Broadcast networks lost interest in anti-Trump Steele dossier once it was debunked, study says
'Zero seconds is a far cry from the exhaustive amount of time the evening nets initially spent on what turned out to be a total hoax,' Geoffrey Dickens wrote
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Flagship evening newscasts on ABC, NBC and CBS breathlessly covered the now-discredited Steele dossier and the narrative that Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia for years but suddenly lost interest when Special Counsel John Durham discredited it, according to a new study.
"Russia, Russia, Russia! The media obsession over the Steele dossier and the ensuing investigation over it dominated their coverage of the first few years of the Trump administration," Media Research Center director of media analysis Geoffrey Dickens wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Evening newscasts on ABC, NBC and CBS covered the now-discredited Steele dossier and the narrative that Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign colluded with Russia for years.
Durham, who was appointed by the Trump administration to investigate the origins of the Russia investigation, charged Steele sub-source Igor Danchenko last week with making false statements to the FBI. The indictment shed light on Danchenko's ties to Democrats, casting doubt on the media's past coverage of the dossier.
ABC’s "World News Tonight," "NBC Nightly News" and CBS’ "Evening News" spent 2,634 minutes covering the Steele dossier and ensuing sprawling Russia investigation from January 2017 through July 20, 2019 but didn’t bother to mention the Danchenko indictment through Nov. 8, according to the Media Research Center.
"NBC Nightly News" with Lester Holt is one of the flagship programs that pivoted away from the Steele dossier. (NBC)
"Zero seconds is a far cry from the exhaustive amount of time the evening nets initially spent on what turned out to be a total hoax," Dickens wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}DURHAM CHARGES FBI SUB-SOURCE WITH FIVE COUNTS OF LYING TO FBI
The infamous dossier was used as the impetus for years of anti-Trump coverage and content, as it provided the roadmap to paint him as some sort of sexual deviant compromised by Russia. But as its credibility has fallen apart, media watchdogs on both sides of the aisle have condemned pundits and organizations who haven’t corrected the record.
ABC’s "World News Tonight" anchor David Muir didn’t mention Igor Danchenko’s indictment through November 8, according to the Media Research Center. (© 2017 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.)
Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple scolded the press in a column headlined, "Indictment of Steele dossier source is more bad news for multiple media outlets," which declared the outlets that "showered credibility upon the dossier without corroboration" need to be held accountable.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dickens, who observed that evening newscasts on ABC, NBC and CBS failed to cover the Danchenko indictment, pointed out that morning shows on the trio of broadcasts networks hadn’t mentioned the news through Nov. 8, either.
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Some outlets not only declared the Steele dossier corroborated from 2017 to 2018, some also said its claims were not "disproven." However, subsequent reports by Robert Mueller and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz did not substantiate and in some instances outright discredited the 35-page opposition research document's salacious allegations.