MSNBC, Fox News devoted far more time to Edwards' haircuts than to Domenici announcement
On July 5, MSNBC and Fox News devoted significantly more time during their late-afternoon political and prime-time news programs to covering a July 5 Washington Post report on Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards' haircuts than they did to covering Sen. Pete Domenici's (R-NM) July 5 press conference on the Iraq war, at which he called for "a new strategy that will move our troops out of combat operations." As The Washington Post reported, "[t]he six-term lawmaker, party loyalist and former staunch war supporter represents one of the most significant GOP losses" to efforts by President Bush to "keep congressional Republicans united over the Iraq war." CNN was the only cable news network to spend more time covering Domenici's announcement than Edwards' haircuts.
Between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET on July 5, MSNBC devoted approximately 15 minutes, 28 seconds to the Edwards story and only 1 minute, 20 seconds to Domenici. Further, Fox News devoted approximately 16 minutes, 25 seconds to the Edwards story during that same time period, and only 1 minute, 40 seconds to Domenici. CNN, meanwhile, devoted approximately 12 minutes to covering Domenici and approximately 45 seconds to Edwards.
Media Matters for America reviewed each hour between between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET on July 5 on MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN, documenting the coverage devoted to Edwards' haircuts and Domenici's announcement. On MSNBC, Tucker, Hardball with Chris Matthews, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams were reviewed; Tucker was replayed at 6 p.m. ET following its original 4 p.m. ET broadcast, and Hardball was replayed at 7 p.m. ET following its original 5 p.m. ET broadcast. On Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, The Big Story with John Gibson, Special Report with Brit Hume, The Fox Report, and Hannity & Colmes were reviewed. On CNN, The Situation Room, Lou Dobbs Tonight, Paula Zahn Now, and Larry King Live were reviewed. The July 5 edition of Paula Zahn Now was hosted by Glenn Beck and titled "We the People."
Also of note:
- Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume devoted a total of 8 minutes, 26 seconds to Edwards, including a 5 minute, 56 second "All Star" discussion with Washington Post columnists Jeff Birnbaum and Charles Krauthammer and Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes. The "All Stars" did not address Domenici's announcement.
- After the 4 p.m. ET broadcast of CNN's The Situation Room devoted 45 seconds to the Edwards story, it did not appear again on CNN during the time period examined.
The results are as follows:
MSNBC |
||
|
Show (time ET) |
Time on Edwards |
Time on Domenici |
|
4 p.m. Tucker |
5:04 |
--- |
|
5 p.m. Hardball |
2:40 |
--- |
|
6 p.m. Tucker (R) |
5:04 |
--- |
|
7 p.m. Hardball (R) |
2:40 |
--- |
|
8 p.m. Countdown |
--- |
1:10 |
|
9 p.m. MSNBC Live with Dan Abrams |
--- |
0:10 |
|
Total |
15:28 |
1:20 |
Fox News |
||
|
Show (time ET) |
Time on Edwards |
Time on Domenici |
|
4 p.m. Your World |
--- |
--- |
|
5 p.m. The Big Story |
0:40 |
--- |
|
6 p.m. Special Report |
8:26 |
0:52 |
|
7 p.m. Fox Report |
1:45 |
0:48 |
|
9 p.m. Hannity & Colmes |
5:24 |
--- |
|
Total |
16:25 |
1:40 |
CNN |
||
|
Show (time ET) |
Time on Edwards |
Time on Domenici |
|
4 p.m. The Situation Room |
0:45 |
2:31 |
|
6 p.m. Lou Dobbs Tonight |
--- |
2:40 |
|
7 p.m. The Situation Room |
--- |
2:26 |
|
8 p.m. "We the People" |
--- |
--- |
|
9 p.m. Larry King Live |
--- |
4:11 |
|
Total |
0:45 |
11:08 |
Well, if Edwards is going to say that he is for the poor and then disrespects his hairdresser after he pays the guy $1000+, I'm sorry, that's a story.
For the simple-minded, perhaps.
Yeah, a $400 haircut is equivalent to a 600 billion dollar war with 3,590 dead U.S. soldiers and 200,000 dead civillians.
A $400 haircut is more important than a candidate's efforts to expand healthcare coverage to 46 million American citizens.
Whatever.
CD isn't alone.Paris Hilton and haircuts, Interns and windsurfing. These are the shiny objects that fascinate a certain segment of our population.
And many of them vote on the same day as the people who are paying attention.
CompliantConsent.blog... just posted a Paula Jones comment on another thread, insisting she is more importnt than National Security.
This is why American Idol gets millions of calls voting for karaoke singers, and why we end up with George W. Bush as president.
How hard do you think it would be to convince that portion of the population to vote on Yednesdaay instead of Tuesday? ; )>
Oh, btw, my deepest sympathies to you and your computer for visiting copiousinsanerhetoric.blogscum.dum
Yednesday, Wednesday. Would they really know the diff?
"Yednesdaay" might really get them confused.I'll start making flyers.
The Rightwing Media has to fill those thousands of hours with SOMETHING, and by their mission goals, it cannot be anything that makes the GOP or the NeoCons "look bad".
