STUDY: Fox prime time is covering key Senate races more than CNN and MSNBC -- combined

[Nevilledog]

Link to tweet

https://www.mediamatters.org/fox-news/study-fox-prime-time-covering-key-senate-races-more-cnn-and-msnbc-combined

As the 2022 midterm elections approach, Fox News is providing dramatically more coverage of competitive U.S. Senate races in weekday prime time than either CNN or MSNBC.

In the four weeks following Labor Day, Fox’s weekday prime-time broadcasts mentioned the Democratic nominees in seven competitive Senate races more than twice as many times as CNN and MSNBC's broadcasts did combined, according to a Media Matters review. The network’s prime-time block also mentioned the Republican candidates in those races more frequently than did those of the other two networks combined.

The Senate is currently evenly divided, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as the tie-breaking vote that gives Democrats control. If Republicans net a single seat in the November elections, they will gain control of the body. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been deliberately cagey about what the party's agenda would be if that were to occur. But Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), who heads the body that works to elect Senate Republicans, has proposed a radical blueprint that would raise taxes on half of Americans while putting Social Security and Medicare at risk, while Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) put forward a nationwide abortion ban.

Fox functions as the communications arm of the GOP, and its biggest stars are working to ensure that Republicans take over the Senate and have an opportunity to implement a hard-right agenda. The network’s powerful right-wing propagandists are bombarding their audiences with a steady stream of attacks on the Democratic nominees while lavishing positive airtime on the Republican ones. Meanwhile, the prime-time hosts on the other two networks are largely ignoring the Senate elections.

The Republican nominees made at least 19 appearances combined on Fox prime-time shows over the same period, Media Matters found. Several of the GOP candidates owe their nominations to the patronage of Fox’s stars, and they typically received friendly platforms to recite their talking points and condemn their opponents. Meanwhile, the Democratic nominees received only 4 appearances on MSNBC’s prime-time broadcasts and none on CNN. (No Republican nominees appeared on CNN or MSNBC prime time during the period, nor did any Democratic nominee appear on Fox prime time.)

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[jimfields33]

1. Perhaps CNN and MSNBC need to start focusing on the election more.

They control their own networks so it shouldn’t be difficult to do.