In a recent interview promoting his upcoming film, director Adam McKay lamented that media rarely discuss the pressing need for additional banking reforms in the wake of the financial crisis and Great Recession, singling out Fox News and wondering if the phrase “banking reform” had even been mentioned on the network this year. It hasn't been.

McKay chided media outlets for their unwillingness to discuss the pressing need for stronger banking and financial reforms during a December 2 interview with The Daily Beast about his new movie The Big Short, which details the build up of a credit and housing bubble during the Bush administration that imperiled the entire global economy (emphasis added):

More unbelievable is the fact that, just a few short years later, we've got not just one, but two Republican candidates in the presidential race with direct ties to bankruptcy kingpin Lehman Brothers -- Jeb Bush and John Kasich -- and yet, their ties to the financial crisis's biggest bank failure aren't being scrutinized as history threatens to repeat itself, McKay lamented. 

“Nobody talks about that,” McKay explained. “And not only are they not talking about banking reform, they're talking about getting rid of the little bit of banking reform we've got. If people really knew what that meant they would know that's insane. Fox News especially doesn't like to talk about banking reform. Never. It's actually amazing. I would be curious if, like, Media Matters did a minute count on the year, if they even said the phrase 'banking reform.'”

Media Matters analyzed all available transcripts from Fox News in 2015, and can confirm McKay's suspicion that “banking reform” was never referenced on the network. The phrase “bank reform” was also never said. “Financial reform” was mentioned on two editions of The O'Reilly Factor, by former Obama aide David Axelrod and former Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), each time as part of a list of President Obama's accomplishments.

On dozens of other occasions, President Obama's signature financial reform law -- the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010 -- was referenced on the network, usually disparagingly and often as part of a list of allegedly terrible things the Obama administration has done to the economy through over-regulation.

Fox News' sister network Fox Business also has not referenced “banking reform” this year. “Bank reform” has been mentioned on two programs, one of which was a reference to legislation passed by President Franklin Roosevelt. “Financial reform” has been mentioned four times, twice in reference to China. And the network has similarly mentioned the Dodd-Frank bill a few dozen times, often to attack it.

Methodology

Media Matters conducted a Nexis and IQ Media search of transcripts from Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network from January 1, 2015 through December 1, 2015. We identified and reviewed all transcripts that included any of the following keywords: bank reform or banking reform or financial reform or dodd frank or dodd-frank.

*This blog has been updated for clarity