Republicans, conservatives dominate network morning-show coverage of Israeli-Hezbollah conflict

Since the opening of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah on July 12, the morning news programs on all three major broadcast networks have hosted far more commentary on the conflict from Republicans and conservatives than from Democrats and progressives. In their combined coverage of the conflict, NBC's Today, ABC's Good Morning America, and CBS' The Early Show have hosted nine solo interviews of Republicans and conservatives, but only two of Democrats and progressives. Even excluding Bush administration officials from the count, interviews of Republicans and conservatives still outnumbered interviews of Democrats and progressives, 3-2, with Sen. John McCain -- a presumptive Republican presidential candidate in 2008 with no Senate leadership position or Senate chairmanship that is directly relevant to the conflict -- himself receiving the same number of interviews as all Democrats and progressives combined.

NBC's Today has hosted* three Republicans (including one Bush administration official), but only one progressive, to discuss the current Israeli-Hezbollah conflict:

• July 15: Juliette Kayyem, a lecturer at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government (progressive). Kayyem served as an adviser to Clinton administration Attorney General Janet Reno. Kayyem was also appointed by former House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt's (D-MO) to the National Commission on Terrorism from 1999 to 2001. (Appeared on an edition of Weekend Today.)

• July 17: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

• July 19: Former House Speaker and Fox News consultant Newt Gingrich (R-GA).

• July 21: White House press secretary Tony Snow.

ABC's Good Morning America has hosted** two Bush administration officials, but no Democrats or progressives, to discuss the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict:

• July 15: White House communications director Dan Bartlett. (Appeared on an edition of Good Morning America's Weekend Edition.)

• July 21: White House press secretary Tony Snow.

CBS' The Early Show has hosted*** four Republicans and conservatives (including three Bush administration officials), but only one progressive, to discuss the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict:

• July 15: White House communication director Dan Bartlett. (Appeared on an edition of The Saturday Early Show.)

• July 17: Brookings Institution senior fellow Michael O'Hanlon (progressive).

• July 18: R. Nicholas Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs.

• July 20: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).

• July 21: White House press secretary Tony Snow.

*Nexis search of NBC News transcripts: show (today) and (israel! or leban! or hezbollah or hizbollah or hezbullah or hizbullah) and date(geq (7/12/06) and leq (7/21/06))

**Nexis search of ABC News transcripts: show (good morning america) and (israel! or leban! or hezbollah or hizbollah or hezbullah or hizbullah) and date(geq (7/12/06) and leq (7/21/06))

***Nexis search of CBS News transcripts: show (the early show) and (israel! or leban! or hezbollah or hizbollah or hezbullah or hizbullah) and date(geq (7/12/06) and leq (7/21/06))