Recent CMPA Work...
CMPA "Laugh Tracks" Study
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2005 Late-Night Comics' Ticket: Dubya/Jacko
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President Bush was the number one joke target on late-night television talk shows, narrowly edging out Michael Jackson. CMPA also found that there were more celebrities than politicians in the top five for the first time ever. (December 22)
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CMPA Old Dominion Study
Virginia Press Veers Right to Kilgore
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News coverage of the Virginia gubernatorial race between Tim Kaine (D) and Jerry Kilgore (R) swung towards the Republican in the second half of October. (November 4)
CMPA Supreme Court Study:
Media on Miers:
Overruled By the Right
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The media's initial portrayal of Harriet Miers' nomination to the Supreme Court highlighted a split between Republican officials and conservative pundits. (October 27)
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CMPA Old Dominion Study
Virginia Press Raises Kaine
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News and opinion coverage of the Virginia gubernatorial race betwen Timothy Kaine (D) and Jerry Kilgore (R) is more favorable towards Kaine. The coverage is mostly focused on the issues at the heart of the race, rather than the thin margin separating the two candidates. (October 21)
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CMPA Supreme Court Study:
Media Rule in Favor of Roberts
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Nearly three-fifths of the coverage of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts has been positive since his nomination. The study also found his coverage to be less critical than that of Clarence Thomas and Robert Bork. (September 12)
CMPA Presidential Study:
No Second Term Honeymoon for Bush
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Two-thirds of President George Bush's nightly news coverage was negative during the first 100 days of his second term. The study found that NBC's coverage was most favorable and ABC's was most critical. (July 11)
CMPA News Media Study:
Study Finds Big Drop in Anonymous Sourcing
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The use of anonymous sources in the media shrank by 33 percent between Ronald Reagan's first year in office and George W. Bush's first year. (May 30)
CMPA Presidential Study:
Networks Pan Bush Social Security Plan
Television news coverage of President Bush's social security overhaul was overwhelmingly negative (83 percent) during his two-month nationwide campaign. (May 16)
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Press Newspaper Release:
What's
The Matter With Kansas? Media Apathy
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Network television
news coverage of rural America in 2004 fell 23 percent from 2002 levels.
The
study also found only three percent of all the rural
coverage dealt with farming and agricultural issues. (April 11)
Press
Release:
Election
News Bad for Minority Reporters
Minority correspondents
were 23 percent less visible last year than in 2003, the third straight
presidential election year that saw a decline in minority visibility. (February
28)
Press
Release:
Network
News Flip-Flopped on Candidates
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Nightly network
news coverage of President Bush and Senator Kerry reversed course once the
debates began. CMPA also found the coverage this year more
thorough and substantive than the 2000 campaign. (November 22)
Press
Release:
Study:
Kerry Gets Best Press Ever
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John Kerry
is getting the most favorable network news coverage of any presidential
candidate in the past quarter century. CMPA also reports
that George W. Bush’s coverage is highly negative this year, but doesn’t
approach the record for bad press held by Ronald Reagan. (November 1)
CMPA
Study:
ElectionWatch
--
Network
Coverage of Campaign 2004
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CMPA's
most recent ElectionWatch
study found more substance in network coverage and disparities in how the
networks covered Bush, as well as a divide between network and Fox News
Channel coverage of John Kerry. Click here
for study. (October 20)
Press
Release:
Networks
Praise Kerry,
Fox
News Buries Him
The broadcast
TV networks and weekly news magazines favor John Kerry over George W. Bush,
according to a new study
released by the CMPA. But the study
also finds that Fox News Channel was far more negative towards Kerry than
Bush. (September 9)
Press
Release:
Media
Throw the Book at Clinton
Most reviews
of former President Bill Clinton’s memoir “My Life” have
been critical, and their negative tone is consistent with media coverage
of Clinton’s presidency. Even though Clinton received mainly bad press
as president, however, his opponents sometimes fared even worse. (July 26)
Press
Release:
Clinton
Still Commander-in-Cheek
Former President
Bill Clinton has received more abuse at the hands of the late-night comics
than current John Kerry and George Bush combined for this month. Also:
The study also found Clinton comes in third for the year-to-date, unprecedented
for an ex-President. (June 24)
Press
Release:
Study
Finds Press Praised Reagan Only After Death
The glowing
television coverage of Ronald Reagan’s death contrasted sharply with
the negative press he received during his two terms in office. Also:
The Reagan White House received the harshest first-year coverage
of any in the past 24 years. (June 24)
CAMPAIGN
2004:
The
Primaries
CMPA's new
comprehensive Media Monitor study of the tone
of primary coverage is out and available to subscribers. Key findings:
* John Kerry's
coverage was the most positive ever measured for a presidential nominee.
