MSNBC Almost Entirely Dominated By Opinion: Pew Study

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post



The Pew Research Center's annual "State of the Media" study was released Monday. One section of the report — which, when taken in its totality, makes for very gloomy reading — deals with changes in the television news landscape over the past five years.

The study's authors found that, since 2007, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC have all cut back sharply on the amount of actual reporting found on their airwaves. Cheaper, more provocative debate or interview segments have largely filled the void. MSNBC, though, stands out from the pack, Pew said:

CNN, which has branded itself around reporting resources and reach, cut back between 2007 and 2012 on two areas tied to that brand—in-depth story packages and live event coverage. Even so, CNN is the only one of the three big cable news channels to produce more straight reporting than commentary over all. At the other end of that spectrum lies MSNBC, where opinion fills a full 85% of the channel’s airtime.

Pew found that Fox News spent 55 percent of the time on opinion and 45 percent of the time on reporting. Critics of that figure would likely contend that the network's straight news reporting tilts conservative, but it is true that Fox News has more shows that feature reporting packages than MSNBC does. The network's straight news hours — hosted by Chris Jansing, Thomas Roberts, Tamron Hall and Andrea Mitchell — are usually filled with interview segments or pundit debates.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/18/msnbc-opinion-cable-news_n_2900160.html

[BlueManFan]

1. Again WIth The False Equivalence

incorrect information, inflamatory rethoric, and outright lies aren't distinguished from opinion in the pol so Faux gets to report "news." What a load of shit.

[spooky3]

9. Exactly.

[lunatica]

17. And they get to do it 15 thousand times every day. Same news story each time

[nxylas]

20. The methodology doesn't factor in opinion masquerading as news

MSNBC is dominated by opinion shows like Rachel Maddow's, that are equivalent to the op-ed pages in newspapers. Fox News has those shows too, but fewer of them. However, its news reporting is so biased that it may as well be in the "op-ed" part of their output, whereas MSNBC makes more of an effort to separate the two.

[cyclezealot]

29. Pew is normally right on the issues.

In reading their findings , I had questions of their methodology . First , no one will deny all the the media does a lousy job of actually covering hard news..
As to Pew: They failed to define Packaged information. ?
2. What did they mean by opinion pieces. We watch a variety of news sources. Sources of opinion can be questioning other authority figures. Are those authority figures just columnists who purvey opinions with little research. Some news sources such as Democracy Now interview real authority figures. Such as authors. Should the Ed Show call in white collar investigator and ex Reagan Administration regulator, Prof William K Black. Is that just just kicking about unfounded opinions. I say no. These figures know exactly what they are talking about and are fine examples of investigative journalism.

[zeemike]

23. Yep...they do it all the time.

It reminds me of one thing I heard a long time ago...they were planing to build a dam on a river and the fishermen were concerned, so they produced a report that said the dam would actually make fishing better because it would provide more "fish able watter"...(lower water in the river means you can get closer to the center, thus more fish able watter)

There is a school out there somewhere that teaches this shit I swear.

[patrice]

2. CNN "straight reporting"?? Ha! Only if words have absolutely no connotative meanings. nt

[tblue]

3. I stopped watching but not for that reason.

I'm glad there's msnbc to counter Fox and I dearly love Rachel and some of the other msnbc hosts, but I just had to take a break and I'm a much happier person since I did.

I wish we had an Edward R. Murrow though.

[valerief]

5. We have the internet instead now. nt

[titanicdave]

4. Doubtful

the poll does not take into account that there is so much more right wing junk on the airwaves than liberal stuff and that it is still very unevenly tilted toward conservative media reporting.

[Botany]

6. But MSNBC over all deals in and with facts

n/t

[Iliyah]

7. Pew again.

Don't trust the polls lately. The only that holds some credence is PPP.

[bobclark86]

18. If it was a poll...

you would be right... oh, wait. It's not a poll.

[cheapdate]

8. There is no equal to the Fox News practice

of taking some bullshit, slanderous, irrational, false, or disingenuous narrative and running it on every segment of the network for as long as it takes to imprint it in the minds of their uncritical, unreflective and unquestioning audience.

The single-minded focus of Fox News on complete ideological and political victory at any cost, without any regard to ethics or truth, is unique. It gives them a power and an enormous advantage over any competitors that still retain any measure of allegiance to ethics, reason, or honesty.

[CreekDog]

10. Next up their special about how horrible Edward R. Murrow was

[olddad56]

11. I would prefer opinion over out and out lies such as Faux News spews.

but, beyond that, it seems to me that. for the most part, the hosts on MSNBC do a pretty good job of backing up their opinions with hard, cold, facts.

[Cleita]

12. It's kind of true. MSNBC doesn't really report straight news, however, the

talk shows after Tweety do try to keep their facts straight. I don't listen to Martin Bashir much because I'd rather listen to Thom Hartmann at the same time but I understand from here that he has a good show. However, to even credit FoxNews with 45% reporting is BS. They can't even report a story as straight news without throwing bias in there somewhere. I know because I'm constantly putting out lack of facts fires with FoxNews listeners that I have to interact with during the week.

[City Lights]

13. Something stinks and it's not my cats' litter box.

to that "pew" study.

[marble falls]

14. There's being dominated by opinion and then there's being dominated by opinion. And Fox is to ....

"News" what the WWF is to professional sports. I'll take Rachel Maddow for her news reportage in her opinions over that of any of the Murdoch/Ailes bobble-heads at opinion dominated Fox News any day.

[HuskyOffset]

34. Please do not libel the...

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) aka World Wide Fund for Nature. The organization you're thinking of is World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE).

[marble falls]

35. It was still the World Wrestling Federation the last time I was aware of it in the nineties.

[RZM]

41. I believe there was a lawsuit over the name

And the panda body slammed Vince McMahon.

[Maeve]

38. Rachel tries hard to get the facts straight

Her first line to a guest is almost always "Did I get the facts right?" or the equivalent thereof. I took journalism classes back in the day (when OSU still had a J-school) and she follows the first three rules we were taught--accuracy, accuracy and accuracy.

[marble falls]

40. I never fail to learn something important when she presents. She's as much news as she is opinion.

[DallasNE]

15. Pew Is Confused. It Is Not Opinion If It Is Fact

Following the 2008 election the exit polls showed that the least informed voters watched Fox News and the most informed voters watched MSNBC. (I did not see a similar report following the 2012 election).

When you measure the wrong matrix like Pew has done here you will arrive at an incorrect conclusion and publish an opinion.

[judesedit]

16. Another study shows people who only watch Fox News are less informed than all other news consumers

Another study has concluded that people who only watch Fox News are less informed than all other news consumers.

Researchers at Fairleigh Dickinson University updated a study they had conducted in late 2011. That study only sampled respondents from New Jersey, where the university is located. This time, the researchers conducted a nationwide poll.

Funny. This just done last year. Different trumpeter. MSNBC is way better than FAUX any day of the year. FAUX is full of misinformed, lying, hypocritical, biased, racist, rude idiots.

Remember how convinced they were that their attempt to steal the election for Rob-me worked. They were ejaculating all over themselves. Until the actual winner was reported.
FAUX NOISE comes no where near my television except to pass it by.

[alfredo]

19. New hour on PBS does the same. They report a news item then goes into depth.

[deurbano]

21. I thought "Opinion" (albeit, opinion based on actual facts) was the point...

I don't think MSNBC is claiming (or pretending, as Fox does) to provide much straight news reporting. Isn't that left more to NBC News?

[OneAngryDemocrat]

22. Who Cares? I'm TOTALLY COOL WITH IT...

I wouldn't want my MSNBC any other way.

[Mnpaul]

24. MSNBC isn't promoted as a news channel

That is NBC news' job.

Newsflash Sunday morning politic talk shows are mostly opinion as well. I didn't need a study to figure that one out.

[Little Star]

26. bingo

[winter is coming]

25. ?? There is more news in the first 10 minutes of The Daily Show than in

a half-hour of CNN. And they basically run the same half-hour of "news lite" for most of the day.

And the idea that Fox has more "news" than MSNBC? Repeating RW talking points and outright lies isn't "reporting".

[hrmjustin]

27. When CNN hired Gloria Borger the network went even further down hill.

CNN is not fair at all.

[Beacool]

28. To put it succinctly: they all stink.

That's why if you want straight news you have to go to foreign sources.

[JDPriestly]

30. Hurrah for MSNBC!

[loudsue]

31. Tell me again why ANYBODY pays attention to Peeeewwww research? It stinks alright.

Peeeewwwww.

[sludge man]

32. You mean the network that advertises itself as the place for politics?

I'm shocked!

[Enrique]

33. MSNBC is affiliated with NBC News

it kind of makes sense that they wouldn't do as much reporting, since that is NBC News's job. For example, MSNBC doesn't have a White House correspondent like Fox News and CNN do, but they have Chuck Todd on all the time.

[JaneQPublic]

42. Bingo!

I watch NBC Nightly News as my equivalent to a newspaper's front-page news stories, but I turn to MSNBC for "op/ed" type coverage.

[Politicub]

36. Did they measure "news" organizations who just make shit up?

And call it a News Alert? Or flog it for 24-hours, then cover it in a big newspaper that's named after a place where stocks are traded?

Or rhymes with Pox?

This is a deceptive study.

[bemildred]

37. Objectivity is not to be had.

The Pew Research Center is chock full of opinions too, as the OP so amply demonstrates.

[Evergreen Emerald]

39. providing cover and minimizing the propaganda

That false equivalence provides cover for the propaganda --and minimizes the fact that FOX "NEWS" IS PROPAGANDA.

Damn I am tired of the lies.

[Shankapotomus]

43. Send your letters to

Brian Williams c/o NBC.

[Quantess]

44. So what if it is largely opinion?

FOX is 100% opinion and lies, too.
At least MSNBC doesn't lie.

[olddots]

45. This just in pew's research is full of opinion

MSNBC isn't just a foil to fux it has real researchers searching out facts .Fux searches for garbage to feed the tragically unaware .