "not pro-chemical just pro-safety."
EYE IN THE SKY The problem of teenagers driving recklessly on the nation's highway is an occasional theme under the category of Things that Worry Parents. That worry is now the news hook for generous free publicity for Safeco, the insurance company, on ABC. Lisa Stark offered an uncritical plug to Teensurance, its $15-a-month Global Positioning Satellite system, that allows parents to track their adolescents behind the wheel. If the GPS spots kids driving too fast or after curfew or outside the neighborhood, it alerts mom and dad. "Safeco says early results show families who have tried Teensurance in the past year have a 15% lower accident rate than families without it," Stark claimed--without inquiring whether Teensurance made the teenagers safer or whether teenagers from safety-minded households tend to be Teensurance customers.
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: Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations held talks with the rulers of Myanmar about disaster relief following Cyclone Nargis…FBI agents allege that they witnessed and protested torture of prisoners by CIA spies…the Dow Jones Industrial Average sold off on Wall Street, down 199 points to 12828 while the cost of a barrel of crude oil continued to rise, closing at $129.
NBC's Andrea Mitchell noted the irony that Kennedy, "the Senate's leading champion for healthcare, recently declared War on Cancer." ABC's Jake Tapper described the mood in the halls of the Senate as one of "mournful pessimism…shock, with senators waiting to hear just how bad the prognosis is. A couple of senators, wanting to do something but not wanting to bother Kennedy or his family, took to the Senate floor to give their well wishes hoping that he was watching C-SPAN from the hospital."
There was no sugarcoating to be found from the medical coverage. "When you hear about somebody dying suddenly of brain cancer, sadly, it is usually this kind," NBC's Robert Bazell stated. "Statistically, as everybody is pointing out, this is grim news." ABC anchor Charles Gibson consulted his network's in-house physician Timothy Johnson (embargoed link) and found the same stark reality: "It is not a good cancer. It is a fast-growing cancer." The fact that the senator had a brain scan less than six months ago that found nothing "shows how fast this tumor can arise and grow. It is a startling tumor in many ways." On CBS, anchor Katie Couric talked to Michael Sisti, a Columbia University neurosurgeon: "If the tumor is infiltrating deeply into the brain then there would be risk to sensory function or movement, in which case surgery would probably be a bad idea." "Pretty dangerous?" "Yes."
The assessment of Kennedy's political clout came close to the tone of an obituary. NBC's Mitchell reported that Kennedy is "described by political allies and adversaries as the greatest legislator of his time." CBS' Bob Schieffer observed that "the politicians the public sometimes sees as the most partisan and divisive are often seen within the institution of the Senate as the most respected and most willing to reach across the aisle to get things done. No one--liberal, conservative, Republican or Democrat--was more trusted by his colleagues." ABC anchor Charles Gibson put it this way: "Fellow senators, political friend and foe alike, say he has influenced virtually every important piece of Congressional legislation in his 46 years in the Senate."
CBS--which did not even mention the word Chappaquiddick in a potted bio although ABC and NBC both did--had Randall Pinkston cover the news of Kennedy's illness from Boston: "Back in his home state voters are also in shock." He quoted from the statement by Teddy's wife Victoria that he is "making me crazy and making me laugh by pushing to race in the Figawi this weekend." Pinkston helpfully explained that the Figawi is a yacht race without elaborating on the local lore of its name's derivation, since to do so he would have had to curse like a sailor.
SPLIT DECISION EXPECTED Normally a Tuesday during primary season would have been dominated by Campaign 2008. It was not only Edward Kennedy's diagnosis that pushed the votes in Oregon and Kentucky down the news agenda; the contest itself has diminishing drama. NBC's Tim Russert (no link) explained why: he not only assumed a split decision--Barack Obama to win in Oregon, Hillary Rodham Clinton in Kentucky--he also stated with confidence that she would add 55 delegates and he 48. Her net gain, he argued, was not nearly as important as he abiding lead. He would need 61 delegates to secure the nomination with 86 available in three remaining contests; she would need 246, "meaning the only way she could win the nomination is if practically every undeclared superdelegate" chose her.
On ABC, George Stephanopoulos played along with Rodham Clinton's scenario for winning all those superdelegates. First she persuades the Democratic National Committee to reverse itself and count the votes from the disqualified primaries in Florida and Michigan; next she adds those states to the running total of popular votes cast; and "that will give her an argument for the superdelegates." Stephanopoulos pointed out the flaw in that logic: "The superdelegates are all going the way of Obama right now."
