NEWS AND OPINION:
Now that we know the outcome of former President Donald Trump‘s trial in New York, it’s time to examine the news media history of this momentous event.
How much TV news coverage was devoted to the trial? The Media Research Center’s Newsbusters.org — a conservative press watchdog — has the answer after reviewing 110 evening news stories on the ongoing events.
“Millions of citizens have seen the evidence only as depicted by the liberal news networks — an often skewed version that seemed more designed to embarrass and antagonize the Republican presidential candidate than to scrutinize the merits of the case against him,” wrote Rich Noyes, the center’s contributing editor, and Curtis Houck, Newsbusters’ managing editor, in a painstaking study of the coverage.
It has been “obsessive and lurid,” they said.
“In just six weeks, ABC, CBS, and NBC doled out more than ten hours (640 minutes) on the case across their flagship morning, evening, and Sunday political talk shows to interfere in the 2024 election. ABC has delivered the most coverage, an exhaustive 257 minutes that accounts for 40% of the overall tally. NBC’s news shows have supplied 222 minutes of trial coverage, while CBS churned out 161 minutes,” the analysts wrote.
“Instead of scrutinizing the case against Trump, the networks (especially ABC and CBS) reveled in the tawdry, tabloid testimony against him — even though they had been previously reported years earlier, and had little to do with the question of business records at the heart of the case,” they said.
“This wave of tawdry allegations, plus a prosecution presented as nonpartisan, added up to heavily negative coverage of the former President. Between April 14 and May 29, our analysts tallied 230 negative statements about Trump related to the trial, vs. just seven positive statements (mostly soundbites from pro-Trump rally goers who rejected the idea that the case might shake their support),” Mr. Noyes and Mr. Houck added.
There’s much more to the findings. Find the detailed analysis at Newsbusters.org.
CAPITAL ‘BRUTALISM’
The National Building Museum, just four blocks off the National Mall in the nation’s capital, is an incredible structure in its own right. The museum is offering a noteworthy look at “brutalist” buildings elsewhere in the city. Brutalist architecture — which emerged in the 1950s — is characterized by blocklike, plain but bold design elements and the use of much concrete.
“Brutalist buildings have been called ‘imposing monsters’ and yet they feature prominently in the architectural landscape of the nation’s capital. The National Building Museum uses this perspective as a launching point for its new exhibition, Capital Brutalism, which opens on Saturday, June 1, 2024. Co-organized with the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA), Capital Brutalism is the largest-ever survey of Brutalist architecture in Washington, D.C. and will be on display at the Museum through Monday, February 17, 2025,” the museum said in a news release shared with Inside the Beltway.
“Capital Brutalism considers the historical underpinnings, current state, and future possibilities of Brutalist architecture by focusing on seven polarizing Brutalist buildings as well as the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metro system in Washington, D.C. The exhibition uses archival documents, drawings, architectural models and contemporary photographs by Ty Cole to explore how the Brutalist phenomenon and these structures first emerged in the United States capital during the Cold War,” the release said.
The seven featured buildings are the Robert C. Weaver Federal Building (Department of Housing and Urban Development), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Hubert H. Humphrey Building (Department of Health and Human Services headquarters), Joseph M. Lauinger Library (Georgetown University), J. Edgar Hoover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI headquarters), James V. Forrestal Building (Department of Energy), and the Euram Building on Dupont Circle.
Find more information at the museum’s website at www.nbm.org.
NIGHTSTAND READING
The U.S. Coast Guard has released the 2023 statistics on recreational boating — and there has been a decrease in deaths and incidents. Fatalities fell by 11.3%, while overall incidents decreased by 4.9%. Nonfatal injuries also declined by 4.3%.
“Alcohol continued to be the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents in 2023, accounting for 79 deaths, or 17 percent of total fatalities,” the Coast Guard said in a written statement.
Curious? The full 2023 Recreational Boating Statistics report is available to the public at uscgboating.org. The report can be found under the “Statistics” menu selection and the “Accident Statistics” submenu selection.
“The Coast Guard encourages boaters to explore the website, which provides information about boating safety course providers, requesting a vessel safety check, what to put in a float plan, choosing the appropriate life jacket and more,” a public advisory said.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: Twin Island, a 1-acre private island with classic cottage built in 1922, on the St Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands region near Clayton, New York. Four bedrooms, two baths, fireplace, living and dining rooms; 1,482 square feet. Original woodwork and fireplace; new floors, roof, windows and doors, plus other improvements. Includes boathouse with new deck and a fifth bedroom plus dock, small wooden bridge, stone walkways, 630 feet of waterfront footage and furnishings included. Priced at $729,000 through www.PrivateIslandsOnline.com; enter Twin Island in the keyword search function.
POLL DU JOUR
• 83% of U.S. adults who are employed are “satisfied” with their company’s paid time off and vacation policy.
• 78% do not take all the vacation days allowed by their employer.
• 76% wish their workplace culture placed a stronger emphasis on taking breaks or using paid time off.
• 66% “dread” the backlog of work when they return to the office.
• 60% struggle to “fully disconnect” when they take time off.
• 56% take work-related calls on their time off.
• 49% get nervous when requesting time off from their employer.
• 31% say that “pressure to always be available” is a top barrier preventing them from taking time off.
• 30% say a “heavy workload” is a top barrier preventing them from taking time off.
SOURCE: A Harris Poll survey of 1,170 employed U.S. adults conducted online April 26-28 and released May 21.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.