MRC Study: 'News' Media Aid Democrats' Tea Party Trashing
The Democrats’ strategy to salvage the 2010 campaign was to distract voters from their record over the past two years and paint their opponents as wacky extremists. Win or lose, the Democrats got a lot of help from their friends in the supposedly objective “news” media. MRC analysts reviewed the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts from September 1 through October 25. Key findings:
■ Only conservative/Tea Party candidates cast as “extreme.” Congressional Democrats and President Obama are facing voters’ wrath because of their extreme agenda over the past two years: government-run health care; massive unsupportable spending; a proposed “cap-and-trade” tax on energy, higher income taxes, etc. But MRC analysts found 35 evening news stories which conveyed the Democratic spin point that conservative and Tea Party candidates are “extreme,” “fringe,” or “out of the mainstream,” vs. ZERO stories conveying the charge that left-wing Democrats are “out of the mainstream.”
■ Three times more “conservative” labels than “liberal” tags. Out of 62 ideological labels assigned by reporters, three-fourths (48, or 77%) were aimed at conservatives, vs. just 14 (23%) for liberals. Only Republicans faced extreme labels — both Joe Miller and Christine O’Donnell were tagged as “ultra-conservatives” — with no Democrat ever branded an “ultra-liberal.”
CBS called Pennsylvania Republican Pat Toomey “conservative,” but Democrat Joe Sestak was not labeled as “liberal.” All of the networks called Christine O’Donnell a “conservative,” but none said her opponent, Chris Coons, was “liberal.” Most comically, CBS would not call loud-mouthed Florida Rep. Alan Grayson a “liberal,” but tagged his opponent Daniel Webster as “conservative.”
■ Adopting Democrats’ campaign agenda. The networks elevated contests meant to show Republicans in a poor light. While it’s not on anyone’s list of closest races, the networks devoted the most coverage to Delaware’s Senate race (15 evening news stories), emphasizing O’Donnell’s perceived gaffes. Next: the California Governor’s race (11 stories), emphasizing allegations against GOP nominee Meg Whitman. Rounding out the networks’ Top 5 were Senate races in Alaska, Nevada, and West Virginia, each the focus of four stories.
-- MRC analysts Scott Whitlock and Kyle Drennen and MRC intern Matt Hadro provided valuable research assistance for this report.
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Comments
Glad you guys are watching
Submitted by Hunter12 on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 9:54am.
Glad you guys are watching these newscasts, because no one else is. When I want to listen to Democrat talking points, I like to go right to the source. You have to realize that these MSM talking heads are just for show and the parent corporations can suffer poor ratings because they make their real money from taxpayer-funded government handouts and they get those becasue they toe the party line.
"An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." - Sir Winston Churchill
Extreme? Out of touch?
Submitted by merly1 on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 9:55am.
That is the Pleosi-lead: 5 trillion in new debt, two war surges,
economic disaster, ethics charges in House, etc etc
The news cycle is infuriating, but that is why nobody is watching.......
They applied the conservative label more often? Good.
Submitted by KC Mulville on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 10:01am.
The media may not realize it, but labeling people as conservative helps the candidate this year.
I also think we have to re-examine this whole "mainstream" metaphor. It doesn't seem to be working the way they want it to work. Anyone who thinks like the inside-the-beltway insiders may be in that mainstream, but the rest of the country is completely different.
I can imagine a network hack reporter glare into the camera and inform the audience that a candidate is a "conservative, outside the mainstream." Instead of the candidate losing out, suddenly his poll numbers shoot up.
Please watch the voting, the LSM is just that.
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 10:11am.
The big worry folks is voter fraud and it's happening now. If we don't do something about it (monitor, call for investigations), the thieves will rob is again.
Having SEIU "configuring" and manning the voting machines is absurd and must be stopped.
HELP STOP VOTE FRAUD
Submitted by mattm on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 12:24pm.
HELP STOP VOTE FRAUD
Every once in a while I sit
Submitted by Snappy on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:00am.
Every once in a while I sit back,still amazed at the blatent hypocrisy in the tone newscasts and newspapers take around this country. It is just astounding to listen and hear that every Democrat is the voice of reason, the "adult" in the room and the Republican or TEA party candidates are the fringe, the minority, the unruly child that every once in a while is thown a crumb or listened to condesendingly. It is always the obstinate right that refuses to work with the left, and always the left that is tirelessly working to fix this country, if they can just get around the arguments of the right. Thank goodness for sites like newsbusters that tries to bring this to light and points out this appalling tone of our "free" press.
Truly the world is inverted
Submitted by HockeyKid on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:42am.
Truly the world is inverted when socialism is held up as mainstream.
"Beauty is only skin deep, but liberal's to the bone." - me
The national disgrace: LSM
Submitted by Mary Louise Turner on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 11:45am.
The "news media" is a national disgrace! It is shameful to see the nutworks make excuses for Democrats left and right. Worst of all, millions of ignoramuses (the "sheeple") still believe this dreck and then go out and vote (Democratic, of course).
The problem isn't really the evening news shows anymore, as their shrinking ratings indicate. Our concern should be with the nutworks' morning shows . The bias is even worse on Today, The Early Show and Good Morning America.
Conservatives: vote Tuesday! Don't let the make believe media win!
Should be interesting to see
Submitted by Vonu on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 12:13pm.
How this weekend's Teabaggee Rally (the Million Mouths March) is covered.
Kaitee
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 12:20pm.
You're such a dumb slut.
Bill Maher is a "centrist."
Submitted by JakeMo on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 12:34pm.
"Extreme" is relative. It's impossible to define without knowing what it's being compared to.
If, as expected, a majority of voters opts for the "extreme" choice, you have to wonder what the left's measuring stick looks like.
At one end they have Chairman Mao and at the other end they have Ronald Reagan. When they're sitting left of center on a scale like that, it explains why they think Bill Maher is a "centrist."
91%
Submitted by okiehawk44 on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 12:45pm.
I continue to be called racist for wondering outloud how Obama's support can remain at 91% of blacks when his support has now dropped to 42% across all Americans.
Overwhemingly large number of blacks voted for Obama in 2008 either because they were just knee-jerking their votes out of excitement based on race or because Obama's threat to "fundamentally change America" (bad, bad country not at all like Kenya or Sudan or Zimbabwe) was widely accepted as long overdue or payback or a wise path.
I really don't care why blacks continue to support Democrats in huge numbers while this country goes downhill in a hand basket.
Blacks are too smart and have moved way beyond being the Democrat's bit*h to continue this support unchallenged.
yes
Submitted by maxvolt on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 1:50pm.
White men learned a long time ago, that whites haven't cornered the market on traitors and asphole politicians out for themselves....give the blacks a little time, they will figure it out, they are surrounded by blacks of both ilks (traitors and aspholes). They will grow tired of being used eventually, because as you rightly point out, they aren't blind or stupid...they just need time.
TIRED YET?
Submitted by maxvolt on Wed, 10/27/2010 - 1:45pm.
This is really simple, put them out of business. capitalism at its best.
1. Dont buy their newspapers
2. Dont even watch their shows...there is nothing new, its all predictable.
3. Write their sponsors and tell them about the objectional content, and how you wont be buying any of the product brands advertised on the evening news show.
4. Get your friends involved.
5. This only works if millions complain...and from what I see 100's of millions are ticked off, so now its time to put your money...where your mouth is.
They cant stay in business without viewers, subscribers, advertisers, etc. believe me one characteristic of the left is they would sell their own mothers out if it meant it would protect them...so lets hit them and lets hit them hard.