Gauging from the partisan guests appearing on Sunday morning talk shows, it would seem the country has gone Republican—a political party with which less than 30% of Americans identify.

 

An eight-month study (June 2011 through February 2012) of NBC’s Meet the Press, CBS’ Face the Nation, ABC’s This Week and Fox News Sunday found that 70% of single-guest interviews involved Republican politicians. More than 160 of the guest spots went to the GOP, while only 70 were given to Democrats, according to Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR).

 

FAIR also learned that Republicans enjoyed an advantage over Democrats during roundtable segments—282 vs. 164. A certain amount of skewing towards the Republicans could be expected considering that several GOP candidates were vying to win the presidential nomination, but previous studies in non-election years have shown similar tilting in favor of Republican or conservative guests.

 

Talk show producers’ penchant for choosing GOP voices seemed out of step with the general population’s support for the Republican Party. In an April 9 Gallup poll, only 29% of respondents said they were Republicans. Twenty-nine percent also identified as Democrats, with 41% saying they were independent.

 

The study also found that 86% of one-on-one interviewees were men and 92% were white.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Right and Early (by Peter Hart, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting)