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Media

Study Finds Fox News Spends Far More Time on ‘Factual Reporting’ Than…MSNBC

Mar. 18, 2013 11:35am Erica Ritz

A recently-released study by the Pew Research Center has found that Fox News — mocked by critics as “Faux News” — actually spends far more time than its left-leaning rival MSNBC on factual reporting than commentary and opinion.

Part of the annual “state of the news media” study, the report found that Fox News spends roughly 45 percent of its programming on factual reporting, and 55 percent on commentary and opinion.

MSNBC, on the other hand, reportedly dedicates an average of 15 percent of its programming to factual reporting, the other 85 percent dominated by commentary and opinion.

The Chicago Tribune added that, based on the study, MSNBC has done the most to “ratchet up partisanship.”

Here are the results in graph form, via the Pew Resesarch Center:

Pew Research Center: Fox News More Factual Reporting, MSNBC More Opinion Based

(Photo: Pew Research Center)

CNN, meanwhile, was the only channel of the three to spend more time on factual reporting than opinion and commentary.

But how, exactly, did the Pew Research Center conduct the study? First, it considered a story to be commentary/opinion if more than 25% included “opinionated statements.”

The Pew Research Center has more on the methodology:

For the historical data regarding the three cable news stations (CNN, Fox News and MSNBC), a large sample of weekday programming was examined during the first five months of 2007 and 2012. That sample included a half-hour sample of afternoon programming (2:00-2:30 p.m. Eastern Time) along with the first 30 minutes of many of the general news-focused programs during the evening hours. In order to make sure the half-hour sampling of afternoon cable news was representative of daytime cable news, Pew Research examined an additional three full days of cable in late 2012. The data from those three days suggest that the 2:00-2:30 p.m. time slot is representative of daytime programming in general.

For the first five months of 2012, Pew Research analyzed 6,472 stories over the course of 267 hours of cable programming (not including commercials or previews.) In 2007, Pew Research coded 9,655 stories over the course of 377 hours. When that is combined with the three-days of coding in late 2012, Pew Research analyzed a total of 711 hours of cable news, excluding commercials and previews.

(H/T: Business Insider)

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Comments (66)

Winedude
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:59pm
I’m a bit confused. Why, according to a couple of surveys over the last few year, are Fox News viewers less informed that people who never turned on television news? Saying that Fox News is the highest rated news show being meaningful is like saying that “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” is high quality programming…obviously neither are true..

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- desertspeaks
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 2:50pm
  ALL so called main stream media is a LIE, they call it programming for a reason folks!
  “wonders if anyone will get the reference”
  
  Report this comment
- mikem1969
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 3:01pm
  wine, go back to your bottle of homebrew. A brain dead monkey throwing darts at a board to decide what to report reports more facts than MSNBC or any other lame stream government controlled media outlet ever will. People that watch fox news don’t just get information from one or two shows, they watch several of them, including CNN. Get over your self.
  
  Report this comment
- minorityconservative2
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 3:13pm
  Yes desert we get it. At least I hope I am speaking for more than just myself. We are being programmed. Well the weak minded are.
  
  Report this comment
- MyAgendaIsTruth
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 7:18pm
  WINEDUDE being confused happens when you are a Media Matters troll.
  
  Report this comment
- steelpanther
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 8:51pm
  Apparently winedude, you weren’t paying attention around the turn of the year when there where three or four survey’s that said fox viewers where the most informed, grats on not being informed.
  
  Report this comment
- arc_angel
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:50pm
  Someone needs to shoot you in the face with a shotgun. Is Biden available?
  
  Report this comment
BehindTheMouth
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:57pm
well duh!

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thegreatcarnac
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:27pm
MSNBC and people like them cause reverse revolutions. THen when a right wing dictator takes over and arrests them all they start screaming ‘freedom of the press’. In reality when they were in their heyday they wanted nothing to do with freedom. All they did was spout leftist propaganda.

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- PaulS0440
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:50pm
  There is no such thing as a “Right Wing Dictator” The extreme “Right” properly defined is an Anarchist, or no Government. The extreme “Left” properly defined is 100% government control.
  
  Report this comment
- Nabuquduriuzhur
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 2:40pm
  When has there ever been a right-wing dictator.
  
  History has had plenty of dictators. Indeed, authority has generally been an excuse for evil.
  
  The modern media notion that some branches of Socialism are “right wing” is revisionist history. Traditionally, every branch of Socialism, from communism to national socialism to maoism, has been Left.
  
  It’s not merely ignorance by the Left, it’s rewriting of history.
  
  What is called conservatism today, what used to be called right-wing, used to be described in our own media as being the right thing to do, the American Way, etc. Many years ago, of course.
  
  Report this comment
- MAProg
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 7:09pm
  There has never been a right-wing dictator? The furthest extreme of right-wing is anarchy? Looks like someone has never set foot in a political science class or bothered to read a book on the topic. The whole concept that right-wing = less government and left-wing = more is a ficticious construct perpetuated by the likes of Glenn Beck.
  
