BROADCAST BIAS: Media act like only problem with immigration is Trump deporting phony ‘Maryland man’
The definition of "news" is incredibly elastic, and it’s often stretched and shaped to push the Democrat message of the day. In March, U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded 7,180 Southwest border crossings, down from the monthly average of 155,000 over the last four years. The border is secure, and somehow that good news is not big news on ABC, CBS, and NBC. The facts were briefly noted, as a minor diversion.
Instead of the overall picture, they settled on the narrative that President Donald Trump’s mass deportations are legally reckless, and the illegal immigrants are not. So, one man from El Salvador -- Kilmar Abrego Garcia – is more newsworthy than the entire border picture.
The networks energetically hammered away on the Democrat campaign to make this man a heroic victim routinely described as a "Maryland man" or "Maryland father" who was "mistakenly deported" back to El Salvador. With these misleading terms, a dabbler in the news might think Trump deported someone who grew up in Baltimore.
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Geoffrey Dickens at the Media Research Center revealed that the time count of ABC, CBS and NBC coverage of the Garcia case is now up to 143 and a half minutes on their morning and evening news in April. ABC spent the most time (52 minutes, 32 seconds) on it. CBS came in second with 49 minutes, 26 seconds. NBC aired 41 minutes, 45 seconds.
You can hear their ardor for Garcia in the lingo they use. ABC chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce gushed it was "remarkable" to see him meeting with Democrat Sen. Chris Van Hollen: "the first images of the wrongfully deported Maryland man since we last saw him, head shaved and shackled, held in that notorious prison in El Salvador."
The network tilt here is what’s notorious.
They poured out the stories on the "Maryland man," but ignored a murdered Maryland mom. Also in April, there was a trial in Bel Air, Maryland against the assailant of Rachel Morin, a mother of five. An illegal alien named Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 24, was found guilty of first-degree premeditated murder, first-degree rape, third-degree sexual assault and kidnapping after the jury deliberated less than 50 minutes. The trial and the verdict were ignored.
Notice which anecdote ABC, CBS and NBC promotes, and which they don’t. If it makes Trump look bad, it’s big news. If it sounds like a Trump talking point, it’s not news.
On April 16, Team Trump brought Rachel Morin’s grieving mother Patty into the White House briefing room to make a speech about her daughter’s violent death in 2023. ABC and CBS still ignored her. NBC finally threw in a measly 12 seconds from Gabe Gutierrez in passing, who treated it as a Trump talking point: "Late today, The White House highlighting the story of Patty Morin, whose daughter Rachel was killed by an undocumented immigrant."
So, here’s the math again: 143 and a half minutes on "Maryland man," compared to 12 seconds on "Maryland mom." That’s 717 times more coverage on their anointed illegal immigrant.
Negative angles on Garcia were downplayed or ignored. In 2021, his wife Jennifer Vazquez Sura filed a restraining order charging Garcia with punching and scratching and bruising her. This was barely acknowledged on the broadcast networks. Most soundbites from her were supportive valentines urging his return to America.
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Over on the April 18 edition of NBC’s "Today," senior White House correspondent Garrett Haake played the sympathy card: "Garcia’s wife said overnight that her prayers have been answered now that she knows her husband is still alive, but he’s also still not coming back to Maryland."
The April 18 edition of ABC’s "Good Morning America" had an interview with Abrego Garcia’s wife, which spurred an actual question about the domestic violence report. Michael Strahan asked: "You did take out a temporary order of protection against your husband in 2021. Were you in fear of your husband?" She demurred: "My husband is alive. That’s all I can say." Strahan buckled and actually said: "OK, then I won’t push you on that, apparently."
The broadcast networks suggested that somehow the Trump administration falsely accused Garcia of being an MS-13 gang member, when the Department of Homeland Security noted this was a finding in Garcia’s court proceedings, including the testimony of a confidential informant.
Now they’re ignoring reports that Garcia was driving an SUV in a 2022 Tennessee traffic stop owned by a man who was himself deported after pleading guilty to smuggling illegal aliens in 2020. Garcia claimed he was transporting his passengers to Maryland from Texas for construction work, although the state trooper found no luggage in the SUV.
The televised passion for Garcia cooled this week just as Democrats worried this issue was not working for them, that immigration was working for Trump. Four leftist House Democrats who flew to El Salvador seeking a Garcia meeting did not make the news, unlike the network celebrations of Van Hollen’s trip.
This underlines that network "news judgment" has an unmistakable tendency to align with Democratic political objectives. That’s why trust in the "mainstream" networks has cratered.