Cable and broadcast coverage of September 11 anniversary skewed right

Written by Julie Millican, Brian Levy & Rob Morlino

Published

A Media Matters for America review of cable and broadcast news coverage of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks shows that Republican and conservative guests far outnumbered Democrats and progressives who appeared in live or taped interviews during the hours of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. ET. Notably, Republican guests outnumbered Democrats 5-1 on CNN and just over 3-1 on Fox News. In all, 27 Republican or conservative guests appeared on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, and the broadcast morning news shows -- NBC's Today, ABC's Good Morning America, and CBS' The Early Show -- compared with only nine Democratic/progressive guests.

The following tally includes guests who appeared live or in taped interviews that aired during stories dealing specifically with the September 11 anniversary:

Outlet

Republicans / conservative guests

Democrats / progressive guests

CNN

American Morning, Your World Today, CNN Newsroom

New York Gov. George Pataki (R); former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani; White House chief of staff Andrew Card; former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer; Attorney General Alberto Gonzales

Former Rep. Timothy J. Roemer (D-IN), 9-11 Commission member

Fox News

Fox & Friends, Fox News Live, Dayside with Linda Vester

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice; Card; New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Giuliani; Pataki; Weekly Standard editor William Kristol; former Nixon Secretary of State Henry Kissinger; former Bush Environmental Protection Agency administrator and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Todd Whitman; Sen. John McCain (R-AZ); Republican strategist Frank Donatelli; former Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating (R); Gonzales; Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA)

Roemer; Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-NY); former Clinton Deputy Treasury Secretary Stuart Eizenstat; Democratic strategist Debbie Dingell

MSNBC

Imus in the Morning, MSNBC News Live

Giuliani; Card; Gonzales

Former Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-NE), 9-11 Commission member; Roemer

ABC

Good Morning America

Giuliani

None

NBC

Today

President George W. Bush; Giuliani; Bloomberg

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

CBS

The Early Show

Rice; Giuliani

Sen. Clinton