PEJ Report: Fox Toughest on McCain, Favored Obama
The Pew Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has just released its report on media coverage of the 2008 primary election. As always it covers all aspects of the media and breaks down coverage of each candidate with meticulous care. But we are primarily concerned with its findings regarding cable news, particularly the differences between the major channels:
MSNBC offered the most positive assessments of each of the candidate when it came to their personal narratives. Fox News was the toughest on McCain and Clinton and almost as positive about Obama’s personal themes as MSNBC. Fox News also spent significantly more time discussing McCain’s campaign than either of the other networks. CNN fell in between the other two.The PEJ tells us that on MSNBC:
Obama and Clinton received roughly equally positive narratives (70% for Obama and 72% for Clinton). The tilt was not as heavily for McCain (53%) but that was still better coverage than he received on either of the other two cable channels.... The biggest factor for Obama’s positive coverage on MSNBC was less coverage of the assertion that he is too inexperienced to be president. Only 7% of the Obama themes on MSNBC made this claim compared with 17% on Fox News and 19% on CNN.As for the Cable News Network, the findings included:
Coverage of Clinton’s personal narrative was nearly as positive as on MSNBC, an overwhelming 70% of all assertions studied. McCain’s personal message was almost evenly balanced (49% positive and 51% negative), versus a negative tilt on Fox (55% negative) and a positive one on MSNBC (53% positive) Obama, on the other hand, found CNN to be much tougher on his campaign than either of the other channels.And then there is Fox News. Some of the PEJ's myth-busting findings will be difficult to reconcile with the usual talking points of the Fox haters:
Fox News was the harshest of the three channels on the presumptive Republican nominee. More than half (55%) of the prominent personal statements about McCain were negative... In its criticism, Fox News devoted more overall attention to McCain compared with the other cable channels, nearly the same attention it gave the two leading Democrats, 36% for McCain, 37% for Clinton and 39% for Obama. Both CNN and MSNBC, on the other hand, devoted far less of their coverage to the McCain campaign than they did to Clinton’s or Obama’s. Fox News was also more positive in its portrayal of Obama’s major personal narrative than either McCain or Clinton. Fully 69% of the assertions about Obama personally were positive, a number that rivals what he received on MSNBC (70%).Read the whole thing.
Fox Fan
It doesn't get much more fair and balanced than 37/36/39% coverage of each candidate. It's glaringly obvious that Fox is more fair and balanced than CNN or MSNBC I have to wonder- where do newshounds and the other Fox haters get their information about FNC?
May 29, 2008, 8:07:42 PM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
Whoa! The dog pound won't like this. The truth kills the kanines! How will they try and deflect/spin this? Or, have the already done so?
May 29, 2008, 8:21:24 PM EDT – Like – Reply
tony
The Clueless Hounds will do what they always do. Lie.
May 29, 2008, 9:22:27 PM EDT – Like – Reply
Fox Fan
The poor ladies haven't mentioned it yet.
I wonder why not?
May 29, 2008, 9:51:05 PM EDT – Like – Reply
notveryhow
I'm glad to see you posting something from Pew.I've always respected their work.I've posted links at NH and had dissenters condemn them as part of the "liberal establishment".
it is not suprising to me to see that Fox coverage of Sen McCain was negative from Jan 1 -March 9.Before he became the assumptive nominee,the other Republican candidates were savaging him,and each of those appearances counts as a negative story..As I recall,there were many supporters of Mitt,Huck,Fred and Guilliani who didn't like him.Then there is the theme that he is not conservative .
"Fox News was the harshest of the three channels on the presumptive Republican nominee. More than half (55%) of the prominent personal statements about McCain were negative, the vast majority of which (49% overall) questioned his conservatism."
This is but one of the reasons I believe this will be a Democratic year.Many Republicans don't like their candidate.How many absent voters will this translate to.
Proof will be in the pudding.I will be curious to see the Pew analysis of the coverage Sept-Nov 08
May 29, 2008, 11:09:29 PM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
it is not suprising to me to see that Fox coverage of Sen McCain was negative from Jan 1 -March 9.Before he became the assumptive nominee,the other Republican candidates were savaging him,and each of those appearances counts as a negative story..As I recall,there were many supporters of Mitt,Huck,Fred and Guilliani who didn't like him.Then there is the theme that he is not conservative .
by "nvh" and.......
A B+ you get for that spin. Not bad!
May 29, 2008, 11:15:15 PM EDT – Like – Reply
notveryhow
Is it not true that fox had Guiliani and Romney and their supporters on frequently,and they would disparage Sen McCain?I mean,it was an active campaign,and you don't talk nice about your opponents.
May 29, 2008, 11:30:59 PM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
Is it not true that fox had Guiliani and Romney and their supporters on frequently,
by nvh
Between Jan 1 and March 9?
May 29, 2008, 11:42:33 PM EDT – Like – Reply
notveryhow
Yes.
May 29, 2008, 11:58:20 PM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
Are you sure you want to stand by that?
May 30, 2008, 1:07:18 AM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
Can't wait for Keith Olberman to make fun of Billo's hissy fit, and you all know he will. This should be entertaining.
FrankC | 05.30.08 - 12:57 am | #
Now, there's some hard hitting news to look foreward to.....No wonder he's stuck in the 3rd hole.
May 30, 2008, 1:15:46 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Mike C.
Actually, and unfortunately, he's been coming in second at 8:00 for the past few months. I'm very worried that he'll get a big boost from McClellan's appearance last night (Thursday).
And for the record, I am not an OlbyLoon for saying that. Regular commenters are well aware of where I stand on him.
May 30, 2008, 2:01:39 AM EDT – Like – Reply
On The Mark
An excellent point, NVH, and not one I had considered. You are absolutely correct.
May 30, 2008, 3:21:55 AM EDT – Like – Reply
VinceP1974
I hope as many people as possible watch KO.
People need to be aware of where the Left is going in this country and decide if they want to electorially enable these people.
May 30, 2008, 7:48:03 AM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
An excellent point, NVH, and not one I had considered. You are absolutely correct.
On The Mark | 05.30.08 - 3:26 am | #
Notice how she can't back that "excellent point" you "hadn't considered?"
May 30, 2008, 10:37:39 AM EDT – Like – Reply
Mike C.
Mark's a guy.
May 30, 2008, 1:24:17 PM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
Really?
May 30, 2008, 1:41:48 PM EDT – Like – Reply
jv
I love watching the right implode.
May 30, 2008, 2:24:21 PM EDT – Like – Reply
On The Mark
You remember a story a couple of years ago about a beached whale in Oregon that died? The state didn't want vehicles on the beach, and to remove the carcas, it decided to blow it up, then remove the pieces. Explosives folks always use too much, and whale blubber was blown on all the people watching. That's what is happening to the right at the moment. It is blowing blubber over everyone, to which witness BOR last night. If you can't win by reason, blow up. If you're going to blow up, do it big time.
May 30, 2008, 9:17:37 PM EDT – Like – Reply
olby sucks
D-, philby.
May 31, 2008, 12:25:57 AM EDT – Like – Reply
