Flagship newscasts on ABC, CBS and NBC spent over 46 minutes covering President Donald Trump pardoning Jan. 6 defendants but barely found time to mention former President Joe Biden issuing preemptive pardons for his family, according to a new study.
During the final hours of his administration last week, Biden issued preemptive pardons for relatives James B. Biden, Sara Jones Biden, Valerie Biden Owens, John T. Owens, and Francis W. Biden. That same day, Trump signed off on pardoning more than 1,500 charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6, 2021, attack at the U.S. Capitol, shortly after retaking office.
The Media Research Center analyzed flagship morning and evening newscasts on ABC, CBS, and NBC from Inauguration Day on January 20 through the morning of Jan. 22 to determine how the pardons were covered. While the pair of orders occurred on the same day, coverage was not exactly balanced.
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