A media watchdog’s analysis of the “Big Three networks” in the wake of the June 12 terrorist attack in Orlando, Florida, shows news coverage was dramatically stacked against gun rights advocates.
Media Research Center followed political coverage of ABC, NBC, CBS for one week after 29-year-old security guard Omar Mateen killed 49 and wounded 53 others at Pulse, a gay nightclub, with a semi-automatic weapon. The nonprofit organization observed an 8 to 1 imbalance of coverage in favor of new gun-control measures.
The group’s extensive study covered 47 gun policy stories (41 full segments, 6 anchor read briefs), and 10 stories that mentioned gun policy on the networks’ morning and evening shows.
Some of MRC’s finding include:
- Over 65 minutes was spent in favor of gun control compared to just over 8 minutes against such legislation.
- CBS spent over 30 minutes discussing gun-control measures compared to roughly 3 minutes given for opposing views.
- NBC allocated 23 minutes on gun-control advocacy versus 2 minutes, 56 seconds against.
- ABC tallied over 11 minutes in favor of new gun laws compared to 2 minutes, 20 seconds for opposing remarks.
The nonprofit’s analysis also concluded that anti-gun pundits outnumbered gun-rights advocates by a 3 to 1 margin.
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MRC, founded by Brent Bozell, bills itself as, “America’s leading media watchdog in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.” It records broadcast-cable news 24 hours a day and has an archive dating back to 1987.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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