MRC Director of Research and NewsBusters Senior Editor Rich Noyes appeared Monday night on the "O'Reilly Factor" to discuss his findings in the December 4 Media Reality Check, "Good News = Less News on Iraq War."
Noyes also discussed NBC's reversal of its decision to reject an ad urging viewers to remember the troops over the holidays.
As we previously noted, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly cited the MRC study in his December 6 "Talking Points Memo" segment. Video (2:35) from that "Factor": Real (1.91 MB) and Windows (1.60), plus MP3 audio (1.19 MB).
UPDATE, with video of Noyes on Monday's O'Reilly Factor (4:30): Windows Media (9 MB) or MP3 audio (1.5 MB)
Some key findings from the study (also available here as PDF file) by MRC Research Director Rich Noyes:
....MRC researchers examined all 354 Iraq war stories that aired on the big three evening newscasts from September 1 through November 30, including weekends. That figure includes 234 field reports, plus 120 short headline items read by the news anchor.
Vanishing War.
Back in September, as reporters voiced skepticism of General Petraeus' progress report, the networks aired a total of 178 Iraq stories, or just under two per network per night. About one-fourth of those stories (42) were filed from Iraq itself, with most of the rest originating in Washington.
In October, TV's war news fell by about 40 percent, to 108 stories, with the number of reports filed from Iraq itself falling to just 20, or less than one-fifth of all Iraq stories. By November, the networks aired a mere 68 stories, with only eleven (16%) actually from the war zone itself....
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well duh!
December 10, 2007 - 20:58 ET by red_dragon311Of course the news coverage is going down, there's nothing to report. No new suicide bombers, no attacks on US troops, no attacks on the riqi people.
how can we hope for any news when nothing is going on in Iraq???
OH YEA!!!! the fact that nothing is happneing in Iraq IS THE GD NEWS!!!!!!!!
"Get off the phone you big dope!!!!!!!!!!" Mark Levin
well the bad part
December 10, 2007 - 21:08 ET by audio357Is that not enough of the sheep watch this show cuz their sheepherders have convinced folks that fox is biased.. lol.. like they are not.. but anyhoo.. the msm would argue with that with thier pointless blather and forget the harsh things they predicted and said before and can just change gears and they think folks will think wow they are so awesome that they can tell us its about the economy stupid again.. hence nbc russert and holt saying ,like they dont control the news, that we (us and the dems) have to switch gears to the domestic issues.. oh come on ya know? all these facts put on a show that is like preaching to the choir instead of the non believers.. just like crack addicts hang out with folks who wont say hey what are you doing or saying the facts dont say that! just hang out and talk with folks who think you are god.. pretty soon the sheep believe.
honesty is the best policy... unless your running for office.
Sleeper Cell?
December 10, 2007 - 22:47 ET by Del DolemonteHere's part of audio357's profile-
Member for
1 week 2 days
"been reading your site since gore v bush 2000. amazed by the bias enough to make you angry.. ha ha.."
Unfortunately, he never read NB's about section:
"In August of 2005, with the guidance of Matthew Sheffield and Greg Sheffield, the creators of RatherBiased.com, the MRC launched the NewsBusters blog to provide immediate exposure of liberal media bias, insightful analysis, constructive criticism and timely corrections to news media reporting."
Stark Review
December 11, 2007 - 00:35 ET by BarkerThe Dems are drawing out their Troop-funding battle with the President in hopes that their cohorts- AQI -can get their act together and provide the MSM with more "newsworthy" carnage, in a sordid, brutal, power-mad plot to sway public opinion.
Cynical? Maybe. Maybe not.
Concerning the study, it
December 10, 2007 - 23:33 ET by BlazerConcerning the study, it would have been nice to see how many stories were starting to focus on our "collapsing economy" and other negative stories, or see if the puff-pieces on lib's have vastly increased, to fill the gap, now that the situation on the ground in Iraq has greatly improved.
Good News For America = Bad News For liberals
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious. "
- Ben Kenobi on Liberals, and the MSM.
More Great News
December 11, 2007 - 01:43 ET by Lame CherryThis will not get any attention in the American media, but I will give credit to the BBC for running on their American based BBC this evening in World News a victorious report for British troops in Afghanistan who WITH AGHANIE TROOPS made a massive sweep in their sector and drove the Taliban into the mountains to freeze them to death.
The locals were in open rebellion from the Taliban thugs who were installing their shrouded women and no school for children policy.
My one question is why is it the Taliban is RIDING AROUND IN BRAND NEW TOYOTA PICKUPS? I will not elaborate on that one.
*HIC IACET ARTORIVS REX QVONDAM REXQVE FVTVRVS
Rich. Media's censorship of critical views may have..
March 13, 2008 - 19:34 ET by Gary HallRich. If I may? The media's censorship of critical views offered up by major players may have untold consequences on many issues - perhaps even the course of events like the Iraq war. The MSM is quick to play the views of either side, when the view supports their current politics - but not the opposing view, regardless of which side presents it.
By the beginning of summer, 2003, I think we all know that tremendous changes in Iraq were in the air; which way would it go. Al Qaeda, the foreign terrorists as well as the anti-freedom fighters within Iraq, were clearly beginning to understand the negative tone in the media and were well aware of the fragility of the moment. If they struck hard and had successes, the anti-war rhetoric would escalate and they might gain the upper hand.
In July of 2003 former President Bill Clinton who, with little dissent allowed here, can turn the MSM on a dime to soak up his advice, I believe sensed the moment and made a rather bold stab at bringing us all together.
On July 22, 2003 on a Larry King Live appearance not only did he insist again that the WMD's were there when he left office, that the country should drop the waste of time over the silly 16 words in the STOTU, but that we should all stand together and do what was then best to bring about a real change in Iraq -- democracy for the people -- for the humanity of it all -- the absolute need win the war.
Larry King was at a loss for words - absolutely wanted something else out of Bill Clinton. Apparently, so did the rest of the media. Had Bill Clinton gone on a rampage against Bush's war effort, I expect we would have all seen it played out all week long - and then offered up for all to witness and discuss on the Sunday Morning talk shows. Clinton would have been invited on numerous news shows to lay out why Bush had it wrong and the danger – why we shouldn’t be in .. bla bla bla.
To the best of my experience, however, Bill Clinton's words that night were probably never repeated anywhere in the media. One has to assume that it was listened to and the decision was made by journalists, editors, producers and anchors to let it die. Nobody need know. It should not be discussed - after all, what if it boosted support for the war and moral for the soldiers?
What if the result of the discussion that might have been had caused the terrorists moving into Iraq to reconsider what they were up against? There were leaders on both sides of the isle now that really wanted to win - that really wanted to free the people of Iraq and to deliver a taste of Democracy to them, and it was the duty of the MSM to make sure that the public did not find out about it.
Had the media front-paged that discussion, perhaps it would have gone differently, instead of heading so far south, as it did.
Excerpts from Bill Clinton that night:
Who knows - the lives of a few thousand US troops might not have been lost. Thousands of others might not have been injured. Tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians may not have been killed and many more injured.
GaryH... Excellent...just
March 13, 2008 - 19:42 ET by bigtimerGaryH...
Excellent...just excellent.
Thanks, you just made my evening.
cool, bt
March 13, 2008 - 22:32 ET by Gary HallCool, bt. Then I'll call it a nite. thanks. gary (;~>