NEWS AND OPINION:
The nation is witnessing much major broadcast coverage centered on conflict and discord in the Middle East. How’s the quality of that coverage?
“The American news media have been catching a lot of flack for uncritically quoting Hamas as a source for much of their on-the-ground coverage in Gaza. In the month following the terror organization’s horrific October 7 attack on Israeli civilians, exactly two-thirds of the evening newscasts on ABC, CBS, and NBC cited either Hamas itself or Hamas-controlled entities when reporting on the conflict,” wrote Bill D’Agostino, media editor and a senior research analyst for Newsbusters.org, a conservative press watchdog.
He led a team which examined all evening newscasts from Oct. 9 to Nov. 9 on ABC, CBS, and NBC, taking note of every instance in which a reporter or anchor used Hamas as a source in their coverage.
“Of the 81 total broadcasts that were not preempted, 54 — or exactly 66.7% — contained at least one instance in which a journalist cited Hamas as a source. There was near-exact parity among these networks in the frequency of their Hamas-sourced reports. All three cited the terrorist organization in 18 of their evening newscasts,” Mr. D’Agostino said.
“Despite repeatedly being rebuked by the Biden administration, the three biggest news shows on television have spent the last month treating a terrorist organization as a reputable source. If being admonished by the very president whom they worked tirelessly to elect in 2020 isn’t enough to make them shake this alarming habit, viewers shouldn’t expect them to change their tune anytime soon,” Mr. D’Agostino predicted.
SCOTT’S MESSAGE
Sen. Tim Scott had a final message to share before he made the decision to end his campaign for president.
“If you ever want to love your country more, run for president! Traveling this country and meeting people has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my entire life. I love America more today than I did when I announced my campaign on May 22,” the South Carolina Republican said in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
“I think the message is clear for me right now. I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been clear in what they are telling me — ‘not now, Tim.’ I do not think they are saying ‘no.’ But I do think they are saying ‘not now,’” the lawmaker noted.
“So I am going to respect the voters, but I am going to remain committed to making sure that this country chooses the right person by enjoying the journey of just helping people everywhere throughout South Carolina and throughout our country,” he continued.
“I think our country is going through a very challenging time. Our goal should be to unite this country and not take advantage of the divisions of this country,” Mr. Scott said, advising the public to spend more time talking about the goodness of America, the nation’s future of America, faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in the nation’s future.
And the result?
“The better off we will be as Americans, and the more likely we are to come back together to be that one nation under God,” Mr. Scott said.
THE WRITE STUFF
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TREND OF NOTE
“How bad is it in Chicago? Illegal aliens are returning home to Venezuela.”
This headline comes from HotAir.com.
“You know things are not going well when illegal aliens from Venezuela request that they be given plane tickets back to Venezuela. They want to go back home rather than stay in Chicago, where they originally requested to go,” advises a report by analyst Karen Townsend.
“That’s right. Illegal aliens have become accustomed to major cities providing plane or bus tickets to other destinations. For example, Denver has spent $4.5 million transporting more than 12,000 migrants out-of-state over the last year,” she wrote.
“The assumption that citizens of foreign countries can illegally invade the United States and then expect to achieve the American Dream is arrogant and unrealistic from the beginning. The American Dream is fading for many Americans post-pandemic thanks to President Biden’s disastrous economic policies. Don’t expect middle-class and lower-class American workers to be too upset to hear that illegal aliens are having a tough time trying to take advantage of American generosity,” Ms. Townsend advised.
“Chicago city officials claim that 19,000 illegal aliens have come to Chicago since August 2022. There are about 68,000 Chicago citizens who are homeless. The situation has gotten so bad that Chicago residents are demanding that its sanctuary city status be ended,” she also noted.
POLL DU JOUR
• 70% think President Biden’s economic policies have either hurt the U.S. economy or had no impact on it.
• 26% say Mr. Biden’s policies have helped the economy.
• 61% disapprove of Mr. Biden’s handling of the economy.
• 59% disapprove of his overall job performance.
• 52% say they had heard “a little” or “nothing” about what Mr. Biden was doing to try and improve the economy.’
• 14% believe they are better off financially now than when Mr. Biden took office.
• 82% of U.S. voters say price increases are the source of their “biggest financial stress.”
• 75% say rising prices will pose the most significant threat to the U.S. economy in the next six months.’
• 65% have cut back on non-essential spending such as holidays or eating out.
• 52% have reduced spending on food or other everyday necessities.
SOURCE: A Financial Times/University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business poll of 1,004 registered U.S. voters conducted Nov. 2-7.
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• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.