A survey by Media Matters of all of the cable news coverage of the News Corp phone hacking scandal found that Fox News has devoted considerably less time to covering it than CNN and MSNBC.
According to the report Thursday, from July 4th to July 13th (Wednesday), “CNN reported on the developing story in 109 segments, MSNBC covered the story in 71 segments, and Fox News covered the story in 30 segments.”
Media Matters For America, an organization which describes itself as a monitor of “conservative disinformation”, has long had a favorite subject in Fox News.
Fox News — not usually accused of underplaying a story — is owned by News Corp., which also owns the Wall Street Journal, and New York Post in the United States.
The story related to allegations that reporters working for News Of The World, a News Corp. publication in the United Kingdom, hacked into the phone records of murder and terrorism victims, and even some celebrities and public officials. There have already been nine arrests made in connection with the allegations (read more here).
TPM surveyed a number of segments that the network did devote to the issue, and found that Fox News predominantly played the story pretty straight, with a “just the facts” approach to the details coming out of Britain. In most cases, the segments about News Of The World were deferred to Fox News’ London correspondent Amy Kellogg.
You can see an example of coverage from Tuesday here and Wednesday here.
Jillian Rayfield
Jillian Rayfield is a Reporter/Blogger for TPM, and started as a News Intern in May 2009. She graduated from Cornell University in May 2008 with a degree in Film, and worked as a Research Assistant for a market research firm in London in between.
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