The sorry state of our media can be measured and NewsBustsers has done just that with a study that shows the networks spent twice as much time gushing over the First Lady’s 50th birthday than they did a devastating bipartisan report on Benghazi released last week by the Senate Intelligence Committee.
ABC gave 2 minutes to Benghazi and 10 to the birthday; CBS and NBC both gave less than 15 minutes to Benghazi but nearly a half hour to the First Lady’s 50th.
Even before the big day, Newsbusters reports, the networks were already partying, and it was a celebration that lasted through the weekend:
ABC started pre-partying two days before Michelle’s actual birthday on Friday. ABC’s Lara Spencer, on Wednesday’s Good Morning America, focused on a People magazine interview “just before her 50th birthday” on “her take on plastic surgery and Botox.” Spencer then gleefully teased: “The big day is fast approaching.” Through Monday morning ABC had devoted five full reports and two briefs to the First Lady’s birthday.
NBC started their celebration on Thursday’s Today show with White House correspondent Kristen Welker, as she excitedly declared: “For days they’ve been gearing up for a big bash here at the White House. Guests were told to wear comfortable shoes and to be prepared to move around a lot, an indication there will be no shortage of dancing here. You can also bet there will be a long list of celebrities to pull off a party fit for a First Lady.”
NBC kept the party going with segments on Friday, Saturday and even Monday morning, where Today show weatherman Al Roker gushed about his time at the Saturday event: “It was a house party that happened to be in the White House.
The bipartisan Benghazi report said that the terror attacks that killed four Americans could have been prevented by the Obama Administration, specifically Hillary Clinton’s State Department.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC