Network Coverage of ‘Scathing’ Benghazi Report Doesn’t Mention Obama’s Name Once

While NBC, ABC, and CBS all covered the new Senate Intelligence Committee report blaming the Obama administration for security failures leading up to the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack, none of the coverage on Wednesday’s evening newscasts or Thursday’s morning shows mentioned President Obama by name.

At the top of Wednesday’s NBC Nightly News, anchor Brian Williams announced: “…a scathing report just issued by the Senate Intelligence Committee. It says the deaths could have been prevented by better security, better communication….And the State Department, they say, gets most of the blame.” CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley declared: “A critical report tonight blames American diplomats and intelligence officers for failing to prevent the attack on the U.S. Mission in Benghazi, Libya.”

The closest any of the reporting came to including President Obama in the scandal was on ABC’s World News, when correspondent Jonathan Karl explained: “The conclusions, there were ‘no protests’ prior to the attacks, as the White House first claimed.” Footage of Obama appeared on screen as Karl spoke.

Moments later, Karl added: “On one key point, the report backs up the White House. It says there were ‘no U.S. military resources’ nearby that could have helped defend the compound. In fact, both the State Department and Ambassador Stevens himself turned down an offer from the military to keep a special forces unit in Libya a month before the attacks.”

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