Despite a number of significant economic developments, major network and cable Sunday shows have been largely silent on the economy.
Media Matters research reveals that from May 12 to June 9, five major Sunday shows devoted only approximately 35 minutes of economic coverage.
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During this time period, the Sunday shows were silent on the economy and missed an opportunity to cover significant developments.
- In the week leading up to May 12, the Dow Jones Industrial Average topped 15,000 points for the first time in history.
- The week of May 19 saw the Congressional Budget Office reduce its deficit projection for 2013 by $200 billion.
- During the week of May 26, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations heard testimony from Apple CEO Tim Cook regarding corporate taxes, House Republicans passed their preferred version of student loan reform and an ABC News/ Washington Post survey revealed more Americans report feeling the negative effects of budget sequestration.
- The week of June 2 showed the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller home prices index rising at the fastest rate since April 2006, and the Consumer Confidence Index rose to the highest level since February 2008.
- Finally, in the week of June 9, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 175,000 jobs created in May 2013 - marking 32 consecutive months of gains.
Despite the various economic developments over this period, CNN and major network Sunday shows devoted little time to those stories. Only during the week of June 2 did coverage of the economy rise above five minutes, which provided three-quarters of the coverage for the entire five-week period.