Americans have endured skyrocketing gas costs for the past month. All parts of the economy are feeling these effects and their impact is affecting already stressed pockets. But if you watched the morning and evening network newscasts, you would think almost all the blame for this falls on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Joe Biden? It has almost been completely overlooked.
Between February 24 and March 21, 2011, the network networks placed the blame squarely on Russia with an 11-to-1 ratio. ABC, CBS, and NBC all blamed Russia 33 times while the Democratic President was only 3 times. (The Network Breakdown: NBC was responsible for Russia 16 times, CBS 11 Times and ABC 6 Times.
Three times, the networks blamed oil companies and nine times, they also cited miscellaneous reasons (the pandemic and switch to summer gas blends, inflation), 9 times. It’s not as though gas prices weren’t already sky high. Just prior to the outbreak of war on February 21, they averaged $3.62. (They stood at $2.39 on the day that the Democrat assumed office.
As a presidential candidate, Biden promised to “get rid of fossil fuels” and pledged “no more coal plants.” On the first day of Biden’s presidency, he killed the Keystone Pipeline. The last fourteen months have seen a mere 29 second delay between the newscasts on the network night networks (16 seconds on NBC and 10 seconds on CBS, respectively, and only 3 seconds on ABC).
Biden also stopped oil and gas leasing from federal lands. He lifted sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which transports gas from Russia to Germany. This was a significant victory for Vladimir Putin.
Yet, during the first four week of the war, reports echoed the assumption that Russia was responsible, downplaying, or completely ignoring, high-priced events.
This will be effective on the 24th February Today, Senior Business Correspondent Stephanie Ruhle sympathized with the President: “According to President Biden’s statements, this is something he has been very conscious of. Biden is very aware of how much the pump costs for American citizens. He said that he would do all he could to help.”
There are other times as well, like on March 9 NBC Nightly News, reporter Miguel Almaguer simply parroted White House talking points about the “Putin price hike.”
With President Biden blaming rising costs on Putin’s price hike, the White House is trying to remind Americans who they say is responsible.
(Liberal cable channels MSNBC and CNN aggressively pushed this talking point too. See a video from NewsBusters media editor Bill D’Agostino.)
Sometimes there were.Please enter noDo not attempt to place blame. Americans seem to be victims of the natural world, as if skyrocketing gas costs are a result. March 5, 2009 World News TonightABC presented the tragic effects of high prices on ABC, while presenting them as inexplicable.
MAN: To drive from Cookeville, Tennessee to Nashville I don’t own a vehicle that is very affordable. My job was no longer a good fit so I quit.
…
WOMAN – I don’t even have enough to cover gas. Now, I have to choose between groceries and gas.
The 8th of March World News TonightThe President was promoted and he chastised anyone who blamed him. He also placed the possible fault on the oil-and gas companies.
Conscientious of criticisms that say the US should produce less oil and gas, President Obama today urged energy giants to begin drilling using the permits they already hold. He warned them to not take advantage of this moment.
Ruhle was last seen in the Observer on February 25th. Today show to lament the box Biden is in: “The President has said he’s concerned about it. He wants to try to help Americans…. His options are somewhat limited.”
In November 2020, Media Research Center ran a poll on the 2020 election. It asked what Americans learned about it from the media. As then-Research Director Rich Noyes noted, “More than half (50.5%) of Biden voters said they did not know about [Trump moving to make us energy independent]. If the information was known by all, 5.8% of Biden’s voters say they would have changed how they voted.”
In September 2019, America was the world’s first net oil exporter. But you wouldn’t have known that from watching ABC, CBS and NBC in the Trump years. This achievement was forgotten. And during Biden’s presidency, the networks are doing everything they can to censor his crippling energy policies.
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