The controversy surrounding NFL players and the American Flag has dominated the news cycle since the weekend, to the exclusion of more important stories - like hurricane relief and recovery in Puerto Rico...
"The networks did cover the hurricane hitting Puerto Rico; they acknowledged it was one of the worst disasters to hit an American territory in decades. But then on Sunday they decided to throw all their resources into this spat between President Trump and the NFL... It's a humanitarian disaster brewing down in the Caribbean. And yet they dropped it like a hot potato and moved on to the bright shiny object."
Rich Noyes with the Media Research Center says overall network coverage of the league's battle with President Trump got three times more airtime than the humanitarian disaster playing out in Puerto Rico.
"I think if the networks spent the large portion of their airtime on serious issues, that would be eventually where our national debate turned to."
Noyes doesn't dispute the fact that the president's latest battle deserves media attention, but not to the exclusion of more important stories.