Yes, there’s a media feeding frenzy around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and so-called “bridge-gate”, which may or may not lead to serious political peril for him. The coverage cycle is so swift that some news organizations wonder when the headlines will shift to the predictable “Christie comeback” scenario.
But one media analyst finds that while the press is attentive to all things Christie, it continues to ignore the IRS targeting of conservative groups, a story that has lingered unresolved for many months.
SEE RELATED:“In less than 48 hours, ABC, CBS and NBC deluged viewers with coverage of Chris Christie’s traffic jam scandal, devoting a staggering 88 minutes to the story,” says Scott Whitlock, a vigilant analyst with the Media Research Center, a conservative watchdog.
“In comparison, these same news outlets over the last six months have allowed a scant two minutes for the latest on President Obama’s Internal Revenue Service scandal. The disparity in less than two days is 44-to-one,” Mr. Whitlock says.
He found that from Wednesday through Friday morning, the latest on Mr. Christie’s controversy led 11 out of 13 news programs. NBC produced the heaviest coverage, over 34 minutes. CBS followed close behind with more than 30 minutes. ABC came in third with just under 23 minutes.
“The accusations and revelations about the Christie administration’s orchestrating and handling of a man-made traffic jam certainly warrant media attention,” the analyst says. “However, the same journalists who have jumped all over a scandal involving a potential Republican candidate in 2016 don’t seem interested in the IRS scandal involving the current Democratic president.”
And the IRS matter?
“It wasn’t as though there were a lack of potential IRS stories to follow-up on. In December, House investigator Rep. Darrell Issa, California Republican, announced that the FBI and IRS chief counsel is stonewalling the investigation,” Mr. Whitlock points out, noting that e-mails records showed in October that tea party tax information had been shared with the Federal Election Commission.
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