GOP Lawmakers Outnumber Democratic Lawmakers 2 To 1 In Stimulus Debate On Cable News

[G_j]

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/28/cable-news-stimulus/

REPORT: GOP Lawmakers Outnumber Democratic Lawmakers 2 To 1 In Stimulus Debate On Cable News»
As Media Matters has documented, during the Bush administration, the media consistently allowed conservatives to dominate their shows, booking them as guests far more often than progressives. The rationale was that Republicans were “in power.”

It appears that old habits die hard. Even though President Obama and his team are in control of the executive branch and Democrats are in the majority in Congress, the cable networks are still turning more often to Republicans and allowing them to set the agenda on major issues, most recently on the debate over the economic recovery package.

On Sunday, conservatives began an all-out assault on President Obama’s economic recovery plan, with House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) both announcing that they would vote against the plan as it stood. Despite Obama’s efforts at good faith outreach, congressional conservatives have continued to attack the stimulus plan with a series of false and disingenuous arguments.

The media have been aiding their efforts. In a new analysis, ThinkProgress has found that the five cable news networks — CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, Fox Business and CNBC — have hosted more Republican lawmakers to discuss the plan than Democrats by a 2 to 1 ratio this week:

In total, from 6 AM on Monday to 4 PM on Wednesday, the networks have hosted Republican lawmakers 51 times and Democratic lawmakers only 24 times. Surprisingly, Fox News came the closest to offering balance, hosting 8 Republicans and 6 Democrats. CNN had only one Democrat compared to 7 Republicans.

The drastically imbalanced coverage isn’t the first time that the news networks have effectively supported attacks on the recovery plans. As ThinkProgress reported on Monday, http://thinkprogress.org/2009/01/26/report-cbo-tv/ the cable networks, the Sunday shows and the network newscasts promoted a controversial CBO non-report 81 times before the actual CBO analysis of the stimulus plan was released

[AndyA]

1. We need a new Fairness Doctrine. There is no other way around it.

FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE

[Renew Deal]

2. Is this the fault of the Democrats?

Have they pushed people out there to speak on the issue?

[JohnnyBoots]

3. They're only the Minority on the Hill. In the mass media they will remain the Majority. That's the

way the people with money want it. Perception is reality.

[Median Democrat]

4. When You Hear Fox Yapping About Liberal Media, Its A Signal Of A Cover-Up...

That the corporate media as a whole is about to start advancing the right wing agenda under the cover of the liberal bias meme. Its the biggest ongoing fraud the idea that corporate media, which is run by only 5 corporations, has a liberal, anti-corporate bias. The blogs need to keep up the pressure.

[G_j]

5. Surprisingly, Fox was the most "balanced"

according to the article

:shrug:

[FLAprogressive]

6. kick

[hfojvt]

7. nice to see that they are keeping score

but it would be nice if they included the big four 'free' channels which perhaps still get more viewers.