Win or lose on Election Day, Republicans and conservatives hold majority on Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday
SUMMARY: A Media Matters analysis found that, on the first two Sundays following the November 4 elections, in which a Democrat took the White House and the party added to its majority in the House and Senate, conservatives and Republicans dominated post-election analysis on both Fox News Sunday and Face the Nation -- a pattern that is consistent with their guest and panelist lineups in the first weeks after the November 2004 elections.
On the first two Sundays following the November 4 elections, in which a Democrat took the White House and the party added to its majority in both the House and Senate, viewers of Fox Broadcasting Co.'s Fox News Sunday and CBS' Face the Nation saw post-election analysis dominated by conservatives and Republicans. A Media Matters for America analysis found that the guest and panelist lineups on those two shows, post-election, were consistent with their guest and panelist lineups in the first six weeks after the November 2004 elections -- conservatives and Republicans appeared in greater numbers on Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday in the weeks immediately after both presidential elections, despite dramatically different results in 2004 and 2008.
The November 9 and 16, 2008, editions of Face the Nation included a total of four Republicans or conservatives (three guests and one panelist) compared with two Democrats or progressives (both guests). Likewise, the November 7 and 14, 2004, editions of Face the Nation featured a total of four Republicans or conservatives (all guests), while featuring just one Democrat or progressive (a guest). During the first six weeks of Face the Nation following the 2004 election, seven Republicans or conservatives (six guests, one panelist) and three Democrats or progressives (all guests) appeared.
The November 9 and 16, 2008, editions of Fox News Sunday featured more than double the number of Republicans or conservatives as Democrats or progressives, with a total of nine (five guests and four panelists) Republicans or conservatives, compared with four Democrats or progressives (two guests, two panelists). That is similar to the November 7 and 14, 2004, editions of Fox News Sunday, which featured a total of seven Republicans or conservatives (three guests, four panelists) and three Democrats or progressives (one guest, two panelists). The more-than-2-to-1 ratio held through the first six weeks of Fox News Sunday following the 2004 election, during which 22 Republicans or conservatives (10 guests, 12 panelists) and 10 Democrats or progressives (six guests, four panelists) appeared.
Face the Nation
|
First two weeks after Election Day 2008 |
Guests |
3 Republicans/conservatives, 2 Democrats/progressives |
|
Panelists |
1 R/C, 1 Neutral |
|
|
Total |
4 R/C, 2 D/P, 1 N |
|
|
First two weeks after Election Day 2004 |
Guests |
4 R/C, 1 D/P, 1 N |
|
Panelists |
none |
|
|
Total |
4 R/C, 1 D/P, 1 N |
|
|
First six weeks after Election Day 2004 |
Guests |
6 R/C, 3 D/P, 6 N |
|
Panelists |
1 R/C, 4 N |
|
|
Total |
7 R/C, 3 D/P, 10 N |
Fox News Sunday
|
First two weeks after Election Day 2008 |
Guests |
5 R/C, 2 D/P |
|
Panelists |
4 R/C, 2 D/P, 2 N |
|
|
Total |
9 R/C, 4 D/P, 2 N |
|
|
First two weeks after Election Day 2004 |
Guests |
3 R/C, 1 D/P |
|
Panelists |
4 R/C, 2 D/P, 2 N |
|
|
Total |
7 R/C, 3 D/P, 2 N |
|
|
First six weeks after Election Day 2004 |
Guests |
10 R/C, 6 D/P |
|
Panelists |
12 R/C, 4 D/P, 8 N |
|
|
Total |
22 R/C, 10 D/P, 8 N |
Media Matters has documented the conservative skew of guests and panelists on Face the Nation, ABC's This Week, and NBC's Meet the Press from 1997 to 2005, and for This Week, Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, and Meet the Press in 2005 and 2006.
To view a chart detailing Media Matters' coding of guests and panelists on the November 7, 2004, November 14, 2004, November 21, 2004, November 28, 2004, December 5, 2004, December 12, 2004, November 9, 2008, and November 16, 2008, editions of Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday, This Week, and Meet the Press, click here.
Perhaps the Republican/Conservatives were in panic mode and damage control, so they begged their way aboard these shows.
Whereas the Democrat/Progressives were feeling their oats and partying.
