News outlets widely ignored the fact that during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing, President Obama’s attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch said she believed that illegal immigrants have a “right and obligation” to work in the United States. (VIDEO: TheDC Reporter Challenges White House: Do Illegal Immigrants Have A ‘Right’ To Work In US?)
Outlets that did cover the story include The Daily Caller, National Review Online, Fox News, Newsbusters, Breitbart, and Hot Air. But despite the widespread coverage and conversation over the remarks, the mainstream media largely ignored them.
- The New York Times covered the criticism Lynch received from Senate Republicans, saying they “expressed outrage over the president’s immigration policy.” But no details about what Lynch might have said to set them off.
- The Washington Post noted that Lynch said she didn’t see any reason to “doubt the reasonableness” the president’s executive actions, and the criticism she faced from Republicans on the issue. But no indication that any of the answers were beyond the pale.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that there were: “Few Fireworks at Hearing of Attorney General Nominee Lynch.” It’s story claims that Lynch’s support for executive amnesty drew “gentle rebukes” and characterized it as a “relatively tame hearing.” Nothing to see here, folks.
- Reuters writes that Lynch “struck a delicate balance” during her confirmation hearing, and “defended the administration’s immigration order.” Again, no mention of any “right to work” for illegal immigrants.
- USA Today reported on Lynch’s confirmation that she was “not Eric Holder” and dedicated an entire article to the fact that Lynch’s sorority sisters showed up to support her. No such coverage for any troublesome remarks she may have made.
- Newsbusters notes that most of the “Big Three” networks ignored the confirmation hearing entirely. But when “CBS Evening News” did cover it, there was no coverage of the “right to work” comments.
Credit where credit is due: The Associated Press reported on the exchange. Those news outlets that carried the AP report, including ABC News and Yahoo News, therefore also reported on the exchange by proxy.