All three networks offered their current estimate of the delegates standings going into Tuesday's voting: Obama 1917 (NBC), 1916 (ABC), 1911 (CBS); Rodham Clinton 1725 (NBC), 1715 (CBS), 1711 (ABC).
CBS had Jim Axelrod (no link) with the Rodham Clinton campaign in Kentucky where she is 'expected to win big" and Dean Reynolds following Obama who was planning "no crowing" about his expected haul of delegates. On NBC, Ron Allen picked up on the latest spin from husband Bill to explain his candidate wife's second place. The former President "strongly suggested her bid for the White House was hurt by the reluctance of some Americans to accept a woman as President." Allen repeated--but did not evaluate--Clinton's casual comment. Surely Rodham Clinton's gender has been a major factor in her appeal to women voters. Can it really be true that such a huge female boost was a net liability, canceled out by the sexism of some men? Can the former President back up his low opinion of his own gender? Allen should either have asked for evidence or not treated such musings as newsworthy.
NOT CONCRETE NBC and ABC continued coverage of the earthquake in Sichuan Province. ABC's Stephanie Sy visited a 20,000 person shelter in a sports stadium in Mianyang, which provides food, first aid, psychological counseling, "even barbers clipping hair." NBC's In Depth feature had Ian Williams accompany inspectors from the San Francisco based Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. "In school after school the engineers have reached the same chilling conclusion: the buildings were so shoddy the children never stood a chance." Some structures were built only of masonry with no reinforcing concrete beams. Civil engineer Kit Miyamoto told Williams that the weakest structures were built during the '80s and '90s when "China's economy had a building boom. Even where buildings remain standing they can no longer be used. Entire towns and cities are now uninhabitable."
FEDERAL ALPHABET SOUP CBS kicked off its series The War on Cancer with anchor Katie Couric examining the status of basic medical research at the National Institutes of Health. CNBC's Steve Liesman showed us part of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for NBC. Wyatt Andrews covered opposition to Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations in the second part of his investigation of fire retardant chemicals for CBS.
NIH cancer research funding has shrunk since 2004, CBS' Couric told us. American biotech used "to lead the pack in terms of novel cancer treatments and medicines" but budget cuts have created "a brain drain" sending young American scientists offshore. Duncan Odom, for example, has left his MIT lab in Cambridge Mass for a government-funded lab in Cambridge England.
President George Bush has "reluctantly signed a bill" to halt purchases of oil to fill the SPR until the cost of crude declines, CNBC's Liesman reported from outside the heavily guarded Bryan Mound in Freeport Texas, one of the reserve's three storage caverns. The SPR was created in the '70s "in response to the Arab oil embargo" to provide emergency supplies. If all oil imports were cut off, the SPR's 700m barrels of crude could power the United States for two months.
Monday, CBS' Andrews was in Maine, where the state legislature has prohibited the use of toxic MBDEs as a fire retardant. Now Andrews tell us that Dell Computer and IKEA furnishings have also phased out brominated chemicals; California is among seven other states that may soon have a ban; and the CPSC has proposed regulations for MBDE-free furniture. Fighting the ban are "neutral sounding front groups" like Californians for Fire Safety, which is running bromine-funded TV ads. The National Association of State Fire Marshals, which has also accepted bromine funds, has hired Peter Sparber to lobby the CPSC against the ban. Sparber also happens to be the lobbyist for the bromine industry. The fire marshals' official line is that it is "not pro-chemical just pro-safety."
EYE IN THE SKY The problem of teenagers driving recklessly on the nation's highway is an occasional theme under the category of Things that Worry Parents. That worry is now the news hook for generous free publicity for Safeco, the insurance company, on ABC. Lisa Stark offered an uncritical plug to Teensurance, its $15-a-month Global Positioning Satellite system, that allows parents to track their adolescents behind the wheel. If the GPS spots kids driving too fast or after curfew or outside the neighborhood, it alerts mom and dad. "Safeco says early results show families who have tried Teensurance in the past year have a 15% lower accident rate than families without it," Stark claimed--without inquiring whether Teensurance made the teenagers safer or whether teenagers from safety-minded households tend to be Teensurance customers.
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: Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon of the United Nations held talks with the rulers of Myanmar about disaster relief following Cyclone Nargis…FBI agents allege that they witnessed and protested torture of prisoners by CIA spies…the Dow Jones Industrial Average sold off on Wall Street, down 199 points to 12828 while the cost of a barrel of crude oil continued to rise, closing at $129.
