CNN Barely Covers Release of Gitmo Detainees; Airs 19-Second Brief

Matthew Balan | January 15, 2015
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[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]

As of 6 pm Eastern on Thursday, CNN has devoted just 19 seconds of air time to the release of five prisoners from Guantanamo Bay detention facilities – a news brief during the New Day program. This is still more coverage than CBS and NBC, as both Big Three networks ignored the story on their Thursday morning newscasts. ABC gave a 16-second news brief on Good Morning America.

Anchor Michaela Pereira gave the news brief 11 minutes into the 7 am Eastern hour of the CNN morning show:

MICHAELA PEREIRA: Five Yemeni inmates held at Guantanamo Bay have been transferred overseas – at least six years after the Pentagon cleared them for release. Four will go to Oman; one to Estonia. That leaves 122 prisoners at the facility in Cuba. This move has angered some members of Congress, who argue Guantanamo is needed to detain terror suspects.

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