***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
Wednesday was the third and last day of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s marathon confirmation hearing for Judge Neil Gorsuch. The Big Three networks’ (ABC, CBS, and NBC) evening news programs buried the story of Tuesday’s hearing after Senate Democrats failed to trip him up. But for Wednesday’s hearing, they ran up the white flag, with CBS and NBC running very short news briefs while ABC failed to mention Gorsuch nor the hearing at all.
“On Capitol Hill, Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch wrapped up three days of testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee,” anchor Scott Pelly reported on CBS Evening News, “The panel will hear tomorrow from other witnesses for and against him.” “A committee is expected to vote early next month,” he concluded. Pelley’s entire brief lasted roughly 15 seconds.
The brief during NBC Nightly News by anchor Lester Holt was roughly 23 seconds long but seemed a little bit more congenial to the Supreme Court nominee. “He promised to be independent of the President who nominated him and amid praise from Republicans, Gorsuch deflected attempts by frustrated Democrats to get him to wade into certain legal and political issues,” Holt noted.