Politico’s Michael Calderone and Mike Allen take an in-depth look at how the news these days looks different depending on where you watch.
From birthers to tea parties to town halls and – not to mention President Obama’s speech last week to school children and the background of former White House aide Van Jones – issues initially dismissed or missed entirely by the national media have burst, if only fleetingly, onto the national agenda after relentless coverage on Fox News, talk radio and in the blogosphere.
The most recent case of the divide between the right and the so-called mainstream media came yesterday when “World News” anchor Charles Gibson was caught off guard when asked about the ACORN tapes while on a Chicago radio show. Gibson added that “maybe this is just one you leave to the cables.”
“World News” EP Jon Banner tells Politico, “It’s a very different editorial process when you have 24 hours to fill as opposed to 22 minutes,” Banner said, explaining why the show hadn’t reported on the recent ACORN revelations.
“There’s no ideological filter that goes on,” says Chris Isham, Washington bureau chief for CBS News on his network’s coverage. “If it’s a good story, it’s a good story.”
“Clearly, Fox is going to be more aggressive on a story like that, initially, then other media organizations,” Isham says.