This leaves out discussing the Iraq war, the Afghanistan war, the War on Terror, foreign policy, Iran, North Korea, or any other nation, Health Care, Social Security, Homeland Security and immigration, ... well, HELL. There isn't a SINGLE TOPIC by which discussing actual facts and events do not make the GOP look bad. They are sucking at every level of foreign and domestic policy, economic and social policy, personal behavior, EVERY DAMN THING!
So, this leaves the Rightwing Media to fill their hours and hours with meaningless discussions of Hillary's tone of voice or Edward's hair.
What can they DO? Their hands are tied. They are forced to report ONLY what benefits the Rightwing ... and so it has to be MADE UP.
How does John Edwards haircut have anything to do with issues that confront our country? PD's finally seeing the light could be huge. Do you not agree?
Paying $400 for a haircut and trying to draw attention to the issue of poverty in America is being hypocritical? You are only allowed to help people in your own tax bracket?
...Wait a second, now I understand: George Bush, Enron, Halliburton; okay, now I'm on board.
And what proof do you have that he "disrespected" his hairdresser?
My question was directed towards Copious Dissent.
TMan, CompliantConsent doesn't have any proof of anything, just a wild imagination and a hilarious blog in which he transcribes Rush Limbaugh show.
As I said, you are an idiot. One does not need to be poor to try and help the poor.... fool.
A haircut is of more import
If you ingest what righties snort
It's a drug that erases
All those soldier's bloody faces
And sober facts of that sad sort
The rightwing is hurtin', and one thing's for certain
they fear who they might be alertin' ...
"It's the guy with the haircut!
So look over THERE, but
pay no mind to the man behind the curtain!"
I could care less if Edwards paid $400 dollars for a hair cut.
Who are these clowns attacking Edwards trying to kid. Live according to your means.
I don't want to see wealthy people in Wal Mart. I want to see them in Rodeo Drive.
I despise wealthy people putting all their money in matteresses. I despise the miser.
Hoarding money does not an economy make. Spending it and the quicker you spend it now that's economy.
Thye Fox Newsmismanagement Corp no longer has a clear path to core competency. Or even understands what that means.
As a member of the next generation of voters I am pleased to state that many young people young adults and those comming into that age see the games the media is trying to play, and we are not buying it. Have faith folkd, the Myspace/BET/MTV/Console Obsessed/Loud Music playing/ Going 60mph in the parking lot, generation is not as hopeless as you think.
I wish the item had reminded us just when Mr. Edwards' hair had been trimmed $400 dollars worth... I'd bet anything that the various gossip shows cited above, also forgot to mention (or otherwise mentioned without emphasis) just when it was Mr. Edwards' locks were snipped $400 dollars worth...
I had to click the link to the Washington Post article, to see that it was April... it was last April, near three months ago, when Mr. Edwards' campaign staff dropped the bombshell they were unable to defuse, about Mr. Edwards' haircut...
Near three months ago...
I'd have figured it would have grown out by now... or somebody would have grown up, and got over it.
Oh wait... it's got nothing to do with 'getting over it' or growing up (or growing out, in the manner of hair)... it's all about a convenient distraction from Iraq.
As usual.
It's a distraction from the fact that several U.S. Senators (all Republicans, all up for re-election in '08... and all suddenly and miraculously aware of what their constutients think about their scheme of death and greed in Iraq), several U.S. Senators are (apparently) now on board with a scheduled redeployment of our Sons and Daughters out of Iraq...
It has suddenly dawned on these U.S. Senators (up for re-election) that our Troops in Iraq are worth more than the hundreds of billions of dollars they reap (and we spend) on the occupation of Iraq...
...worth more than a $400 dollar haircut even.
Back in April, no less.
I am amused that MMFA left out the 8 pm - 9 pm ET block on Fox News.
Maybe they should ask their buddy Olbermann who was on Fox at that time. Or was Michelle subbing that night?
The most astonishing comparison is on Insannity and Colmes, where there is 5:24 on the haircut (FIVE AND A HALF FREAKIN MINUTES) and ZERO on one of the most newsworthy items of the day. Unbelievable!
Looks like gravitas to me:
Minor character issue about major party major presidential candidate roundly trumps press conference statement by minority party senator rarely quoted by MSM.
This will probably cycle back: When the MSM figures out the Republcan senator spoke AGAINST the war, it will be highlighted.
Folks, there is an all out assault by these right-wing extremist news blabbers to get the republican propaganda into the consciousness of the American public, The more they keep repeating the little soundbites, the more that people will remember them - accurate or not.
Thanks to MMFA for what it does, but we really need to organize on a lrger scale and start refuting the constant nonsense and to start painting a true picture for the American public of just how ridiculous and disastrous it is to have so much propaganda and misinformation disseminated as news and fact.
And they prove once again that they have the gravitas of children. They could be discussing the events of the day against a contextual backdrop of large time lines and using historical examples to reference their points. But someone put a few monkies in suit and put them in front of a camera and gave them a handful of prepared talking points they're paid not to break away from. It's garbage.
this is call the dumbing down of the american people,in actuality,this is the cooperate media,another mouth piece for the bush administration,remember that msnbc is own by general electric, and is one of the companies that has a great reason to the dumbing down of the american people,they are one of the corporations that is making a profit on this iraq war,since general electric has contract from the arm services to build arms,as for fox news,it is self explantory