Sarah Wasko / Media Matters

Thousands of teachers in Oklahoma and Kentucky have staged protests and walkouts over the last several days, demanding better funding for their schools, higher pay, and pension protections. A Media Matters study found that both CNN and MSNBC have offered a live platform for teachers and education experts to explain the walkouts and their demands, while Fox News has failed to host a single educator or education expert, featuring Oklahoma's governor as the sole guest to talk about the issue.  

On Friday, March 30, hundreds of teachers across Kentucky called out sick to protest proposed cuts to their pensions. Their protests continued into this week, and they were joined by thousands of Oklahoma teachers, whose walkout forced almost half of the state’s 500-plus school districts to close. The teachers are demanding raises for themselves, as well as a pay increase for support staff and millions more in funding for their woefully underfunded schools. Educators in Kentucky and Oklahoma were inspired to protest by teachers in West Virginia, whose statewide nine-day strike in March led to the teachers winning all five of their demands, including a pay increase. The current walkouts are a significant national development, and national media coverage has allowed teachers to shine a light on the calamitous condition of their public schools and the obstacles they face every day as educators.

But coverage on Fox News has entirely excluded the voices of teachers, outside of brief clips in packaged reports. Between midnight April 2 and noon on April 3, Fox News hosted only one guest to discuss the walkouts in Oklahoma and Kentucky, Oklahoma Republican Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb, who said he supports a pay raise for teachers and increased classroom funding but also made clear that he opposes tax increases to pay for them.

By contrast, CNN and MSNBC have interviewed numerous educators and education experts, offering them a platform to explain their demands and the conditions of their schools. CNN hosted teachers seven times, as well as the president of the National Education Association, the president of the Kentucky Education Association, and the president of the Oklahoma Education Association. MSNBC hosted teachers 10 times, as well as the president of the National Education Association, the president of the Oklahoma Education Association, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, a professor of education at UCLA, and the author of a bestselling book about the history of teaching in America.

CNN also ran a packaged report that profiled multiple teachers, who explained that they are forced to work extra jobs and use soup kitchens in order to make ends meet:

Teachers and education advocates have been the driving force behind the walkout movement and are, along with students, the people most affected by and best able to speak on the issues facing the U.S. education system. As such, their voices should be centered during any discussion of the walkouts. While CNN and MSNBC offered their viewers the pivotal perspective of educators and education experts, Fox News (not for the first time) failed to highlight the most important voices in the story.

Methodology

Media Matters searched Snapstream from midnight April 2 until noon April 3 for “Oklahoma,” “Kentucky,” and “strike” on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News. We reviewed and coded relevant segments for guests who were interviewed live.