As our colleague Kevin Tober pointed out, the congressional investigation into Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY) mostly escaped any mention on the nation’s network evening news. Except for Telemundo, which broke ranks with their counterparts by giving viewers a full, succinct account of the ethics investigation into AOC.
The national media did find time, however, to hype the ethics investigation into Rep. George Santos (R-NY). Telemundo managed to walk and chew gum, as you’ll see below:
NOTICIAS TELEMUNDO
THURSDAY, MARCH 2ND, 2023:
JULIO VAQUEIRO: Also in Washington: The House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Republican representative George Santos. The panel will demand whether the lawmake- will examine whether the lawmaker for New York violated campaign finance laws for 2022, as well as allegations of inappropriate sexual conduct made by a former volunteer. Santos’s office stated that the congressman is fully cooperating with the investigation.
And Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez also faces an investigation due to her participation in the 2021 Met Gala. There, she wore the famous dress with the inscription “Tax the Rich”. The Congressional Ethics Committee voted 5-0 to investigate whether she accepted improper gifts.
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez received the dress, a purse, shoes, jewelry, hair, makeup, transportation. She said that she did not violate any ethical rules, but that payments were delayed and she found it to be unacceptable. The Committee maintains that the payments, in the amount of several thousand dollars, were made once they began to investigate her.
The full report on the dueling ethics investigations lasted one minute and 5 seconds, 20 of which went to Santos with the remaining 45 going to AOC.
Anyone depending on Univision or CNN En Español heard nothing about the ethics investigation into AOC, but heard plenty about Santos. There’s clearly something (D)ifferent in how those networks made their e(D)itorial assessments.
To echo Tober, nothing in these analyses should be construed as a defense of Santos. But in fairness, all congressional ethics investigations are newsworthy regardless of party affiliation. Telemundo, while far from perfect and consistent with their tagline (“things as they are”), understood this to be the case as well. Hats off.