Politics

Networks Ignore First Day Of Sen. Menendez Trial

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Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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Democratic Senator Bob Menendez is the first U.S. senator on trial for corruption in 36 years, but ABC, NBC, and CBS chose not to cover the first day of his trial Wednesday.

Not one of the evening shows on the Big Three broadcast networks touched the beginning of the trial, which heated up when the judge in the case told Menendez’s lawyer to “shut up.”

According to research by the Media Research Center, CBS mentioned the story briefly in the morning but chose not to follow up on “CBS Evening News.” ABC and NBC didn’t mention it for the entire day.

Sen. Menendez is accused of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes in exchange for business deals and visas for his buddy, Doctor Solomon Melgen.

NBC’s broadcast operation wasn’t the only place they fudged coverage of the trial. NBC News reported on the case Wednesday but mistakingly referred to Sen. Menendez as a Republican in the story’s lead. The error remained in the article for several hours before it was finally corrected. (RELATED: NBC News Wrongly Claims Sen. Menendez Is A Republican) 

The New York Times was also criticized for failing to mention Sen. Menendez’s party affiliation in a 1300 word article about his trial. The author claimed the omission was an “oversight” and dropped in a mention of Menendez’s party in the fourth paragraph. (RELATED: NYT Writes 1300 Words About Dem Senator’s Corruption Trial Without Mentioning He’s A Democrat)

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