The new inflation report showed an inflation rate of 8.5 percent. It was ignored by ABC, CBS, and NBC Morning News. That was the highest increase since 1981 — the same year Raiders of the Lost Ark The box office is booming.
At 8:30 AM, April 12, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that inflation had risen by alarming 8.5 percent in the last year. This was the “largest 12-month increase” since December 1981.
The worst was the energy inflation, which saw a staggering 32 percent increase over last year. Only gasoline rose 48 percent. The 8.8 percent increase in food inflation was also a significant rise. The most significant increase in housing and shelter inflation in 30 years was 5 percent in the last year.
For Americans already suffering high gas prices and grocery costs, this was important news. But where were the morning television networks? ABC’s Good Morning America , CBS’s This Morning, and NBC’s TodayAnd Today’s Third HourThe BLS reported received almost zero coverage from broadcasters on April 12, 2012.
Instead, the viewers were treated with an unexpected fashion show and an interview by a celebrity. Queer EyeFame and performance by a pop star, among many other stories.
CBS’s This Morning The morning program, which aired on April 12, had zero coverage of the inflation announcement. They had seen the potential results before they were announced. Instead, co-hosts Tony Dokoupil and Vladimir Duthiers gushed over fellow CBS correspondent Gayle King’s pink dress. “You look stunning,” Duthiers said. Gayle King performed a full twirl for the delight of her cohosts.
ABC’s Good Morning America CBS barely managed to surpass them with its minimal coverage on the inflation news. ABC recognized the inflation report by issuing a single chyron. “Wall Street reacts to new consumer inflation figures out this morning as food and energy prices spike,” read the ABC chyron.
ABC’s morning program, April 12, featured only one chyron on the inflation report. Lara Spencer interviewed Jonathan Van Ness, author of Love That Story: Observations From a Gorgeously Queer Life. Van Ness came into prominence through his appearances on the show Queer Eye.
NBC’s TodayShow opted to interview Camila Cabello, pop singer. Cabello sang a selection of songs from Familia, her new album.
Surprisingly, NBC’s Today’s Third HourThe inflation announcement was actually covered, though only in part. NBC reporter Tom Costello accurately summarized inflationary pains, “[T]he big picture here, we’re all paying more for food, we’re all paying more for just about everything — for rent, for mortgages.” But he also claimed that the economy was “incredible” coming out of the pandemic and “running hot.”
Conservatives under attack Reach out to ABC News (818) 460-7477; CBS News (212- 975-3243) and NBC News (212-664-6192). They should be held responsible for allowing viewers to see very little of the BLS’s inflation report during their morning broadcasts.
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