MSNBC Is the Most Influential Network Among Liberals—And It’s Ignoring Bernie Sanders

[Tracygill]

MSNBC Is the Most Influential Network Among Liberals—And It’s Ignoring Bernie Sanders

When the network’s primetime pundits do cover Sanders, they cover him more negatively than Elizabeth Warren and Joe Biden.

inthesetimes.com

Once known as the lone, forthright voice of liberalism on cable news, MSNBC began a lurch to the center in 2015 with its new chairman, Andrew Lack, going on a conservative pundit hiring spree and shedding the network's "Lean Forward" branding.

Even so, MSNBC is positioned to have an outsized influence on the 2020 Democratic presidential primary. According to the Norman Lear Center, liberals watch MSNBC at (respectively) three and 10 times the rate of more moderate and conservative viewers. After Fox News, MSNBC is the most-watched cable news network, beating out CNN. What's more, the median age of MSNBC's audience is 65—and older voters turn out in high numbers in primary contests.

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To understand how MSNBC may be shaping the 2020 election, In These Times analyzed the network's August and September coverage of the Democratic presidential contest's leading candidates—Sen. Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren. We focused on the network's flagship primetime shows: The 11th Hour with Brian Williams, All In with Chris Hayes, The Beat with Ari Melber, Hardball with Chris Matthews, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell and The Rachel Maddow Show.

In These Times tallied how often the three candidates were discussed and logged whether the coverage was positive, negative or neutral. For example, while poll results by themselves (whether favorable or unfavorable to a candidate) were simply logged as neutral, commentary about a candidate "surging" was logged as positive and "stagnant" as negative. Clips and previews for upcoming segments were not included.

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The coverage quickly revealed a pattern. Over the two months, these six programs focused on Biden, often to the exclusion of Warren and Sanders. Sanders received not only the least total coverage (less than one-third of Biden's), but the most negative. As to the substance, MSNBC's reporting revolved around poll results and so-called electability.

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Overall, MSNBC's primary coverage was devoid of policy discussion. Viewers were told often that Warren "has a plan for everything"—but not what those plans might contain.

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Sanders and Warren released, respectively, eight and 10 detailed policy plans over this two-month period, covering topics from investing in rural America, empowering indigenous people, getting to 100% renewable energy and muzzling corporate lobbyists (Warren) to workplace democracy, a Green New Deal, housing for all and a wealth tax (Sanders). Most of these 18 plans were ignored by MSNBC, and only two were discussed in any depth: Hayes interviewed Sanders about his August 22 Green New Deal plan and Maddow interviewed Warren about her September 16 anti-corruption plan. (Biden, for his part, introduced zero plans.)

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Instead, MSNBC's coverage builds around incoming poll results, which may be cause for concern. Social scientists have long been critical of the way polls can shape news coverage, as poll coverage risks calcifying what might otherwise be fleeting shifts in popular opinion. The hosts In These Times analyzed occasionally acknowledged that polls are not always reliable, but relied on them anyway. Only Melber explicitly dismissed polls, saying "they don't matter right now," reporting instead on online donation numbers. He was alone in mentioning Sanders' historic surge in small-dollar donations.

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MSNBC has close ties to a Democratic establishment that finds the politics of Biden (and even Warren) more palatable than Sanders' "political revolution." In the leadup to the 2016 primary, MSNBC frequently drew hosts and guests from Hillary Clinton's campaign. According to the New York Times and other outlets, in the lead-up to the race for the Democratic nomination, this same establishment— including former Clinton staffers and donors—has held secret meetings to strategize how to stop Sanders.

Once the primaries are over, the election will be decided by the turnout and preferences of voters who pay little or no attention to MSNBC, or cable news in general. But at the moment, as the Iowa caucuses near, MSNBC has a powerful bullhorn. In 2016, the Democratic establishment backed the "safest," most "electable" candidate in Hillary Clinton, with disastrous results. It bears asking if they're repeating the same mistake.

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Spoiler: Tweet

Adam H. Johnson ✔
@adamjohnsonNYC

The most notable thing about this report is how conservative it was. The survey didn't include consistently anti-Sanders shows AM Joy and Stephanie Ruhle so it's almost certainly an undercount.

