Overview

• The Media Research Center analyzed ABC, CBS, and NBC broadcasts from January 20 to January 22, 2025, revealing significant disparities in coverage of presidential pardons.
• Trump's pardons for over 1,500 January 6 defendants received 46 minutes and 32 seconds of airtime across the networks.
• In contrast, Biden’s preemptive pardons for multiple family members, including his son Hunter, received just 3 minutes and 32 seconds of coverage.
• Critics argue the discrepancy raises questions about media priorities and whether coverage reflects newsworthiness or bias.
• Both sets of pardons, issued on the same day, drew political criticism, with Biden’s actions seen as unprecedented and Trump’s as controversial for addressing Capitol riot participants.