Study: Nets Promote Liberal Gun Control Policies Over Gun Rights 17 to 1 in El Paso/Dayton Coverage

Geoffrey Dickens
NewsBusters
Aug. 09, 2019

When network anchors and correspondents weren’t blaming Donald Trump’s rhetoric for last weekend’s shootings, they filled their morning shows with anti-gun rights rhetoric and hyped liberal gun control efforts.

In the wake of the El Paso and Dayton shootings, the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) networks have exploited those tragedies to advance their anti-gun rights agenda.

In just five days (August 4 through August 8) of coverage, the networks filled their morning show programs with statements favoring gun control over gun rights by a ratio of roughly 17 to 1.

That was three times more slanted than the 5 to 1 ratio the MRC found in network coverage of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting.

MRC analysts reviewed all statements that took a position on overall gun policy by anchors, reporters, guests and soundbites, beginning with the morning of August 4 through the morning of August 8, and found time spent arguing in favor of more gun control (35 minutes, 30 seconds) overwhelmed time devoted to supporting gun rights (2 minutes and 28 seconds.)

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