Sunday, December 24, 2006
Dec. 24 Sunday News Shows Scorecard
Three of the four networks pretty much mailed it in this week, as they went with the religion in America theme. ABC was the notable exception.
Meet the Press wasn't even worth watching, but Fox News Sunday managed to lure Lynne Cheney, wife of the VP, for a pre-holiday neocon boost. Mrs. Cheney was on message, mentioning 9/11, and citing the Patriot Act, the "terrorist surveillance program" and "detainee policy" as important elements in keeping the nation safe. Mrs. Cheney had little notable to say, except for her view of Scooter Libby being on trial as "bizarre" and that his upcoming trial, "does not reflect well on our judicial system." Maybe Mrs. Cheney would like to see perjury crossed off the list of criminal offenses. Yes, "bizarre" is the operative term.
Face the Nation one-upped Fox by having Laura Bush in an "exclusive" interview. This is the equivalent of punting on second down for CBS.
ABC's This Week was the only network actually providing any substance with Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) discussing their recent trip to the Middle East and the situation in Iraq. ABC also managed to get an interview with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Kudos to them for getting it partially right despite the lure of going easy during the holidays. The Dodd-Graham didn't really break much new ground as the Senators exchanged ideas for and against the President's policy favoring a "surge" or increase of troops. Dodd was against it; Graham favored it. The two also differed on diplomatic approaches to Syria and Iran, with Dodd having been to Syria and in favor of more dialogue. Not surprisingly, Graham was opposed to any further diplomatic overtures to either nation.
Collectively, the shows registered only 1 progressive out of 7 guests, a new low.
Week 7 - December 24
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
How well are the Sunday News Talk shows presenting the progressive/Democratic point-of-view?
We look at the guests each show offers and award them a point for every one that is either an elected Democrat or shares the values of the progressive left and a zero for every one that does not. Generally, Democratic party guests get a 1; Republicans and all others, a zero.
Meet the Press wasn't even worth watching, but Fox News Sunday managed to lure Lynne Cheney, wife of the VP, for a pre-holiday neocon boost. Mrs. Cheney was on message, mentioning 9/11, and citing the Patriot Act, the "terrorist surveillance program" and "detainee policy" as important elements in keeping the nation safe. Mrs. Cheney had little notable to say, except for her view of Scooter Libby being on trial as "bizarre" and that his upcoming trial, "does not reflect well on our judicial system." Maybe Mrs. Cheney would like to see perjury crossed off the list of criminal offenses. Yes, "bizarre" is the operative term.
Face the Nation one-upped Fox by having Laura Bush in an "exclusive" interview. This is the equivalent of punting on second down for CBS.
ABC's This Week was the only network actually providing any substance with Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) discussing their recent trip to the Middle East and the situation in Iraq. ABC also managed to get an interview with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Kudos to them for getting it partially right despite the lure of going easy during the holidays. The Dodd-Graham didn't really break much new ground as the Senators exchanged ideas for and against the President's policy favoring a "surge" or increase of troops. Dodd was against it; Graham favored it. The two also differed on diplomatic approaches to Syria and Iran, with Dodd having been to Syria and in favor of more dialogue. Not surprisingly, Graham was opposed to any further diplomatic overtures to either nation.
Collectively, the shows registered only 1 progressive out of 7 guests, a new low.
Week 7 - December 24
| Show | Guests | Score | WeeKTotal | Cum. Total* | Cum. %** |
| Meet the Press (NBC) | Authors Dr. Rick Warren and Jon Meacham | 0 | 0-2 | 5-18 | 27.78 |
| Fox News Sunday (FOX) | Lynne Cheney, Archbishop of Washington Donald Wuerl, Anne Graham Lotz (Billy Graham's daughter). | 0 | 0-3 | 9-22 | 40.91 |
| This Week (ABC) | Senators Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. | 1 | 1-3 | 9-20 | 45.00 |
| Face the Nation (CBS) | First Lady Laua Bush | 0 | 0-1 | 6-17 | 35.29 |
| Total for week, all shows (4 weeks) | all guests | 1 | 1-7 | 29-74 | 39.19 |
*Total of progressive/Democrat guests to total # of guests.
**Total percentage of shows beginning with Sunday, November 12.
Chart updated weekly each Sunday.
How well are the Sunday News Talk shows presenting the progressive/Democratic point-of-view?
We look at the guests each show offers and award them a point for every one that is either an elected Democrat or shares the values of the progressive left and a zero for every one that does not. Generally, Democratic party guests get a 1; Republicans and all others, a zero.
Labels: media, politics, Sunday talk shows
