ABC, CBS ignored Democratic call for equal time to respond to Bush 9-11 speech

In reporting on the political fallout from President Bush's campaign-style, nationally televised address on the fifth anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, ABC and CBS made no mention of the letter Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV) and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (CA) sent to the networks on September 12 asking that Democrats be allotted equal time on the airwaves to respond to Bush's speech. NBC was the sole broadcast network to report on Reid and Pelosi's letter, noting, on the September 12 broadcast of Nightly News, "Democratic leaders later released a letter to the television networks demanding equal time to respond to the president's address," and similarly, on the September 13 broadcast of Today, that Democrats "are now requesting equal time." Read more