***To read the full blog, please check out the complete post on NewsBusters***
On Monday, the White House sparked controversy after the American flag atop the building was raised from half-staff before the remains of Senator John McCain were even in the Capitol. Also on Monday, the White House struck a brand new trade deal with Mexico that would end yet another theater in the administration’s trade wars and is said to help American businesses and consumers.
The former was part of a long-running political feud while the latter affected the lives of millions of Americans. Both ABC and CBS actually spent more time during their evening broadcasts on the feud than the end of a trade war. The announcement of the trade deal caused the stock markets to hit record highs but none of them thought it was newsworthy.
When it came to covering the new U.S.-Mexico trade agreement, ABC’s World News Tonight ignored the story altogether, while CBS Evening News gave it a fleeting 21 seconds of airtime. Anchor Norah O’Donnell delivered the news brief:
(...)