More media analysis analysis.
Reported by Chrish - October 11, 2004 -
Brit Hume had Robert Lichter of Media Tenor ("the world's leading provider of international media content analysis") as a guest today, 10/11, to discuss some numbers comparing cable news coverage to broadcast news coverage of the presidential candidates immediately following the debates.
Brit opened the piece with "an ABC News internal email leaked out Friday in which the network political director urged that ABC News not necessarily hold the Kerry and Bush campaigns equally to account for their alleged distortions about each other. The memo said Kerry camp was a lesser offender, while Bush camp was trying to destroy Kerry, in part by distortions. Which raises the question what kind of coverage ABC News and the other broadcast networks, have been giving this campaign. For answers we turn to Robert Lichter of The Center for Media and Public Affairs .
Brit says "you've been studying the recent coverage, the debate coverage in particular. Tell me about the studies and how you've been doing them."
Lichter: "...every single statement, after the debates, when the spin patrols come on, the networks do their instant analysis, ..." Brit interrupts: "you're talking about the post-debate coverage in which independent analysts who, with the networks offer their comments plus comments from the debate site, where partisans of each candidate are being allowed to have their say..." Lichter: "Exactly, If Hillary Clinton comes on and says 'the president has been consistent but consistently wrong' they say that's a negative comment on his performance. George Pataki comes on and says 'the president hit a home run', these are actual examples, that's a positive comment. We add 'em all up, and as a result we can say 'how did the overall portrait of who won, who lost, who did better, look on each of the broadcast and cable networks." Brit: "Now you did this for the first debate, the Cheney debate, and the second presidential debate..." (Comment: ahem, that would be the Cheney/Edwards debate if you want to be f&b.) Lichter: .."the first and second presidential debates, not the vice-presidential debate." Brit: "So we're talking about the two debates so far between Mr. Kerry, Mr. Bush...and you make a judgment of what's positive and what's negative...("right")...so if a guy says well the president wasn't very good but he was better than last time, how do you deal with that? neutral?" Lichter: "No, that would be one positive and one negative." He further explains the scoring system, a social science discipline called Reliability. The cable networks used for the study were CNN and FOX; the broadcast networks were the big 3, ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Media Tenor took all these comments and scores, complied them and got the following numbers:
BROADCAST CABLE
Pos. Neg. Pos. Neg.
Bush 45% 55% 53% 47%
Kerry 69% 31% 57% 43%
As they analyze the numbers, Lichter says the cable numbers look much more balanced, as close to balanced as you can expect. He says "Kerry looks great on the broadcast networks, Bush looks pretty bad... Bush looks OK, Kerry looks a little better on cable." Brit ascertains that the difference is not due to the time covered - it was about the half hour immediately following the debates, with about 250 evaluations each for cable and broadcast.
Brit asks "Are you surprised at these results?" Lichter: "yeah, I was a little surprised. You'd think journalists looking at the same material would come to similar conclusions, but it's a reminder that people differ, their perceptions differ, and that's why you don't have Pravda, you don't have one truth. You have different versions, you have to look at different versions to come to your own opinion."
Comment: First, this analysis had nothing to do with the (mis)leading question/comment, what kind of coverage the broadcast networks have been giving the presidential campaign. It was a very focused study of two events and the opinions of those allowed to comment afterwards.
The table of numbers was on screen for 1 1/2 minutes. I believe the intent was to point out to FOX viewers, again, how biased and liberal the major three broadcast networks are, compared to the relative balance found on cable (and in particular FOX, of course.) I would like to see a breakout of the numbers for FOX and CNN. My guess is the CNN numbers would be more aligned with the broadcast channels. (Related article, The FOX Difference. )
This does not show the fabled liberal media bias. For once it shows some objectivity and professionalism. Conservative and liberal pundits alike agreed that Kerry handled himself better, knew his facts, and had better stage presence. The broadcast numbers more accurately reflect the truth of the matter, not muddied by FOX's "stand by your man" attitude. It was a measurement, by definition, of opinion and there is no reason to expect opinions to be 50/50. The truth is, journalists and opinionators and partisans looked at the same data and overwhelmingly DID come to similar conclusions...Kerry kicked some Texas butt!
