While other news outlets covered in some detail the Washington, D.C. flyover involving a rare sight of 56 vintage aircraft marking the 70th anniversary of Victory in Europe (V-E Day), ABC World News Tonight with David Muir on Friday devoted a scant eight seconds (in a negative way) to the event, observed Grumpy Editor.
Since TV emphasizes visual events, the anniversary was tailor made as World War II aircraft flew at about 1,000 feet on a route that took them above the Potomac River, to the Lincoln Memorial and Independence Ave. and on to the House office buildings.
Among aircraft in the flyover was a Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the only known model still flying, similar to the one that dropped atomic bombs on Japan, spurring the end of World War II.
Thousands of spectators cheered along the National Mall, from rooftops and balconies.
Other aircraft in the sky parade included P-47 Thunderbolts, P-38 Lightnings, P-40 Warhawks, P-39 Aircobras and bombers: B-24 Liberators, B-25 Mitchell and B-17 Flying Fortress.
So what did ABC News focus on for its mighty eight seconds of coverage?
Footage solely of a single engine Grumman Avenger with a sputtering engine that was forced to break away from the formation. (It made an emergency landing without incident at Reagan National Airport.)
Considering the great national interest and the rarity of getting almost five dozen vintage aircraft from World War II days in the sky at the same time, it was a solid example of bad news judgment by ABC news editors.
Earlier in the day at the World War II Memorial on the Mall, dozens of veterans placed wreaths in memory of 400,000 Americans and 60 million people worldwide killed during the war.
With a dwindling number of WW II fliers on hand, news media that recognized the significance of the rare event interviewed some of the veterans.
FYI, IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE EDITORS MISSED THESE…
Investors on Friday cheered word from the Labor Department that the U.S. economy created 223,000 jobs in April after a sluggish first quarter this year. That sent the Dow Jones Industrial Average up 267.05 points to 18191.11 --- with some calling that move a Goldilocks market…With indications of an improved job market leading to more money in pockets, the American Automobile Association predicted more than 37 million Americans will travel for Memorial Day, the most since 2005. AAA expected those taking a trip of 50 miles or more will rise 4.7 percent to 37.2 million…Media Research Center president Brent Bozell, on Friday’s Fox News’ Neil Cavuto program, said news media, in losing the trust of the American public, have become more "marginalized" and "radicalized" during the Obama years, deliberately ignoring news "if it harms the narrative of the left”…The Wall Street Journal continues as the nation’s most influential financial news organization, according to a survey of more than 400 financial journalists by two DePaul University professors. Bloomberg News came in second, followed by The New York Times, The Financial Times, CNBC and Reuters…Tribune Publishing Co., parent of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, The Baltimore Sun, among others, entered into an agreement to purchase the almost 147-year-old U-T San Diego (better known over the years as Union-Tribune) as well as nine community weeklies and related digital properties in San Diego County for $85 million…In a fresh show of force to the U.S. and others, North Korea on Saturday claimed it successfully test-fired a newly developed ballistic missile from a submarine. Later, came a report that North Korea fired three anti-ship cruise missiles into the sea off its east coast…Keeping Air Force One busy: Landing in South Dakota on Friday marked President Barack Obama’s visits to all 50 states.
Now about global warming --- with snowballs followed by baseballs on Mother’s Day: Up to five inches of wet, heavy snow fell in Denver early yesterday. But Coors Field was cleared in time for the baseball game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies.
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