EXCLUSIVE: ABC, CBS Ignore Christian Genocide In Iraq

Evening newscasts focus on plight of Yazidis, ignore Iraqi Christians

The systematic execution and persecution of Christians in Iraq at the hands of the Islamic militant group ISIS was ignored on two major network newscasts Monday night, while the plight of the Yazidis was mentioned in all three.

All three networks led with the looting and civil unrest in St. Louis on the heels of the police shooting of unarmed 18-year-old Michael Brown. From there, NBC and CBS transitioned to extended packages on the U.S. mission in Iraq with a focus on the humanitarian crisis, which includes the persecution of religious minorities in the Kurdish region of the country by ISIS.

However, while all three networks mentioned the Yazidis, a combination of Kurdish and Eastern Mediterranean religions, as a target for attacks, only NBC mentioned that Iraqi Christians were also being persecuted, a report accompanied by an interview with a Christian Iraqi saying she was risking death as a result of her faith.

News accounts of the systemic execution of Christians in Iraq by ISIS have been reported for several weeks.

As part of their coverage, both ABC and NBC showed the photo released by the White House of President Obama huddling with National Security Adviser Susan Rice while on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. CBS showed a clip of the President’s press conference from his vacation home. 

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