Are you joking?
And conservatives are having a hard time clinging to their attack machines. There's really nothing that these people can do for at least 6-12 months, and they can't admit it.
So they bloviate and bluster on Sunday talk shows and MMFA cries foul.
The nerve of these shows.......
Looks to me as if MMFA wants to silence the minority ? Not good.
That's how it "looks to you"? You may want to visit your optometrist.
...or, in CSprings' case, his proctologist...
HAAAAAHAAaaaahaaaa.... Man, that was one of my best EVER!
One of your best? It was, by far, the best zinger by anyone, anywhere, in all of history!. LOLOLOOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!
I'm guessing they'd settle for balance on Sunday morning talk shows.
I'd agree with you but...
the article compares these numbers with the numbers in 2004. I don't understand why this wouldn't change with a Democratic Majority and a New President.
Wouldn't you want to interview the party in power to see what agenda they will set over the next 2-4 years?
Think about it, the problem isn't just balance but also which set of marginal ideas gets attention. Unfortunately for journalists often marginal ideas need to be thrown in the discussion and I detect I right wing bias here.
For example, on another thread we have Newsweek speculating on Obama's true identity as the dark one, and no I am not refering to his father's side of the family but his apparent role of being Satan in disquise. So here we have a religious right wing fringe arguement in the big big media front and center. Meanwhile other "marginal" views have been ignored, only to potentially bite us in our ugly side later. Recent examples that I can think of are: No WMDs in Iraq before the war, deflationary tendancies in our economy and peak oil. Often these types of issues are invisible on the talk shows. Agree or disagree with them, they should have been put in play.
And, let me guess.... their excuse in 2004 was that the Republicans were the party in power and therefore more interesting?
There is no excuse. The media is run by Republicans. To expect any different would be like expecting employers to send everybody home for the day for no reason.
Or politicians to send hundreds of billions of dollars to financial companies that went broke.
Oh...wait...
Spose it was a choice between looking at democratic people and their plans to put the country onto a rational course, or getting the losers take and their plans to regain control of of the levers of power.
Yup no contest.
Your choice for media news in the future. The Republican Broadcasting System, The Republican Broadcasting Corporation, Conservative Cousin's News, The American Conservative Corporate News, or Faux Gnus. All cover the nation and the world, from C to G. If we don't cover it, don't worry your overexcited cerebral cortex about it.
An establishment news program like FTN has no excuse. Fox's bias is easier to understand because they're, you know, biased, but also because a lot of Democrats refuse to go on what they (and MMFA) accurately characterize as a right-wing propaganda outlet. By all means, bash Fox for its right-wing bias, but we can hardly advocate a Democratic boycott and then complain when Fox doesn't put any Democrats on its air.
Good point. It does seem a little silly when so many here say Fox is a joke and not a credible news outlet, and then complain when they don't show up on their airwaves.
So you're saying that Faux News completely ran out of Democrats to interview?
It would seem to me that Faux was merely CONFIRMING our accusations of bias.
No Tommy. Fox is a joke BECAUSE of their guest linup. They wouldn't be a joke if they were actually "BALANCED". It ain't silly! It's the truth.
Thats just about the same ratio they told Phil Donahue he was required to have, 2 conservatives to one liberal?
This fits nicely into ABC & CBS's post convention coverage, a dem and rep for the democratic convention, but only republicans giving commentary after the republican convention.
Now that we won, I'm glad ABC & CBS pulled that, b/c it stops all bar arguments about the 'liberal media'.
Maybe it is because the democrats are actually working and don't have time for TV right now. can't be bothered by politics right now, there is real work to do.
Wasn't that the excuse for why no one showed up for John McCain rallies?
Nice try. Nope, you and i know well why that was the case. McCain lost noone wants to hear this motormouth continually rag about taxes and never utter a word about his governance other than " stay the course ".The american electorate is a lot smarter than assumed by the GOP operatives.
Yes, indeed
It's time for Face the Nation and Bob Schieffer to re-calibrate.
Time to re-tool and figure out the best way to get the Cons back in power. Let's face it: THIS WAS A TOUGH LOSS FOR FACE THE NATION.
Best for now to just jam the airwaves with conservatives, regroup, and come up with a long-term plan for conservatives to regain power.
