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TYNDALL HEADLINE: HIGHLIGHTS FROM MARCH 12, 2013
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.
TYNDALL PICKS FOR MARCH 12, 2013: CLICK ON GRID ELEMENTS TO SEARCH FOR MATCHING ITEMS
EVERYBODY COVERS EVERYBODY OUT 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.
TUESDAY’S TIDBITS A black eye for Pfizer from in-house physicians on all three newscasts: Dr Jon on CBS and Dr Rich on ABC both warned us that Azithromycin -- or Z-PAK as ABC's Besser told us Pfizer's marketers like to call it -- is a dodgy antibiotic for patients with irregular heartbeats. Last May, Dr Rich and Dr Nancy on NBC gave us similar news. On this occasion, though, NBC continued its gradual grooming of its corporate Chief Medical Officer for on-camera appearances: Dr Tanya Berenson has not yet been named as a correspondent -- but back in January she was interviewed on the 'flu outbreak three separate times (here, here and here). Meanwhile, NBC's science correspondent Robert Bazell continues to cover ovarian cancer, a disease no other reporter appears to find newsworthy.
A black eye for Equifax, the consumer credit rating agency, whose AnnualCreditReport.com database was apparently hacked by a Russian celebrity-watching Website. Both NBC's Pete Williams and ABC's Pierre Thomas ran down the list of politicians and celebrities with their personal data exposed.
Barry Petersen was on hand in Colorado when a not-guilty plea was filed, by default, on behalf of James Holmes, the accused killed in the Aurora midnight movie massacre. Petersen's attendance was no surprise. Since legal proceedings began last August, CBS has led all coverage, and Petersen has led CBS' efforts.
Remember St Valentine's Day, when NBC tried to turn Lyndon Baines Johnson into a romantic icon by persuading two of his grandchildren to read excerpts from his love letters to Lady Bird? Now, for the second Texan President, NBC's arm-twisting is a lot simpler. The reason is that his granddaughter Jenna is already on the NBC News payroll. To publicize All The Best, an anthology of George Herbert Walker Bush's correspondence, reporter Jenna Bush Hager roped in her Presidential grandfather George, her First Lady grandmother Barbara, her Presidential father George, her First Daughter sister Barbara (and a cousin) to read excerpts. She also persuaded President Bill Clinton. Who is he? A father of an NBC News correspondent, of course.
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.
TUESDAY’S TIDBITS A black eye for Pfizer from in-house physicians on all three newscasts: Dr Jon on CBS and Dr Rich on ABC both warned us that Azithromycin -- or Z-PAK as ABC's Besser told us Pfizer's marketers like to call it -- is a dodgy antibiotic for patients with irregular heartbeats. Last May, Dr Rich and Dr Nancy on NBC gave us similar news. On this occasion, though, NBC continued its gradual grooming of its corporate Chief Medical Officer for on-camera appearances: Dr Tanya Berenson has not yet been named as a correspondent -- but back in January she was interviewed on the 'flu outbreak three separate times (here, here and here). Meanwhile, NBC's science correspondent Robert Bazell continues to cover ovarian cancer, a disease no other reporter appears to find newsworthy.
A black eye for Equifax, the consumer credit rating agency, whose AnnualCreditReport.com database was apparently hacked by a Russian celebrity-watching Website. Both NBC's Pete Williams and ABC's Pierre Thomas ran down the list of politicians and celebrities with their personal data exposed.
Barry Petersen was on hand in Colorado when a not-guilty plea was filed, by default, on behalf of James Holmes, the accused killed in the Aurora midnight movie massacre. Petersen's attendance was no surprise. Since legal proceedings began last August, CBS has led all coverage, and Petersen has led CBS' efforts.
Remember St Valentine's Day, when NBC tried to turn Lyndon Baines Johnson into a romantic icon by persuading two of his grandchildren to read excerpts from his love letters to Lady Bird? Now, for the second Texan President, NBC's arm-twisting is a lot simpler. The reason is that his granddaughter Jenna is already on the NBC News payroll. To publicize All The Best, an anthology of George Herbert Walker Bush's correspondence, reporter Jenna Bush Hager roped in her Presidential grandfather George, her First Lady grandmother Barbara, her Presidential father George, her First Daughter sister Barbara (and a cousin) to read excerpts. She also persuaded President Bill Clinton. Who is he? A father of an NBC News correspondent, of course.
