#media coverage

During the four nights of the two Democratic presidential primary debates in June and July, Fox News outpaced CNN and MSNBC in the amount of time it gave to abortion coverage even though the network didn’t host either debate. 

In fact, during this week’s debate, CNN moderators failed to ask a single question about abortion, even though a Morning Consult/Politico poll found that abortion legislation was one of the top three issues that Democratic voters wanted to hear about during the debates. 

If moderators don’t take the time to ask abortion-related questions, right-wing media will continue dominating the discussion and will keep spreading anti-choice misinformation unabated on their own platforms.

During CNN’s two-night Democratic presidential primary debate in Detroit on July 30 and 31, only 9.5% of the questions were about climate change. Yet the climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues facing the nation and the world, and it is imperative that the public knows what candidates propose to do to move us towards a clean economy and a livable climate. 

Climate activists are redoubling their calls for one of the remaining 10 planned debates to be dedicated entirely to the climate crisis.

Cable news frequently calls Democrats, activists, and progressive ideas “far left.” By contrast, variations of the term “far-right” are used far less often.

This trend is in stark contrast to data showing that the Republican Party is further away from the political center than the Democratic Party, leaving viewers misinformed about each party’s position by lending undue credibility to the right-wing talking point that Democrats are extreme. 

With the 2020 Democratic presidential debates in full swing, gun violence prevention experts want moderators of upcoming debates to ask candidates fact-based questions about firearm policy. 

In the past, gun safety platforms have failed to break through during both primary and general presidential debates. In this election cycle, moderator Chuck Todd did bring up gun safety during the first democratic presidential primary debate on June 26, but he adopted a right-wing talking point that strengthening gun laws would require confiscation of people’s privately owned firearms, serving as an example of how not to question the candidates about their platforms. 

Media Matters asked several gun safety experts how they’d like to see future debate moderators tackle questions about gun policy—here are some of their responses.

Reporting on the recent heat wave that affected more than 150 million Americans, meteorologist and CBS weather contributor Jeff Berardelli noted the link between climate change and extreme heat waves on the July 18 episode of CBS This Morning. That’s an all-too-rare occurrence on broadcast TV news programs: out of 127 segments they aired last year during a heat wave, only one, on CBS This Morning, mentioned climate change. 

It is extremely important that networks connect climate change to extreme heat and extreme weather in general. The science linking climate change and extreme heat is very strong, and climate change has increased the frequency, size, and duration of extreme heat events.

At a rally in North Carolina on Wednesday night, Trump lashed out at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), doubling down on the racist tweets he sent earlier this week, and the crowd began chanting “Send her back!”⁠⁠

This blatant white nationalism didn’t arise out of nowhere—it is the direct result of the Fox-Trump feedback loop, in which Trump constantly seeks approval from the Fox commentators he watches and bases his messaging and decisions on Fox programming. 

On Sunday, Trump tweeted openly racist remarks aimed at four progressive democratic congresswomen. Yet many tweets and headlines from media outlets failed to accurately label his tweets as racism. The media has a responsibility to call out Trump’s racism, not skirt around the issue.

Dr. Genevieve Guenther’s got it exactly right: climate change is real and it’s affecting communities around the world. Even one year later, news outlets are not giving climate change the attention it deserves. Media need to stop neglecting to inform the public about how the climate crisis is connected to extreme weather and so much else.

Read her full thread with more examples of climate silence.

In Marie Claire, civil rights attorney Monica Ramirez shares her expertise and dispels right-wing media myths about asylum seekers and the border crisis.

Over the weekend, folks in the LGBTQ community celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. This illustrated history of Stonewall by LA Johnson for NPR is a great example of the many ways media outlets can amplify LGBTQ voices and stories during pride month and beyond. 

Via @NPR:

“Why We Remember Stonewall: An Illustrated History. The Stonewall Inn is a sacred place for many in the LGBTQ community. Fifty years ago, a raid and series of riots outside the New York City bar helped launch a civil rights movement. LA Johnson illustrates the story of Stonewall and its aftermath in 10 frames.” 

Gen Z energy

TheToday show’s “Pride50 series” aired a segment focused on gender identity and expression. Gen Z youth and their parents shared thoughts on gender and acceptance. The series is presented in honor of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots.

This is a great example of how the media should be centering LGBTQ voices in their reporting—by talking to LGBTQ individuals and highlighting different types of stories.

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing the world, and polling shows that American voters rank climate change as a top concern this election cycle.

It’s crucial that during the presidential debates, voters hear the candidates’ positions and policy proposals on climate change. Ahead of the first Democratic primary debates next week, here are some ways that the debate moderators can center climate change in their questions.

Great news this Pride month: The Williams Policy Institute estimates that more than 10,000 youth have been protected from the harms of conversion therapy thanks to the work of folks like Sam Brinton at Trevor Project.

The conversion therapy industry seeks to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of LGBTQ people, and its practitioners are profiting off of the harm and sometimes eventual death of the queer and trans individuals subjected to this torture.

Media outlets can do their part by reporting the facts about the dangers of conversion therapy without giving airtime to proponents of a harmful practice.

Climate activists are calling on the Democratic National Committee to make climate change the sole focus of at least one of its 12 planned presidential primary debates, and activists will be presenting petition signatures to the DNC headquarters this Wednesday.

Having a dedicated climate debate is crucial, but a Media Matters study found that only 1.5% of debate questions in the 2016 presidential primaries were about climate change. As the climate crisis worsens, it is imperative that the public knows what candidates propose to do to move us toward a clean economy and a stable, livable climate.

During Pride Month and beyond, media need to shed light on the mistreatment of LGBTQ asylum seekers who are detained in ICE custody, especially the experiences of trans women. Longer lengths of stay, use of solitary confinement, and instances of abuse are more common for LGBTQ asylum seekers, and in order to hold the Trump administration accountable, media must bring these actions to light.

Multiple shootings struck at least seven cities across the country over Memorial Day weekend, but cable news outlets spent less than two minutes covering the tragedies over a six day period.

Cable news has struggled to cover all types of gun homicides, including mass shootings. While some mass shootings spur wall-to-wall coverage, others do not. When cable news does cover mass shootings, the coverage often focuses on breaking news and updates and not how to address gun violence.

Cable news can and should do better.

It’s International Sex Workers Day!

It’s always a good day for journalists to talk to sex workers about their stories and how they are impacted by criminalization.

Happy Pride!

We’re kicking off Pride Month with a list of items that we think media should keep in mind when reporting on the LGBTQ community this month and year-round.

Outlets must ensure that their reporting centers the voices of marginalized people and does not reduce the plight of real people to a controversial issue up for public debate.

When you’re reporting on a community, talk to the people in that community.

When you’re reporting on a movement, talk to the people in that movement.