Matthews to new colleague Carlson: “Do you think our network is getting too conservative?”

On the February 11 edition of MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, host Matthews asked MSNBC host-to-be Tucker Carlson, “Do you think our network is getting too conservative?” Carlson -- an avowed conservative -- defended the cable channel and said that it had always been the channel that he chose to watch: “No, I think the network is great. I have watched this network for a long time. I mean, it was always the network I had on, yes.”

But Media Matters for America has documented evidence of a conservative trend on MSNBC. In less than a year, Media Matters has identified well over 100 instances (as of this posting) in which MSNBC has provided an outlet for conservative misinformation. Recently, Republican officials and conservative pundits far outnumbered Democrats and progressives in MSNBC's coverage both before and after President Bush's February 2 State of the Union address. MSNBC also featured far more Republicans and conservatives than Democrats and progressives in its presidential inauguration and debate coverage.

And while Matthews, Scarborough Country host and former U.S. Representative Joe Scarborough (R-FL), and former presidential candidate, MSNBC analyst and regular Scarborough Country guest host Pat Buchanan often distort, mislead, and play host to skewed panels, MSNBC has recently added frequent misinformers Carlson and Monica Crowley to its programming lineup.