Is Newt News? Abc, Nbc, Fox Say No

House Speaker Newt Gingrich’s unprecedented request for a half-hour of free, prime-time television coverage on tonight put the broadcast networks in a bind.

Is the speech news or partisan politics? Does Gingrich’s stature justify live coverage?

ABC, NBC and the Fox network said no; CBS said yes, and plans live coverage of Gingrich’s 5 p.m. “report to the nation on the ‘Contract with America”’ and the first 100 days of the 104th Congress.

“I think there is a healthy difference in people’s judgments about these things,” said Dick Wald, ABC’s senior vice president for editorial quality. “News judgments are not always the same, nor should they be.”

In the alternate universe of cable TV, giving the speaker a half-hour of prime time isn’t an issue. America’s Talking, CNBC (an NBC subsidiary), CNN and C-SPAN will telecast Gingrich’s speech and the Democratic response.

Even National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service will air live feeds of the event for affiliates to use at their discretion, despite Gingrich’s campaign to strip both of them of public funding and make them rely wholly on donations.

The networks have ample precedent in not covering Gingrich live. Despite the off-year “conservative revolution,” no previous House speaker has asked for, or been given, prime-time network access.

Even the President of the United States, when he “makes himself available,” does not get automatic live coverage, in or out of prime time.

Public confused about what it wants

Most Americans believe Congress has accomplished little since Republicans took over on Capitol Hill nearly 100 days ago and even larger majorities criticized both Democratic and Republican lawmakers for failing to do what the public says it wants, a new Washington PostABC News survey disclosed.

However, what exactly the public wants is unclear. A majority of Americans expressed strong support for most elements of the Republican Contract. But many of those surveyed also believed Republicans are trying to do too much, too quickly - and six out of 10 said it’s just been “politics as usual” since Republicans took over leadership of the House and Senate in January.

Gingrich’s sister to lead parade

Candace Gingrich, Gingrich’s lesbian half-sister and new darling of the gay rights movement, will ride as a grand marshal of San Francisco’s 1995 Lesbian/Gay Freedom Day Parade in June, parade organizers say.

Her appearance will be a big “slap in the face to the right-wing world,” a gleeful Robert Allen, parade committee president, said Wednesday.

“She just said yes yesterday,” said Allen, whose 37-member committee invited Gingrich and three other grand marshals in March.

“She told me that she had friends that would never forgive her if she said no,” he said. “And she said she thought it would be a lot of fun.”