Krystal Ball, Saagar Enjeti and Katie Halper discussed the article on a recent episode of Rising.





Do you think MSNBC are neutral when they cover Bernie Sanders?

 

[Madison]

Sam Seder had an interesting interpretation of Bernie erasure. He described it as "people in media dont think he has any shot oof winning so theres no point in caring about him". So its an attempt to make him lose, its that they think he will 100% lose so they dont even think about him.


Time will tell if such is true but the reactions we would see if he managed to win Iowa would be historic.

 

[Huskman]

MSNBC is definitely not neutral when covering Sanders. I'm a hard-left dem and MSNBC honestly makes me cringe sometimes.

 

[Sweeney Swift]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

 

[lmcfigs]

Sam Seder had an interesting interpretation of Bernie erasure. He described it as "people in media dont think he has any shot oof winning so theres no point in caring about him". So its an attempt to make him lose, its that they think he will 100% lose so they dont even think about him.


Time will tell if such is true but the reactions we would see if he managed to win Iowa would be historic.

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Yes I think Sam is right. I think it's just peoples dismissing him as a candidate

 

[demondance]

Sam Seder had an interesting interpretation of Bernie erasure. He described it as "people in media dont think he has any shot oof winning so theres no point in caring about him". So its an attempt to make him lose, its that they think he will 100% lose so they dont even think about him.


Time will tell if such is true but the reactions we would see if he managed to win Iowa would be historic.

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They didn't think Trump had any chance either. Didn't stop them from turning every news network into a glorified #TrumpWatch direct feed.

 

[Cyanity]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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Is this a joke post?

 

[spam musubi]

They didn't think Trump had any chance either. Didn't stop them from turning every news network into a glorified #TrumpWatch direct feed.

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Bernie isn't a trainwreck to watch that brings in ad dollars.

 

[demondance]

Bernie isn't a trainwreck to watch that brings in ad dollars.

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Very true. But even when he is getting endorsements from, and appearing on stage with, the exact politicians who every single network clogs their airtime with... and he still doesn't get much coverage for it?

C'mon now.

Meanwhile these very serious people can't stop pointing cameras at Pete Buttigieg.

 

[spam musubi]

Very true. But even when he is getting endorsements from, and appearing on stage with, the exact politicians who every single network clogs their airtime with... and he still doesn't get much coverage for it?

C'mon now.

Meanwhile these very serious people can't stop pointing cameras at Pete Buttigieg.

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Oh yeah, I agree. I just wanted to get in the dig that the news networks exist for the ad dollar, not spreading the news.

 

[AdrianG4]

Well, the numbers are right there and if you care about statistics, then this article is pretty easy to agree with and see their main point. I know that a lot of people scoff at users calling major news outlets like MSNBC "Fake News" and at the thought of criticizing major news outlets on this board, but please don't get in bed with mainstream media just because they talk shit about Donald Trump. A lot of these networks are still capable of being complete scum.

 

[Vilix]

If msnbc is ignoring Sanders it's doing it's viewers a favor. As much as the sanders supporters want him to be president he is unelectable. While I would have no problem supporting sanders I would support a coffee table over what we have now.

 

[JamRock7]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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"They tell me what I wanna hear!"

 

[demondance]

Well, the numbers are right there and if you care about statistics, then this article is pretty easy to agree with and see their main point. I know that a lot of people scoff at users calling major news outlets like MSNBC "Fake News" and at the thought of criticizing major news outlets on this board, but please don't get in bed with mainstream media just because they talk shit about Donald Trump. A lot of these networks are still capable of being complete scum.

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It doesn't even mean you shouldn't watch them or anything. Every single news source has some kind of point of view that colors much of their work. Just know what you're getting into and consume the news accordingly.

 

[Ensorcell]

Biased against Bernie? I don't seem to notice that. However, you can tell some of them have a problem with and are scared of Warren so I'm not sure why the article is insinuating she is MSNBC's darling.

 

[chainlinkspiral]

Hadn't really noticed, but there's nothing like a fresh Bernie grievance thread.

