ABC News Lambasted After Posting Incredibly Biased Statement on Trump's SCOTUS Nominee
So, the speculation is over: Brett Kavanaugh is the president’s choice to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. And the media, predictably, isn’t very happy.
That being said, even ABC couldn’t get away with the tweet it made about Kavanaugh. Only it wasn’t really about Kavanaugh, for reasons I’ll explain in a bit.
The tweet was an advertisement for that night’s edition of “Nightline,” a show I’m surprised is still around since I haven’t watched it since the days it was hosted by Ted Koppel’s hairpiece. Apparently, it’s still on, and they don’t think much of Trump’s pick.
“Tonight on Nightline, (Terry Moran) reports on the controversial Supreme Court Justice pick and the possible implications for the country,” the tweet read.
Tonight on Nightline, @TerryMoran reports on the controversial Supreme Court Justice pick and the possible implications for the country. pic.twitter.com/sXES8hxr65
— Nightline (@Nightline) July 9, 2018
As Sen. Ted Cruz pointed out in a series of tweets endorsing Kavanaugh’s nomination, this is a man who has served on the D.C. Court of Appeals — generally considered the second-highest court in the land right after the Supreme Court — and has published 300 opinions. He’s conservative, sure, but accomplished and well within the judicial mainstream.
For over a decade, Judge Kavanaugh has served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, often referred to as the second highest court in the land.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) July 10, 2018
He has over 300 published opinions, with a strong record of defending the #SecondAmendment, safeguarding the separation of powers, reining in the unchecked power of federal agencies, and preserving our precious religious liberties.
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) July 10, 2018
This was apparently “controversial” to ABC News. As the Daily Wire noted, this drew a lot of angry responses, including from plenty of blue-checked accounts.
And there was a good reason. See, the tweet wasn’t talking about how “controversial” Kavanaugh was. It couldn’t have been.
Eagle-eyed readers might have noticed the time-stamp on ABC’s tweet. If you didn’t, here’s the punchline: At the time ABC posted it, the “controversial” Kavanaugh hadn’t even been nominated and nobody actually knew the identity of who Trump would pick.
In other words, anything would have been controversial because controversy generates ratings. As it turned out, Trump went with the least controversial pick he could have — one who is conservative, certainly, but has also an established record of respecting the Constitution and established precedent.
There was, thus, much mirth throughout the conservative Twittersphere:
https://twitter.com/DavidRutz/status/1016473611648032769
"Controversial"
(We see you) https://t.co/a5fryfNt8l
— The Daily Signal (@DailySignal) July 10, 2018
The President hasn't even named a nominee yet so it's very interesting to report them as "controversial." https://t.co/LwEtUzkU0h
— Senator Hatch Office (@senorrinhatch) July 10, 2018
You don't know who the pick is and he/she is already "controversial?" https://t.co/NnYFcpN1ol
— Scott Whitlock (@ScottJW) July 9, 2018
It wasn’t long before a correction was issued:
CORRECTION: Tonight on Nightline, @TerryMoran reports on the controversy surrounding the Supreme Court Justice pick and the possible implications for the country. https://t.co/3Jir9exzXL
— Nightline (@Nightline) July 10, 2018
The possible implications for the country: A lot of unforced errors on the media side of things, for starters.
Oh, and corrections. Lots and lots of corrections.
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