Democrats were overwhelmingly more likely to appear on certain cable news networks than Republicans, a new study found.
CNN and MSNBC are seven times more likely to host Democratic members of Congress than Republican members, according to a study published Monday by the Media Research Center. (RELATED: ‘Dead As A Door Nail:’ Trump Taunts CNN, MSNBC Over Low Ratings)
Analysts from MRC spent 540 hours watching programming from the two networks while Congress was in session, and found that the networks hosted a combined 284 Democratic members of congress compared to just 40 Republican members of Congress. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Attacks Republicans Over Swearing-In Stunt)
Moderator Don Lemon of CNN speaks to the audience before the start of the second night of the second 2020 Democratic U.S. presidential debate in Detroit, Michigan, July 31, 2019. (REUTERS/Lucas Jackson)
The study found that MSNBC interviewed 148 Democrats compared to just 11 Republicans, while CNN interviewed 136 Democrats compared to 29 Republicans. The study took place during three randomly-selected weeks (January 7-11, March 25-29 and June 10-14), all of which occurred when Congress was in session.
MRC also claimed that Democrats were treated to friendlier questions by the cable network’s hosts. The study found that 81% of questions asked to Democrats were “based on a friendly Democratic agenda,” while 19% of questions “asked the Democrats to respond to an adversarial/Republican agenda.”
The study bore out similar statistics when it analyzed questions that were asked to Republicans, finding that 97% of questions “reflected an adversarial/Democratic agenda,” while just 2.5% were “based on a friendlier, Republican agenda.”