CNN avoids strong jobs report, Ghislaine Maxwell arrest during primetime
The network largely focused on the coronavirus outbreak instead of two of the day's biggest headlines
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Two of the biggest news stories on Thursday were the strong jobs report and the stunning arrest of Jeffrey Epstein confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, but if viewers watched CNN's primetime, they would have no idea either of them took place.
The latest jobs report showed that 4.8 million jobs were added to the U.S. economy in June, bringing the unemployment rate to 11.1 percent. Shortly after the report was released, news broke that Maxwell was arrested on multiple sex-abuse charges, including conspiracy to entice minors to engage in sexual acts.
While the liberal network covered both news items throughout the day, the stories were noticeably absent during the network's primetime programming between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Instead, the channel mainly focused on the coronavirus outbreak.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MSNBC'S RACHEL MADDOW PREDICTED JUNE'S JOBS REPORT WOULD BE 'ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE'
"Cuomo Prime Time" anchor Chris Cuomo had two hours of coverage after taking over for Don Lemon at 10 p.m. But despite having double the airtime, the stories were not touched.
Earlier in the day, CNN also raised eyebrows when it skipped President Trump's remarks from the White House touting the positive economic numbers amid the rebound from national shutdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“CNN can decide not to cover whatever it chooses, but its choices are so transparently biased against the president that it damages CNN more than Trump. CNN is simply signaling to people to get their information elsewhere, which based on the ratings, a lot of people are doing,” Cornell Law School professor and media critic William A. Jacobson told Fox News about the network's decision not to air the president's remarks.
CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.
The positive jobs numbers were covered during primetime on Fox News' "Hannity" and "The Ingraham Angle" and Maxwell's arrest was covered on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" and "Hannity."
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"MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes" covered both the jobs report and Maxwell's arrest while "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell" just covered the arrest, though host Lawrence O'Donnell notably stressed President Trump's past ties to Maxwell and Epstein. "The Rachel Maddow Show" covered neither.
Fox News' Brian Flood and Barnini Chakraborty contributed to this report.