* Only 18%
of the primary coverage was issue-oriented; 77% was "horse race,"
focusing on poll numbers and momentum.
For information
on subscribing, click here.
Press
Release:
Bush
Whacked (May 10)
During the
11 days of the 9/11 Commission--headlined by the testimonies of Richard
Clarke and Condoleeza Rice on Capitol Hill--every opinion aired about President
Bush on the nightly newscasts was negative.
Press
Release:
Condi
in the TV Comics' Cross-hairs (April 22)
National Security
Advisor Condoleeza Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission made her
the number two target of late-night TV comedians in April, putting her in
the top ten for 2004.
ALSO:
Bill Clinton remains a main target, receiving the fourth-most
abuse despite being out of office since January 2000. (April 22nd)
Press
Release:
Networks
Tougher on Clarke Than Rice and Bush
The network
news has been far more critical of former national security official Richard
Clarke than President Bush and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice.
(April 5th)
Press
Release:
Late
Night Jokes Jab Democrats More Than Bush
More jokes
have targeted the Democratic presidential field than President Bush on the
late-night talk show monologues this year. Also: the
biggest punchlines were intelligence, personality and stance on gay marriage.
(March 22nd)
Press
Release:
Network
News Blackout:
African-American Reporters’ Visibility Worst in a Decade
African-American
network correspondents were less visible last year than at any point in
a decade. (February 26th)
Press
Release:
TV
News Turned Sour on Bush After War Ended
Positive coverage for President
Bush slipped 24 percent after the War in Iraq was declared over.
(December 17)
CMPA In the News...
Is That A Joke?
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The Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial page discussed CMPA's study of the year's political comedy trends. (December 30)
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Upheaval Was 2005's Dominant Media Theme
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CMPA President Robert Lichter spoke with the Boston Globe about the many changes in the mainstream media in 2005 -- from anchors to economics. (December 25)
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The Merging of Media and Technology
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With iPods, TiVo, video-on-demand and personalized news sites giving us exactly what we want when we want, are we missing out on media sauntering? CMPA spoke with the Boston Globe. (December 25)
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CMPA on MSNBC
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CMPA was invited onto MSNBC to discuss the top late-night joke targets of 2005, and what trends can be seen in the content of comedy monologues. (December 27)
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CMPA on MSNBC
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When it was found that the New York Times sat on a story detailing President Bush's decision to use the NSA for domestic intelligence, MSBNC turnd to CMPA for an explanation of how and why it happened. (December 20)
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DVD/TiVo Marathons -- A New Trend in Viewing
With more consumers choosing to spend their free time with DVDs and recorded television programming, a number of young Americans are becoming "DVD MIAs," CMPA told the Dallas Morning News. (December 15)
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CMPA on NPR
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CMPA was invited onto Washington, DC's NPR affiliate to discuss the numerous questions surrounding the Pentagon's outsourced PR campaign to insert newspapers articles in Iraq's newspapers. (December 14)
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FCC's A La Carte Pricing Has Hidden Cost
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Will the FCC's a la carte pricing suggestion save Americans mony but cost us in watercooler chatter? United Press International asked CMPA. (December 6)
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Sex Is Back
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In the wake of Janet Jackson's Super Bowl performance, CBS nixed plans to air a "Victoria's Secret" special. With CBS airing the special this year, does this mean the media climate has changed? CMPA spoke to the Hartford Courant. (December 5)
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Media Coverage Tilts the Balance of Justice
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In light of a Florida story that became a national fixation, CMPA was cited in Florida newspapers, pushing for gender-neutral coverage in pedophilia cases. (November 25)
Has Hidden Advertising Gone Too Far?
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With TiVo and DVDs making commercials nearly obsolete, advertisers increasingly have to slip in product placement -- much to the dismay of writers. CMPA spoke to the Christian Science Monitor about this issue. (November 16)
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CMPA on NPR's
"On the Media"
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In light of the CMPA study finding Milwaukee news stations paid little attention to local elections in 2004, CMPA President Dr. Robert Lichter was interviewed on National Public Radio. (November 11)
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A Free Pass For Kaine?
