Media Matters Report Shows Lack of Gender and Ethnic Diversity Persists on
Cable News Despite Imus Controversy
WASHINGTON, May 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Media Matters for America
today released "Locked Out: The Lack of Gender & Ethnic Diversity on Cable
News Continues," a special report documenting the continued lack of gender
and racial/ethnic diversity on the major prime-time cable news programs.
The weeks surrounding the controversy over Don Imus' bigoted comments
regarding the Rutgers University women's basketball team sparked a national
debate about the racial divide that persists in this country. Media
Matters' new report finds that the prime-time cable news broadcasts have
returned to the status quo that prevailed prior to the Imus controversy.
"This report documents the harsh reality that women and people of color
know all too well. Their voices are seldom heard on the major cable news
programs unless an issue of gender or race arises," said David Brock,
president and CEO of Media Matters. "The public's airwaves should reflect a
diversity of views and personalities that mirrors the great diversity of
the American people. These voices add perspective, depth, and value to the
quality of our public discourse, whatever the issue at hand. If we've
learned anything from what has transpired in the past month, it is that the
networks have the power to make this change. But despite promises made, and
the dramatic public outcry in the wake of the Imus controversy, the door to
our newsrooms still remains locked for too many Americans."
Media Matters examined the three major cable news networks -- CNN, Fox
News Channel, and MSNBC -- during viewing hours from 7 to 10 p.m.,
documenting the gender and racial/ethnic makeup of guests during the
weeknights before the Imus controversy (Monday, April 2, through Friday,
April 6), the weeknights of the Imus controversy (Monday, April 9, through
Friday, April 13), and the weeknights following the Imus controversy
(Monday, April 23, through Friday, April 27; omitting the week directly
following the Imus controversy because it was consumed almost entirely by a
single issue, the Virginia Tech shootings, and thus was atypical). The
results show that women and people of color were severely underrepresented
as guests on these cable networks in the weeks before and after the Imus
controversy, although the study found a small increase in racial/ethnic
diversity during the controversy.
KEY FINDINGS:
Despite the attention paid to racial and gender issues by the media and
the public in the wake of the Imus controversy, it appears little has been
done to address the gross underrepresentation of women and people of color
on the cable networks.
During the week of the Imus controversy, the cable networks brought on
a significant number of African-American guests. But both before and after
the controversy, members of all minority groups, including
African-Americans, were scarcely seen.
On shows airing between 4 p.m. and midnight on cable news networks
CNBC, CNN, CNN Headline News, MSNBC, and Fox News, there are 35 hosts and
co-hosts: 29 are men and 6 are women -- and all 35 are white.
In the three weeks covered by the study, less than 2 percent of the
guests on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC were Latino, despite the fact that one
out of every seven Americans is Latino. Almost half of that small number of
guest appearances by Latinos were by Geraldo Rivera.
Excluding African-Americans, in the three weeks covered by the study,
Latinos, Asian-Americans, and members of other ethnic groups never made up
more than 5 percent of the guests on any of the three cable networks, CNN,
Fox News, and MSNBC.
On none of the networks, in none of the weeks studied, did women
comprise half of the guests appearing. In some cases, they represented as
little as one-fifth of all guests.
Report is available online at:
http://www.MediaMatters.org/CableDiversity
Media Matters for Americais a not-for-profit, progressive research and
information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and
correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Media Matters for
America is the first organization to systematically monitor the media for
conservative misinformation every day, in real time. For more information,
visit http://www.MediaMatters.org.
Contact: Karl Frisch, 202-772-8156, kfrisch@mediamatters.org
SOURCE Media Matters for America
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Related links:
http://www.MediaMatters.org
CONTACT:
Karl Frisch of Media Matters,
+1-202-772-8156, kfrisch@mediamatters.org
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