Analysis:
This story is typical with how news entities report on the administration. The White House organizes an Earth Day media event which the news reports. The President makes claims, like in this story, which the news reader states and then leaves it at that. This is journalism as stenography. There is no verification of the claims made, nor dissenting perspectives on the environmental track record of this administration. Channel 13 could have easily provided viewers with perspectives from national or local environmental groups to contrast the comments from the White House.
Story:
WZZM 13 News reader – Mother Earth did not cooperate with President Bush’s Earth Day plans. Thunder storms in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park kept the President from delivering his Earth Day address there. So Mr. Bush talked about Earth Day efforts from an airport in Tennessee. The President says his administration’s policies have led to more jobs. He also urged Congress to support his initiatives for restoring millions of acres of wetlands.
Total Time: 23 seconds