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The CMPA Old Dominion study of the Virginia Governor's race inspired a Washington Times editorial noting the clear anti-Kilgore tone in top state newspapers. (November 7)
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Anderson Cooper Replaces Aaron Brown on CNN
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CMPA was featured in the Boston Globe, discussing CNN's decision to move Anderson Cooper into the 10pm "NewsNight" timeslot previously held by Aaron Brown. (November 7)
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Tasers to Offer Stun Gun Cameras
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With Taser unveiling their new product that includes a camera to record how the weapon was used, CMPA was in USA Today discussing what this would mean to the media. (November 7)
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CMPA Study Inspires Wisc. Activist Campaign
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After CMPA found that Milwaukee TV stations gave local elections scant coverage, media activist groups in that area are petitioning the FCC to deny these local outlets their broadcast license renewals. (November 3)
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Will Newspapers Tilt VA Governor's Race?
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The Washingtonian reported on the CMPA study showing Virginia newspapers favoring Democrat Timothy Kaine. CMPA President Robert Lichter observed "in a very close race, a solid front of positive opinions on one side can hurt the other." (October 28)
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Dawn of the Dead
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Bush's coverage has become increasingly critical, but what's noteworthy is the amount of negativity from the President's usual supporters. CMPA President Robert Lichter told the Boston Phoenix "When reporters go to natural supporters and they provide the criticism, you’re a goner...." (October 21)
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Crawford Defends Journalists
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Political commentator Craig Crawford has a new book out, making the point that media bashing has become a political tactic unto itself. The Washingtonian discussed this thesis with CMPA. (October 14)
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Surviving the Shrinking News Cycle
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With cable and the Internet making the news industry an immediate business, how do the once-a-day nightly newscasts remain relevant? CMPA President Robert Lichter told CBS Public Eye that
"they have to cover trends, lifestyles, things that go beyond what you get on cable news." (October 4th)
CMPA on NPR
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Why does it take a catastropic hurricane to lure the media towards rural America? CMPA's study "Media Coverage of Rural America" spurred a discussion on the rural/urban divide.(Click here to listen)
Click here for CMPA's study of Rural News Coverage.
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Media Outlets Exaggerated New Orleans' Woes
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In the wake of the media frenzy following Hurricane Katrina, diligent journalists began making corrections. CMPA observations were read in the St. Petersburg Times. (September 28)
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TV Reporters Stand Their Ground With Katrina Coverage
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The primary lesson of Katrina media coverage? Reconnecting journalists with those who feel policy, not just the policy makers, observed CMPA in the Austin American-Statesman. (September 16)
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Storm Hype-casts Common On Cable Television
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The fever pitch of cable news coverage makes it easy for the media to cover true disasters, CMPA told the Washington Times. (September 16)
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Human After All?
CBS unveiled its "Public Eye" bureau this week, and one of their first interviews featured CMPA. (September 13)
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John Roberts, Blown Away?
