BROADCAST BIAS: Networks turn Trump’s plane switch into a fancy scandal
The coverage of political scandal is one of the most obvious fields of study for anyone looking at media bias. The same people who unconvincingly claimed President Barack Obama's presidency was "largely scandal-free" can manufacture a scandal a day under President Donald Trump.The allegedly outrageous scandal of this week happened in Turkey, where the Secret Service advised Trump to switch to a different military plane to fly home while the press (and top administration officials) stayed on Air Force One, but were not told the president wasn't on board.
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The coverage of political scandal is one of the most obvious fields of study for anyone looking at media bias. The same people who unconvincingly claimed President Barack Obama's presidency was "largely scandal-free" can manufacture a scandal a day under President Donald Trump.The allegedly outrageous scandal of this week happened in Turkey, where the Secret Service advised Trump to switch to a different military plane to fly home while the press (and top administration officials) stayed on Air Force One, but were not told the president wasn't on board. As soon as The Washington Post had the story, the anti-Trump spin kicked in. The press were left on a "decoy" plane that could have been shot down by the Iranians.While the broadcast networks love to open their newscasts with severe weather updates to grab viewer attention, this mini-scandal led CBS and NBC on Tuesday night, and ABC jumped in right after the weather.WHITE HOUSE PUSHED FOR PROTOCOL TO PRESERVE CORRESPONDENTS' CREDIBILITY AFTER TRUMP'S SECRET PLANE SWITCHOn PBS, "News Hour" anchor Geoff Bennett exemplified the tone: "How unusual is it for the Secret Service to turn Air Force One and its passengers, to include White House staff, the traveling press, into a decoy?" Correspondent Nick Schifrin explained that this happened before with President Bill Clinton in Pakistan in 2000.On NPR's "Morning Edition" on Wednesday, they brought on former Secret Service agent Robert McDonald, who tried to reassure the audience that he was sure Air Force One still had Air Force protection in the air, so, "I think the premise that those two planes were left out on their own, I think, is a little bit reaching." Anchor Michel Martin resisted: "But you don't know that for a fact." McDonald acknowledged that, but found it hard to believe two Air Force 747s "would be left to fend for themselves."Journalists went on for days with "decoy" outrage, but it's hard to argue Trump left them in danger, since top aides were still on the plane – Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and domestic policy adviser Stephen Miller, among others.Everyone in the media knows that covering a president carries the risk of being in the crossfire if someone makes an assassination attempt.
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Why it matters
A world story we're tracking; its significance and source trust firm up as more outlets confirm it.
- What's the story?
- The coverage of political scandal is one of the most obvious fields of study for anyone looking at media bias. The same people who unconvincingly claimed President Barack Obama's presidency was "largely scandal-free" can manufacture a scandal a day under President Donald Trump.The allegedly outrageous scandal of this week happened in Turkey, where the Secret Service advised Trump to switch to a different military plane to fly home while the press (and top administration officials) stayed on Air Force One, but were not told the president wasn't on board.
- How widely is it covered?
- 1 outlet, average source rating 6.0/10.
- When was it last updated?
- 6m ago.
How outlets are framing the same story
Here's how each outlet is covering the story — compare their headlines and timing at a glance.
- Coverage card1 outlet1CoverageScouting report
BROADCAST BIAS: Networks turn Trump’s plane switch into a fancy scandal
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