 

[SurrenderDorothy]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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This is probably the saddest post I've seen in a while lmfao.

 

[BadAss2961]

I watch a lot of MSNBC and don't get this impression at all.

Like everything else, Trump and his carnival of stupid dominates most of the coverage. But when they do talk the democratic race, there isn't really a lean any which way.

 

[lmcfigs]

Hope they found the hackers that left all those homophobic posts on Joy Reid's blog

 

[Afrikan]

Well, the numbers are right there and if you care about statistics, then this article is pretty easy to agree with and see their main point. I know that a lot of people scoff at users calling major news outlets like MSNBC "Fake News" and at the thought of criticizing major news outlets on this board, but please don't get in bed with mainstream media just because they talk shit about Donald Trump. A lot of these networks are still capable of being complete scum.

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Yes but... fact don't mean anything for folks who follow their emotion instead. Similar to another voter base. 🤔

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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If msnbc is ignoring Sanders it's doing it's viewers a favor. As much as the sanders supporters want him to be president he is unelectable. While I would have no problem supporting sanders I would support a coffee table over what we have now.

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Hadn't really noticed, but there's nothing like a fresh Bernie grievance thread.

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[Jeb]

Shit US media channel like the rest.

Never trust a corporations.

 

[gutter_trash]

Sanders isn't a Democrat

 

[Richiek]

Well MSNBC is owned by Comcast, so I can see why Sanders is ignored by them. However, they do cover Warren alot more than Sanders.

 

[Boiled Goose]

Msnbc is pro centrist liberal Democrats. It's not progressive. It's definitely pro corporate.

It's no covering Bernie Sanders fairly but honestly no one is watching network news. Definitely not young people that like Bernie.

 

[ZeoVGM]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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Shit-posting is cool, I guess.

 

[Boiled Goose]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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Honestly, it's mostly corporate curated garbage.

 

[Afrikan]

Don't forget Comcast owns NBC.... Bernie is their #1 enemy. And of course they love Biden in comparison.

Day after Comcast exec holds fundraiser, NBC News exec joins Biden's campaign

 

[Richiek]

Don't forget Comcast owns NBC.... Bernie is their #1 enemy. And of course they love Biden in comparison.

Day after Comcast exec holds fundraiser, NBC News exec joins Biden's campaign

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Warren has been covered pretty heavily by MSNBC though, and the billionaires have not looked favorably towards her.

 

[JABEE]

It will be interesting to see what MSNBC does if/when Sanders wins the nomination. Will they wait until after the election to try to undermine the progressive/anti-corporate fight?

 

[BobLoblaw]

Sanders isn't a Democrat

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This. They should focus on Democrats if they're gonna be "biased."

 

[Deleted member 6582]

Bernie isn't as interesting as he used to be. Networks are about ratings. You can be bitter because Bernie is your candidate but at the same time it means we've politically matured that Bernie's message isn't so unique. It's Warren that stole his spotlight, socialism is healthy.

 

[chaostrophy]

MSNBC is no better than Fox News in how it caters to the rich. Fuck them.

 

[Deleted member 6230]

Sanders isn't a Democrat

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This fact doesn't seem relevant

 

[Baji Boxer]

Important to note that their top shows (Maddow, O'donnell, and Hayes) are all Bernie positive. And 4/6 on the posted chart give far more Bernie positive news than negative.

So while the guy running the news network is Mr. Both Sides (hiring some Fox News rejects), viewers are gravitating to the shows that put Bernie in a positive light.

 

[FPX]

Happy to continue watching MSNBC, my favorite news channel 😍

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If msnbc is ignoring Sanders it's doing it's viewers a favor. As much as the sanders supporters want him to be president he is unelectable. While I would have no problem supporting sanders I would support a coffee table over what we have now.

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Hadn't really noticed, but there's nothing like a fresh Bernie grievance thread.

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You sound like Fox News loyalists and T_D users.

 

[Chaos Legion]

Well MSNBC is owned by Comcast, so I can see why Sanders is ignored by them. However, they do cover Warren alot more than Sanders.