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The Washington Post reported on the CMPA study on media coverage given to Supreme Court nominee John Roberts. (September 12)
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Katrina May Unleash a Media Storm
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The devastation in New Orleans may be a lingering story in the news media for months, CMPA President Robert Lichter told USA Today. The Katrina story "doesn't just have legs, it has tentacles," he said. "Its implications reach into hot-button controversies involving race, poverty, economics and partisan politics. The reach of this story will make the O.J. Simpson case look like a news brief." (September 6th)
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Bob Costas Says No To Hour on Aruba
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CMPA's study of cable news networks' fascination with Natalee Holloway was cited in the New York Times account of the frenzy. (August 24)
Mission for Former Marine: Al Jazeera
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When the Baltimore Sun broke the story that "Control Room" star Josh Rushing had been hired by Al Jazeera, they interviewed CMPA for perspective. (August 18)
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Hammering Away in Aruba
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CMPA's research of the media frenzy surrounding Natalee Holloway was the subject of an Associated Press article. (August 11)
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Jennings Death Diminishes a 'Competitive Brotherhood'
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Peter Jennings' passing marks the end of sage anchors, and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette spoke with CMPA about the transition. (August 9)
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Nowhere to Go But Up
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The Washington Post reported on CMPA's study that showed President Bush's coverage was better in the first 100 days of his second term than those of his first. (July 11)
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Reporters Give Terrorists an Added Weapon
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CMPA was published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution -- pointing out that journalists have become "de facto publicists for terrorists" -- and offered a few suggestions for reporters who want to cover terrorism but not assist terrorists. (July 11)
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American Journalism Review-A Story At Last
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CMPA President Robert Lichter discussed the Downing Street Memo story with the American Journalism Review. With regards to whether the media was obligated to cover the story, Lichter observed “Covering a story in the absence of newsmakers is the proper sphere of news judgment. That's what journalists go to school for--to make those kinds of decisions." (June 30)
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Time Magazine to Give Up Reporter’s Notes
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With Time magazine giving up Matthew Cooper’s notes to the federal leak proceedings, Newsday asked CMPA what it meant for press freedoms. (July 1)
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CMPA on NPR
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On NPR's "Talk of the Nation," CMPA discussed the Supreme Court's decision to not hear the appeal of journalists Matthew Cooper and Judith Miller. (June 27)
Bias in Public Broadcasting?
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US News and World Report cited CMPA's research on PBS programming -- showing mixed results in terms of biased content -- in its coverage of the current PBS debate. (June 23)
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Proving the Value of Secret Sources
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CMPA discussed the great timing of Deep Throat's stepping forward with the San Jose Mercury-News. (June 1)
CMPA in Washington Post
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The Washington Post covered CMPA's May 30 study showing that anonymous sources declined over twenty years. As for the assumption that "off the record" journalism is on the rise, CMPA President Robert Lichter observed "you don't get credit for naming your sources, just like it's not news when planes don't crash, so when one does it always seems like air travel is unsafe." (May 30)
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CMPA on "Marketplace"
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Newspaper circulations slid 1.9% last year, according to a recent study. CMPA was interviewed by Kai Ryssdal of "Marketplace" about the reasons behind this trend. (May 6)
Press
Willfully Ignorant of U.S. Rural Life
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The Washington
Times reported on CMPA's study showing the
media's aversion to rural issues. According to CMPA President
Robert Lichter, "to most TV reporters in the coastal network bureaus,
middle America is a big red question mark." (April 11)
Additional
Coverage of the Study:
The findings were discussed on NPR's "Talk
of the Nation" (click
show title for audio)
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Study:
TV News Featuring Fewer Minorities
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Unfortunately
for non-white network newscasters, election years cost them visibility,
according to a CMPA study. "The networks always
turn to their familiar faces when it comes time to cover the presidential
campaigns," noted CMPA President Robert Lichter. "Unfortunately
for minority correspondents, familiar is a synonym for white.” (February
28)
Uproar
Brings Focus on Bloggers
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After an anonymous
rumor about a politician appeared on the web, blogs (short for "weblogs")
are in the media crosshairs. CMPA was interviewed in the Washington Post about the "blogosphere." (February
11)
The
Changing Face of Network News
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With Dan Rather
retiring soon, there is rampant speculation about the future of network
anchors. A panel of hosts? Expand nightly news to an hour? CMPA weighed in on the topic.
(January 23)
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Coverage of CMPA
Study
"Kerry Gets
Best Press Ever"
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Washington
Post--"Campaign
'04, Bar Trivia '05"
Washington
Times--"Study
Finds Press Pro-Kerry"
(November 1)
Pop
Culture Saturates Presidential Campaign
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USA
Today interviewed CMPA about the pop culture surge of politics in America.
(October 27)
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Coverage of CMPA's
Campaign 2004 News Study
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CMPA's
ElectionWatch study found a dip in John Kerry's
coverage after Labor Day. The study also found a surprising rise in substantive
news coverage in the media.
Associated
Press (October 20)
Evening
News Concentrating More On Substance
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Washington
Post (October 18)
Balance
In a Spinning World
The News in Red
and Blue
The Washington
Post covered CMPA's data
finding a stark contrast in how the networks portray the presidential candidates
and how Fox News Channel reports on them. (September 27)
Terrorists'
Visual Warfare Uses Media as a Weapon
In the Christian
Science Monitor, CMPA authored a piece pointing out that journalists have become "de facto publicists for terrorists."
