Once again, the evening network newscasts have proven their blatant bias by failing to report on New York Mayor Eric Adams’ recent racist remarks. While the rest of us are left to imagine the uproar that would ensue had a Republican elected official made similar comments, the networks have taken a pass. It’s clear that there is a (D)ifference in the way such stories are covered.
The only mainstream outlet to cover the story at all was NBC News Now, on Tom Llamas’ show. Llamas didn’t hold back his condemnation, beginning his report by highlighting Adams’ comments about migrants making great lifeguards due to being “excellent swimmers.” He then questioned the factual basis for Adams’ statement, wondering if it was based on the migrants’ swim across the Rio Grande or the Florida Strait. Llamas also pointed out the lack of outrage over Adams’ remarks in a supposedly “progressive” city like New York.
During the report, Llamas interviewed a local migrant advocate who criticized Adams for his dual discourse when it comes to migrants, as well as his view that the migrant crisis will destroy New York City. Llamas echoed this sentiment, stating that Adams’ comment is incredibly racist and he is shocked and upset that there hasn’t been more outrage, especially in a city that claims to be progressive and inclusive.
It’s not surprising that the evening network newscasts didn’t cover this story, as it would have forced them to interrupt their fawning coverage of the highly anticipated start of the WNBA season to address Adams’ racist remarks. Even outlets like Univision and Telemundo, which often dedicate significant airtime to denouncing any perceived mistreatment of Hispanics, chose to ignore Adams’ comments.
Watch
But this is nothing new. The bias of the media, especially towards Democrats, has been evident for a long time. Had a prominent Republican made a comment even remotely similar to Adams’, it would have dominated the news cycle for days. But Adams gets a pass, despite blatantly stereotyping and casually dehumanizing an entire group of people.
It’s a sad reality that Tom Llamas learned firsthand, on a personal issue, what has been known by many for a long time: that there is a huge difference in how these kinds of stories are covered.
WATCH as Tom @LlamasNBC RIPS Mayor Adams over wildly racist "excellent swimmers" remark, decries lack of outrage in "progressive" NYC. No nightly network newscast covered this story- not ABCWNT, CBSEN, or NBCNN. There's clearly a (D)ifference in coverage versus if a GOP said it. pic.twitter.com/4HXjUpYDsn
— Jorge Bonilla (@BonillaJL) May 15, 2024
And it’s a shame that the ongoing issue of racism and discrimination is not taken seriously by the media unless it fits their political narrative. It’s time for the media to own up to their blatant bias and start reporting on all issues, regardless of political affiliation. Only then can we hope to see real progress and change in our society.