[More in the cross-post on the MRC's NewsBusters blog.]
NBC and ABC omitted covering the Supreme Court's final two rulings from their morning newscasts on 1 July 2014, despite the fact that the decisions came down after their Monday episodes aired. Only CBS This Morning set aside air time for the Hobby Lobby ruling, which upheld the religious liberty rights of closely held corporations.
Viewers of ABC's Good Morning America might have guessed that the Supreme Court handed down some rulings, as the morning show devoted a full segment to the "running of the interns," where the summer interns of media outlets run copies of Court's "big rulings" to the journalists outside. GMA even held their own intern race, where the competitors run cups of iced coffee to the anchors inside the studio:
MICHAEL STRAHAN: An epic showdown right now in the 'Social Square.' I'm here with – I'm here now with ABC's Gio Benitez, and he's here to explain the viral sensation, 'Running of the Interns.' Gio, go ahead.
GIO BENITEZ: Are you ready, Michael?
STRAHAN: I'm ready to roll.
BENITEZ: It's epic. It's that time of year – the summer internship – and in D.C., so many interns are being put to the ultimate test. It's part of what's known as 'running of the interns.' Our friends at Buzzfeed helped us out with this video. No televised or electronic recordings are allowed inside the Supreme Court. So when a big ruling is handed down, interns physically run the printed copy across the street to where TV anchors are allowed to broadcast.
So, we thought it would be fun to host our own running of the interns. So, we're changing the rules just a bit. Our interns will be speed-walking. We don't want anyone getting hurt, Michael. So, our GMA interns must carry iced coffee orders for the anchors, speed-walking through Times Square, passing through the 'Social Square,' and inside to the desk. The first intern to safely deliver a full cup of iced coffee to the desk and ring the bell wins. And boy – you know, those anchors, if they don't get their coffee.