About us Login Get email updates
Research
Print

On Fox, scant attention to Dems' questioning of Sotomayor

July 15, 2009 7:56 pm ET

SUMMARY: On July 15, Fox News covered two Republicans senators' "first round" questioning of Sonia Sotomayor for 55 minutes, but it covered only 30 minutes of the six Democratic senators' "first round" questions that the committee heard on July 15.

16 Comments

In its July 15 coverage of the Senate Judiciary Committee's "first round" of questioning of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, Fox News devoted 55 minutes to questioning by Republicans while devoting only 30 minutes to Democrats' questioning, despite the fact that Democratic senators who asked questions on the second day of the "first round" outnumbered Republicans six to two. By contrast, MSNBC and CNN devoted more time to the Democrats, but not in proportion to their greater numbers.

Media Matters for America reviewed coverage of the eight Senate Judiciary Committee members who each questioned Sotomayor for 30 minutes in their "first round" of questioning on July 15: Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Tom Coburn, and Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin, Sheldon Whitehouse, Amy Klobuchar, Edward Kaufman, Arlen Specter, and Al Franken.

Fox News covered 11 minutes each of Cardin's and Franken's questioning, eight minutes of Specter's, and none of the questioning by Whitehouse, Klobuchar, and Kaufman. By contrast, Fox covered the entire 30 minutes of Cornyn's questioning period and all but five minutes of Coburn's 30 minutes of questions.

— D.C.P., S.P., & L.Y.
Support Our Work


Expand All Expand 1st Level Collapse All Add Comment
    • Author by pointofview (July 15, 2009 9:12 pm ET)
      1 5
      So by this very chart, CNN, and MSNBC provided more time to dems. Where is the outrage?? Where is the balance on CNN? Why did MSNBC give those extra minutes to the Dems? There should be an investigation!! What BS
      Report Abuse
      • Author by News Corpse (July 15, 2009 9:29 pm ET)
        5  
        You're joking right?

        Dems had 180 minutes of questioning but CNN broadcast less than half of it. Repubs had 60 minutes yet CNN aired all but 6 minutes.

        So fairness according to you and CNN is airing almost all of the Repubs but less than half of the Dems. And I'm not even going to get into the atrocity that is Fox.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by Disputed Zone (July 15, 2009 9:49 pm ET)
        3  
        I don't know if you don't read the articles or you just don't understand them. Proportionally, the coverage on all three cable networks heavily favored Republicans. Fox was by far the worst.

        CNN
        D: 41%
        R: 90%

        MSNBC
        D: 31%
        R: 87%

        FOX
        D: 17%
        R: 90%
        Report Abuse
      • Author by ReasonAndResolve (July 15, 2009 9:49 pm ET)
        3  
        It is a product of numbers. There are far fewer Republicans on the committee, because the American people voted the Republicans into irrelevance - as it should be.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by LuvLuLu (July 15, 2009 11:38 pm ET)
        3  
        It's pretty lame that you try to pretend to not even understand something as simple as this, POV.
        Report Abuse
      • Author by steeve (July 16, 2009 6:31 pm ET)
           
        It is bias to provide any conservative outlet at all. They are proven insane and have nothing to contribute. Every second a conservative is on TV damages the country.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by NICKDABUILDER11634 (July 15, 2009 9:59 pm ET)
        7
      SIMPLE LOGIC TO THIS I THINK THE REPUBLICANS ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT ACTUALLY ASKED A TOUGH QUESTION WORTH AIR TIME. BUT I EVEN QUESTIONED THERE QUESTIONING. IT SEEMS LIKE THERE TREATING HER WITH KIDS GLOVES AND SHE WAS VERY SQUIRMY ON SECOND AMENDMENT QUESTIONS.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by NiceguyEddie (July 16, 2009 9:14 am ET)
        2  
        Why are you shouting?
        Report Abuse
        • Author by Easy to refute wingnuts (July 16, 2009 10:25 am ET)
             
          Because no one listens to his stupidity when he talks quietly.

          In the corner.

          To himself.
          Report Abuse
        • Author by LuvLuLu (July 16, 2009 11:26 pm ET)
             
          I think it's WebTV that does this.

          Why anyone still uses WebTV is beyond me. But those who do should apologize and explain with every post they make.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by NiceguyEddie (July 16, 2009 9:21 am ET)
      3  
      In all fainress to PoV and NickD, it does make sense to give disproportionate time to the opposition party - you're bound to get more contentious questions and thus a more marketable story.

      BUT... What would really drvie this home for me, would be to know it the same thign was true during the Alito & Roberts hearsings. Did the Dem's (as both the minority party and the opposition party to the one that made the nomination, just like the republicans are now) recieve a disproportinately large amount of covergae, relative to the republicans, during THOSE hearing? I have to admit that I don't really know, but somehow I doubt it. But KNOWING THAT would give a good bit more legitimacy to the MMFA post here. If they republicans were over-represented then AND now, therw would be just no holes in what MMFA is implying here.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by Conchobhar (July 16, 2009 2:28 pm ET)
           
        Good point, and I don't know the answer. It is pretty well known that the Republicans have enjoyed much heavier representation on the Sunday morning gabfests for the past decade, at least, both as majority and minority party. And I'm not even referring to Fox, but to that "liberal" MSM.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by captfoster2 (July 16, 2009 4:12 pm ET)
         
      On Fox, scant attention to Dems' questioning of Sotomayor...

      So much for Fair and Balanced I suppose
      Report Abuse
    • Author by markbfoot199 (July 16, 2009 4:16 pm ET)
      1 3
      The problem is that the Dems are not asking questions, they are just blowing kisses and getting chills up their arms. I have yet to even see on C-Span any real questions being asked by the dems, all they do is praise her, and tell her how proud they are she has risen to her level.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by congero6189599 (July 16, 2009 4:54 pm ET)
           
        You haven't heard any because you don't want to hear them!
        Report Abuse

my.MediaMatters.org

Login  Sign Up

Push Back

Phone calls, emails and letters from the public do make a difference. Remember that to be effective you must be polite, and professional. Express your specific concerns regarding that particular news report or commentary, and indicate what you would like the media outlet to do differently in the future.