Both CNN's Reliable Sources and Fox's Mediabuzz on Sunday recounted the Media Research Center's study on the dramatic difference in the amount of midterms election coverage between 2006 and 2014 on ABC, CBS, and NBC.
CNN host Brian Stelter introduced an interview with retired Sen. Alan Simpson by noting:
You know, excitement is not exactly in the air or on the air. The ads are everywhere but news coverage has been largely absent, at least until the last few days. Listen to this. ABC's "World News Tonight" did not air a single story about the midterms in the months of July or August or September. This was first noticed by the conservative group the Media Research Center, and it said this was evidence of bias. Their claim is that the press is helping Democrats by ignoring a political climate that's favoring Republicans.
Stelter offered a rebuttal in this question to Simpson: "To me, it's not about bias, so much as it is about priorities. They decide to prioritize other stories, in many cases more entertaining stories, because that's what the public seems more interested in."
On Fox News, Andrea Tantaros saw a liberal tilt, like the MRC's Kyle Drennen and Rich Noyes:
In 2006, you remember that was Mark Foley's scandal. The media was salivating because they knew there was a deep distrust in the GOP. Right? I was working on a midterm election and they were covering it incessantly.
This time around, Howie, they haven't really covered it the way they used to cover it. I think they know, a lot of people in the mainstream media, that Democrats are poised for embarrassing losses. Now, the Media Research Center actually studied this. In comparison with 2006, 159 stories in 2006 between the major nightly newscasts, NBC CBS and ABC. This year alone? A paltry 25. In fact, ABC News didn't even do one story until October 27th.