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If Comcast wants Biden to win and are illegally forcing their media arm to attack Sanders, why does Biden not have the best positive mentions and coverage?

If Comcast is forced to divest NBCUniversal, Disney bought Fox assets for $70 billion. NBCUniversal and Sky are significantly larger so, would that company all of a sudden become Era-level of worship of Sanders, without their evil Comcast overlords?

 

[Deleted member 22750]

It's beyond obvious

 

[mutantmagnet]

Sam Seder had an interesting interpretation of Bernie erasure. He described it as "people in media dont think he has any shot oof winning so theres no point in caring about him". So its an attempt to make him lose, its that they think he will 100% lose so they dont even think about him.


Time will tell if such is true but the reactions we would see if he managed to win Iowa would be historic.

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Didn't watch that segment but I would think he's implying that the media assumes Sanders can't beat Trump instead of not winning the primary.

 

[Deleted member 16365]

Msmbc isn't progressive liberal it's moderate Democrat. It's easy to get confused when 90% of the coverage is antiTrump but if you watch more than one show you'll see the skew to the middle left of nearly every issue.

 

[mutantmagnet]

Msmbc isn't progressive liberal it's moderate Democrat. It's easy to get confused when 90% of the coverage is antiTrump but if you watch more than one show you'll see the skew to the middle left of nearly every issue.

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It doesn't matter what MSNBC is as long as their audience is significantly more liberal than the audience that watches cnn and fox.

 

[TheAbsolution]

Hmm, seems like a few hosts (Williams & Matthews) have a bone to pick especially with Bernie and the rest seem to like him or at least treat him neutrally. Biden getting less positive coverage is not surprising to me tbh, he's run a terrible campaign so far.

 

[Stinkles]

They don't have any really pro Bernie show hosts. They did a great interview AOC last night though as a Bernie proxy and gave her a real spotlight.

It's also not pro Warren. Maybe it's selection bias but my broad takeaway right now is that they're not pro Biden and ignore him as a politician and cover him as a Trump scandal.

I can't tell which candidate they like the best in a holistic sense.

 

[lmcfigs]

If Comcast wants Biden to win and are illegally forcing their media arm to attack Sanders, why does Biden not have the best positive mentions and coverage?

If Comcast is forced to divest NBCUniversal, Disney bought Fox assets for $70 billion. NBCUniversal and Sky are significantly larger so, would that company all of a sudden become Era-level of worship of Sanders, without their evil Comcast overlords?

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Yeah way to miss the argument

Didn't watch that segment but I would think he's implying that the media assumes Sanders can't beat Trump instead of not winning the primary.

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Sam is saying that people don't see Sanders as a serious candidate period.

 

[fontguy]

Name one profit-driven enterprise that isn't.

 

[Tamanon]

Graph sure looks like it's a pro-Warren bias amongst opinion hosts. That's a lot of negative Biden coverage too. I think the Warren positivity is because she's a)newer and b)baggage free.

 

[Faintcolt388301]

Are there networks people prefer? I watch MSNBC mainly for maddow. I'll occasionally throw something on in the morning for background noise. Would like to find some actual good coverage and reporters.

 

[Deleted member 4614]

Folks whining about evil media forget that this is very much a battle, and if your political MO is to attack special interests then it will be harder to find allies. It shouldn't piss you off it should confirm what you already believe about Bernie, that he's out to fight all the bad guys at once.

 

[Deleted member 1086]

it's a branch of NBC, the company that employed and covered up for Matt Lauer. Some trustworthy channel indeed.

 

[Pandora012]

What I'm seeing are the 3 big night names treating Bernie fairly i guess since they arent just negative. Bernie and Warren are in parity with them.... Williams is well, Williams pretty sure he's a conservative. Matthews, him too. They aren't like Trump supporters, just not as left leaning as the others. Ari, dunno much about him. With that said.....i don't think MSNBC has a bone to pick with Bernie. Seems more localized to certain personalities. And not even the ones that matter for ratings.

If anything most of the negativity is Biden.

 

[ArkhamFantasy]

Always play the victim, always. No matter what.