How the News Networks Covered Jimmy Carter’s Passing


The United States is mourning former President Jimmy Carter, who died Sunday at the age of 100. According to the Carter Center, the 39th president passed away at his home in Plains, Ga., while surrounded by family.

President Joe Biden announced that Carter’s state funeral will be held in Washington, D.C. on Jan.9. The Carter family also accepted an invitation from Congress for the former president’s body to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda.

Carter’s passing occurred during a low-staffing period for the broadcast and cable news outlets due to the Christmas holiday period. However, the networks had clearly prepared for this situation as they quickly aired tribute packages and provided rolling coverage as the evening continued. (All times Eastern.)

Fox News was the first network to announce Carter’s passing, led by senior national correspondent Rich Edson, at 4:07 p.m. The network initially attributed the news to “reports,” and offered official confirmation at 4:22 p.m.

Fox News largely stuck with its regular programming for the rest of the evening, airing updates when necessary. However, the network did pre-empt the 5 p.m. edition of Life, Liberty & Levin and aired an extended version of The Big Weekend Show at 7 p.m.

Elsewhere, CNN brought in weekday anchors Wolf Blitzer and Anderson Cooper for its primetime coverage, while MSNBC had Jonathan Capehart anchoring breaking news coverage during primetime. NewsNation aired a special live report at 8 p.m. that was anchored by Blake Burman and looked back on Carter’s life.

Over on the broadcast nets, ABC News aired a special edition of 20/20 entitled Jimmy Carter: A Full Life at 10 p.m.

Flyer image of ABC News' 20/20 special on the passing of Pres. Jimmy Carter
ABC News’ 20/20 special on the passing of Pres. Jimmy Carter

60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl reported on Carter’s legacy during The Last Minute segment of CBS News’ long-running newsmagazine. And NBC News paid tribute to the former president during the Football Night in America pre-game show.

Here are the times when the various nets first announced Carter’s passing (in alphabetical order):

ABC News — 4:21 p.m.

CBS News — 4:29 p.m.

CNN — 4:21 p.m.

Fox News — 4:07 p.m.

MSNBC — 4:21 p.m.

NBC News — 4:25 p.m.

NewsNation — 4:16 p.m.

Telemundo — 4:32 p.m.

Univision — 4:31 p.m.

.font-primary { } .font-secondary { } #meter-count { position: fixed; z-index: 9999999; bottom: 0; width:96%; margin: 2%; -webkit-border-radius: 4px; -moz-border-radius: 4px; border-radius: 4px; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 0px 15px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.2); box-shadow:0 0px 15px 4px rgba(0,0,0,.2); padding: 15px 0; color:#fff; background-color:#343a40; } #meter-count .icon { width: auto; opacity:.8; } #meter-count .icon svg { height: 36px; width: auto; } #meter-count .btn-subscribe { font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; padding:7px 18px; color: #fff; background-color: #2eb3b2; border:none; text-transform: capitalize; margin-right:10px; } #meter-count .btn-subscribe:hover { color: #fff; opacity:.8; } #meter-count .btn-signin { font-size:14px; font-weight:bold; padding:7px 14px; color: #fff; background-color: #121212; border:none; text-transform: capitalize; } #meter-count .btn-signin:hover { color: #fff; opacity:.8; } #meter-count h3 { color:#fff!important; letter-spacing:0px!important; margin:0; padding:0; font-size:16px; line-height:1.5; font-weight:700; margin: 0!important; padding: 0!important; } #meter-count h3 span { color:#E50000!important; font-weight:900; } #meter-count p { font-size:14px; font-weight:500; line-height:1.4; color:#eee!important; margin: 0!important; padding: 0!important; } #meter-count .close { color:#fff; display:block; position:absolute; top: 4px; right:4px; z-index: 999999; } #meter-count .close svg { display:block; color:#fff; height:16px; width:auto; cursor:pointer; } #meter-count .close:hover svg { color:#E50000; } #meter-count .fw-600 { font-weight:600; } @media (max-width: 1079px) { #meter-count .icon { margin:0; padding:0; display:none; } } @media (max-width: 768px) { #meter-count { margin: 0; -webkit-border-radius: 0px; -moz-border-radius: 0px; border-radius: 0px; width:100%; -webkit-box-shadow: 0 -8px 10px -4px rgba(0,0,0,0.3); box-shadow: 0 -8px 10px -4px rgba(0,0,0,0.3); } #meter-count .icon { margin:0; padding:0; display:none; } #meter-count h3 { color:#fff!important; font-size:14px; } #meter-count p { color:#fff!important; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 500; } #meter-count .btn-subscribe, #meter-count .btn-signin { font-size:12px; padding:7px 12px; } #meter-count .btn-signin { display:none; } #meter-count .close svg { height:14px; } }

Enjoying Adweek’s Content? Register for More Access!

Recommended articles

https://www.adweek.com/tvnewser/jimmy-carter-news-networks-times/