  Report this comment
- Walkabout
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 9:55pm
  MAPROG Have never seen the left right linear spectrum bent into a circle where the idiots on the extreme right & the idiots of the extreme left meet?
  
  Not exactly the graphic I was looking for but for a quick search it will do.
  
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory
  
  Maprog do me a favor. Learn linear algebra. Liberate your mind. I want you to be able to think in more than 1 dimension.
  
  Report this comment
- Walkabout
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 9:56pm
  Maprog
  
  Try this
  
  http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Political_spectrum
  
  I got to go.
  
  Best of luck.
  
  Report this comment
- MAProg
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:37pm
  @Walkabout: I’m not sure why you’re criticizing me for being one-dimensional. I’m contesting Paul’s overly-simplistic assessment of the political spectrum. If you’re going to be snarky and condescending, at least get what I said right. I practice medicine, so I’m well versed in linear algebra, thanks.
  
  The point I was making is that determining whether an act, or a group of people is right-wing or left is much more nuanced than what I think many on this site understand. They’ve reduced it to some false metric of “bigger government versus smaller government,” a metric that would cause you to fail an introductionary poli-sci course. Of course, it’s intentional on the part of the conservative pundits, as it allows them to label any oppressive government as “leftwing,” since “big government” is their sole definition. It erroneously allows them to place anything from a monarchy, the Roman Empire, NAZI Germany, Stalinist Russia, Theocratic Saudi Arabia, into the “left-wing,” completely ignoring context, motivation, and a host of other considerations.
  
  Best of luck to you too.
  
  Report this comment
- Walkabout
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:11am
  MAProg
  “Of course, it’s intentional on the part of the conservative pundits”.
  
  I don’t know how many times I have looked up the NAZI 25 points, whenever some leftist poster says they were right wing, it is one of the right’s original sins, we’re better, our farts don’t smell and if you so much as read National Review or Foxnews you are going down the road to darkness.
  
  You cannot get leftwing posters to discuss whether the NAZI were left wing given their literal socialist moniker. They are immune. They are further immune to any ideal that many political scientists consider them syncretic of ideals both left & right.
  
  From your comments you seem to fit right into the mold of those you bash social conservative and even some libertarians at every turn. So the shorthand version (crib sheet) of debating you, is to be 180 degrees opposite. That usually works.
  
  All I have seen you do is criticize, criticize not in the worst way, but well along the spectrum. You could do much better with a link, then what you have been doing.
  
  Report this comment
- liberal_equals_liar
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 10:50pm
  MAPROG, if your sole understanding of the truth came from some “poli-sci” class, then you are lost beyond helping.
  The big point you are missing in your blind bashing of conservatives and Glenn Beck, is that there is a monumental difference between old-school European political left-right and the United States left-right. This difference is due to the USA having the distinction of being the first to successfully implement a limited government (our right wing), which is in direct opposition to any large government in Europe (communism, nazism, socialism, whatever – aka the left wing). Just because the rest of the world doesn’t have this same political spectrum doesn’t make us wrong. It just points out that this country is the exception (hence American Exceptionalism).
  And it doesn’t make conservatives “erroneous” to talk about their deep understanding of this country’s unique political system in it’s proper context. So save your condescending attitude for the poor idiots over at the Huffington Post
  Lastly, your understanding of European politics from your college class doesn’t make you “nuanced” or special. It just means you learned the wrong stuff for the country you live in. So when you bring your European arguments to an American party, don’t be surprised that you look like a fool.
  For someone that supposedly practices medicine (smoking doobies in your mom’s basement doesn’t count) you should know better.
  
  Report this comment
AnotherLiberalDouche
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:23pm
…and in other news, scientists say the earth is round not flat.

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- shoulda coulda woulda
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:41pm
  very concise, thank you.
  
  Report this comment
rdk
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:18pm
Fox needs to get closer to 50/50.

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65Mustang
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:17pm
Anyone with half a brain would know this.

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comforteagle
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:07pm
Glad to see one new outlet does more news than opinion. everyone else needs to catch up

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- Dan_o
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:20pm
  Yeah, why are celebrating Fox being better than the worst “news agency” in history?
  
  Stop watching that crap, people. Read your news. Turn off the talk radio, too, unless it pertains to your local politics.
  
  Report this comment
LaughingAtU
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:56pm
I think CNN gets the edge because they do report more “news” in the entertainment and or silly facts department (ex. “Woman steps on last indigenous frog in siberia”). Fox seems like they are trying to catch up to that ratio or theme. It is sad the study does not break down serious news opposed to gleeful news.
I am not even sure why MSLSD is included in this study. They should have been included in the “Rant & Rave” club.