That sounds good but I bet the following is closer to the truth: Republicans were called by FtN and FNS to come on their shows by an over 2:1 ratio over Democrats.
And maybe that was because the Ds they wanted were commited "This Week" and "Meet the Press" (or the Obama Hour on "60 Minutes")
The only Ds they wanted were Clyburn and Emanuel?
It's because most people identify with Rublicans and conservatives...oh, wait that's not right(no pun intended). I got it,"it's because we are a center-right country." Umm,that's not true either. Ohh,wait I got it..."Obama ran as a conservative!?!?"NO, thats not it either everyone knows he's a ...well enough of this liberal media bias!?!?!?
we are talking about balance and fairness or lack there of from fox. However the left has never mentioned or critisized msnbc for thier obvious left rants. In all honesty can you look in the mirror and tell me that fox is more slanted than msnbc, if you say yes you are delusional.
EVERY show I have watched on fox has tried to give an opposing liberal view (when they will come on the air), whereas watching Olbermann or Maddow is just a left agenda for an hour straight.
I understand that if that is what you want to hear that is fine, but just because you agree doesn't make it an objective discussion.
tell me that fox is more slanted than msnbc, if you say yes you are delusional.
I don't care about slanted. We can deal with slanted. It is the LIES and half-truths that Fox peddles and broadcasts uncorrected. it's an absolute insult to any normal persons intellegence for Hannity to claim he NEVER promoted the lie that President-elect Obama was a muslim. He had numerous guest make that claim and he never challaneged them. He broadcasted the lie to millions.
Awww are the libbies mad because they no longer gatekeep _all_ the news. Cheer up, you've still got ABC,CBS,NBC, MSNBC and CNN in your corner. And Fox has a few lefties, too. And after all, it's not like a minority can reverse the majority supported America's welfare state, or even successfully point out that a liberal media speciously blaming an unpracticed "capitalism" for the adversities of today's socialist welfare state is going to deepen rather than resolve the growing economic and social problems.
Awww are the libbies mad because they no longer gatekeep _all_ the news. Cheer up, you've still got ABC,CBS,NBC, MSNBC and CNN in your corner.
It only seems that way to hardcore republicans. It isn't true.
"If it's Sunday it's still Republican!"
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/15/sunday-conservative/
Your post makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that there are STILL delusional people out there that I can help with my proven and patented technique labeled 'Pulling Their Heads Out Of The Sand!' Available NOW, not for $29.99! Not for $19.99! Not even for $9.99! But at the incredibly low price of me slapping your behind and telling you to take yourself out of your self imposed cocoon we call your living room.
When MSNBC is the poster child for liberal media bias, then there truly is no liberal media. When MSNBC gave Rachel Maddow her own show, it was the first time that the liberal media had given an hour to an actual liberal since Phil Donohue was cancelled. Keith Olbermann made himself a hero to West Blogistan by being a dedicated Bush opponent, but that doesn't make him a raving leftist.
"Liberal" MSNBC? Please. Let's not forget that before Obama sent a thrill up Chris Matthews's leg, Matthews was saying that John McCain "deserved" to be President. And then there is former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough. And Andrea Mitchell, wife of Alan Greenspan. And David Gregory, former dance partner of Karl Rove. If the right doesn't have a monopoly on commentary and analysis, they want to claim they aren't being heard at all.
Although some of what you say is true, to say that Keith Olberman is not a leftist is absolute rubbish, go back AS FAR AS YOU WANT and show me once on his show when he has agreed or defended a republican idea or bill.
I understand that msnbc is what it is, and they try with scarborough and buchanan to their credit, but from 8-10PM primetime they are nothing but propagadists.
Given what the Republican Party has been since at least 1994, declining to support the handiwork of either their Congressional leadership or the Bush/Cheney kleptocracy isn't necessarily evidence of liberal bias, unless like Stephen Colbert you believe that reality has a liberal bias. It is a sad commentary on the media that Olbermann's style of commentary is remotely considered leftist propaganda.
Olbermann obviously reveres Edward R. Murrow, and he's certainly no Murrow, but like Murrow until very recently was the only dissenting voice with a steady TV gig. We'll know more about his politics when we see how he covers the Obama Administration.