ABC Ignores Correspondent Grilling Carney Over V.A. Scandal; Exalts Walters' Exit Instead

Matthew Balan | May 16, 2014
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[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]

The 16 May 2014 edition of ABC's World News mentioned the ongoing scandal surrounding the Veterans Administration only in passing, despite the fact their own chief White House correspondent, Jonathan Karl, hounded Press Secretary Jay Carney at the regular White House press briefing on the issue. Meanwhile, they set aside two full segments totaling seven minutes and 54 seconds of air time to Barbara Walters' departure from The View.

Diane Sawyer gave a 30-second news brief to a new development in the scandal – about one-sixteenth the amount of time that she and her newscast spent on Walters:

DIANE SAWYER: And tonight, here at home, a new twist in the national outrage about those allegations that some veterans' hospitals delayed care, and covered up the consequences – and they have cost veterans their lives. Yesterday, the Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki told a Senate committee he was – quote, 'mad as hell' about the allegations, but would not resign. Well today, the V.A. announced that the man who testified with him, Undersecretary Robert Petzel, has resigned – though they say he was already scheduled to retire this year.

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