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- jorskippy
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:16pm
  CNN may have more “news” shows on but it would help considerable if they told the FACTS AND THE TRUTH not Obama propaganda all the time. Same with MSNBC, MORE FACTS LESS UNTRUTHS OR SLANTED REPORTING.
  
  Report this comment
- PilgrimStuckInBizarroWorld
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 5:58pm
  Jorskippy: Truth? What difference does it make? LOL
  
  Report this comment
spideer6
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:49pm
Why are their ratings so low? Just confirms what most people knew. News channel, ugh! They are a commentary channel. Go BLAZE!! Soon The Blaze will be counted on the list!!

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TRSFrancisco
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:34pm
Uuhhhh, who needed a study for this? It’s MSNBC for F’s sake.

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simplygilly
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:21pm
Gee, maybe that explains why my local newspaper’s TV listing has only FNC and CNN in the News category and MSNBC is in the entertainment section.

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perry1980
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:18pm
Shocking i know

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Paul G
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:16pm
Is it just me?”…..Or is FNC doing/going more leftist programming than 5 or 10 yrs ago?

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- IndyGuy
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:34pm
  it’s not just you…
  
  Report this comment
media-bias-steals-elections
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:11pm
Mark Levin calls them the MSLDC channel or something? I call them the Rush Limbaugh channel, because they can’t stop talking about Rush Limbaugh ?

Rush Limbaugh is Cigar Puffing,
Go ahead laugh, MSNBC ain’t nothing,
We Got Snurdly and callers going to make you hollar,
why it will remind you of days when we stained our collars?
Rember that commercial, just rub it in,
stick it in the wash, and watch it spin,
and the end of the cycle, you got a win?
Hang that shirt out to dry,
just watch out for the press, acting like a drive by?
You can huff an puff,
you can pout and plead,
but we can’t get a budget with Harry Reid?
I know what your thinking,
is the Titanic sinking,
Don’t worry about that, we got more than Lincoln?
pennies and more, coming soon,
we going to work, and not too soon,
make us a fortune, getting chips like Opra,
gonna rock the Kids, like a party in toga?
Don’t you worry,
Don’t be troubled,
Sean Hannity has words of comfort,
Glenn Beck is rocking
The left is mocking,
just stay off the trains,
cuz a big gulp can be shocking?
Don’t you worry,
Don’t you plead,
We know how to deal with greed,
work real hard, pray not fear,
Cuz you know that love is near?

Thank you Glenn, keep up the good work?
Low information voters are a thing of the past?

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- comforteagle
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:03pm
  Mark actually calls them mslsd
  
  Report this comment
Konserv
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:00pm
You have to wonder which column they checked for Wolfe and Candy when they to this criteria——-CNN, meanwhile, was the only channel of the three to spend more time on factual reporting than opinion and commentary.

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- Rowgue
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:26pm
  CNNs commentary and opinions are obviously far more in your face and as liberal as they come. But I don’t find fault with the study. CNN does probably do the most actual reporting. MSNBC doesn’t even actually have a news segment anymore, their entire lineup is just talk shows. Fox and CNN are similar in that they both focus on simply reporting events during the day and then their evening lineup is basically dominated by the talk shows. This study is less of a determination of how factual each reporter is and more of a measure of the ratio of news segments to talk shows on each channel.
  
  Report this comment
- cosette
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 12:42pm
  @ Rowgue…Exactly!
  
  Report this comment
- jorskippy
  Posted on March 18, 2013 at 1:17pm
  I don’t think the article said factual reporting of the news for CNN. They just spend more time with actual “news” shows.
  
  Report this comment
biohazard23
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:58am
Let the liberal screeching in defense of their beloved MadCow and Company begin in 3… 2… 1…

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huey6367
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:54am
You could have come with these numbers n your own just by watching an hour of each network for one day.

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IndyGuy
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:53am
“Fox News Spends Far More Time on ‘Factual Reporting’ Than MSNBC”

And on another note…The sun rises every morning…

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elosogrande
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:51am
This is toatally shocking to me. I always thought MSNBC was 100% factual news. Who would’a thought?

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sbenard
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:49am
MSNBC is the propaganda ministry of our modern day. This is further proof of what we already knew!

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The-Monk
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:45am
I think that 15% is way too high…. just like the staff there.

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- JSherrillj
  Posted on March 19, 2013 at 5:03pm
  They are counting Locked Down as part of the 15%.
  
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spirited
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:44am
….and Hannity’s opinion program does play lots of Obama “snippets” to explain the opinions.

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denkat56
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:42am
Really,who have thunk it. Of course a Jr. High paper focuses on the actual news more than MSNBC, and CNN.

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justangry
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:39am
More doesn’t mean enough. This is like saying a fart is better than a turd.

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TopAssistant
Posted on March 18, 2013 at 11:38am
It will not be long and TheBlaze will be #1.Great work Glenn and staff!

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