CNN and MSNBC host Democrat lawmakers seven times more frequently than Republicans, a study finds.
Analysts at the Media Research Center (MRC) found that MSNBC interviewed congressional Democrats 13 times more than their GOP counterparts, and on CNN, the ratio “was a still wildly-imbalanced four to one (136 vs. 29).”
The study said:
MRC analysts examined every broadcast from 6am ET to midnight ET on CNN and MSNBC during three randomly-selected weeks when Congress was in session (January 7-11, March 25-29 and June 10-14), amounting to 540 hours of programming. Each network conducted virtually the same number of interviews with sitting members of Congress: 159 on MSNBC, vs. 165 on CNN.
Despite the current Republican majority in the Senate, Democrats accounted for 90 (87%) out of a total of 103 interviews with Senators, while Republican Senators received just 10 (10%). The split was virtually identical among members of the House: 199 (87%) were Democrats, while the remaining 30 (13%) were Republicans.
On August 5, President Trump criticized the media on Twitter for its failure to be fair and balanced in their news coverage following two mass shootings which occurred on August 3.
“The Media has a big responsibility to life and safety in our Country. Fake News has contributed greatly to the anger and rage that has built up over many years. News coverage has got to start being fair, balanced and unbiased, or these terrible problems will only get worse!” he wrote.
However, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) blamed the president and Fox News for encouraging violence in America during an interview on CNN August 4.
“We have to acknowledge the hatred, the open racism that we’re seeing. There is an environment of it in the United States. We see it on Fox news. We see it on the internet, and we see it from our commander-in-chief,” he said.
On June 10, Fox News host Howard Kurtz said programming on CNN and MSNBC seem to be only opinion and not news.
“You know, you’ve got these panels that are six to one anti-Trump,” he said. “I mean, there’s no secret about it. That’s the way they are being programmed.”
Analysts at the MRC concluded their report by saying there is “nothing wrong in asking a political guest to respond to the arguments of the other side,” adding that “But repeatedly asking Republicans to answer to Democratic talking points, while rarely asking Democrats to do the same thing, suggests cable networks are actually choosing sides, rather than merely playing Devil’s advocate with guests.”
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