Media Research Center: Networks Running Cover for Democrats Throughout Shutdown
“hammered both congressional Republicans and President Trump with a wall of negative shutdown coverage, while largely shielding Democrats from blame for the now-historic gridlock”
The Media Research Center, the organization behind NewsBusters, conducted a comprehensive analysis of media coverage throughout the government shutdown and found that the networks have been running defense for Democrats.
This should surprise no one on the right. Although the media’s influence has been greatly diminished in recent years, they still act as the public relations arm of the Democratic Party.
FOX News reports:
ABC, NBC, CBS provide Democrat-friendly coverage of government shutdown, study says
ABC, CBS and NBC have provided Democrat-friendly coverage of the 2025 government shutdown, according to a new study from the Media Research Center.
The conservative media watchdog examined ABC’s “World News Tonight,” “NBC Nightly News” and “CBS Evening News” from Oct. 1-31, and found that the networks have “hammered both congressional Republicans and President Trump with a wall of negative shutdown coverage, while largely shielding Democrats from blame for the now-historic gridlock.”
The study found that 87 percent of the coverage on the trio of evening newscasts “heavily favored” Democrats over Republicans, according to MRC senior research analyst Bill D’Agostino.
More from NewsBusters:
STUDY: TV News Spends Shutdown Playing Defense for Democrats
For the past month the big three broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, and NBC) have hammered both Congressional Republicans and President Trump with a wall of negative shutdown coverage, while largely shielding Democrats from blame for the now-historic gridlock.
MRC analysts examined every evening newscast on ABC, CBS, and NBC between October 1 and October 31, 2025. Across the 67 reports and news briefs which discussed the government shutdown, 87 percent of the coverage favored Democrats. Analysts found 83 evaluative statements in which anchors or reporters were critical of Republicans, but just twelve criticizing Democrats.
Summary of Findings
- Broadcast shutdown coverage heavily favored Democrats over Republicans (87% to 13%).
- Only 12 reports (less than one fifth) even mentioned that Senate Democrats had refused to vote for a clean continuing resolution.
- Not a single report mentioned that Democrats voted back in March to end the same Obamacare subsidies which they’re now demanding.
Democrats Routinely Shielded from Blame
Coverage across all three networks was conspicuously vague about how the shutdown even had occurred. There were only 12 instances in which any of the three outlets hinted that Senate Democrats had voted repeatedly against a continuing resolution. On both ABC and CBS, only 12.5 percent of reports on either network mentioned this basic detail. On NBC, that fact was included in just 31 percent of newscasts.
It’s always the same thing with the media. If the government shuts down while Democrats are in charge, it’s the fault of Republicans. If the Republicans are in charge and the government shuts down, that’s also the fault of Republicans.
Heads I win, tails you lose. Every single time.
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Comments
What a surprise
I wonder what the founders would think of today’s press? The press has always been biased but in the past there was a great range of views that could offset each other. This is no longer the case with broadcast media as the spectrum is limited. It would appear that the press now threatens our society and government by acting as activists for one side.
If you look at any newspaper front page from the early 19th Century, it’s obvious that “news” reportage was, if anything, more slanted than today. The difference between now and then is that newspapers proudly voiced their allegiances to the various political parties. They made no pretense of “fair and unbiased” reporting. They were biased, their readers new they were biased, and the made it clear themselves that they were biased. For many of them, their names reflected their favored political parties. This was common at least through the Civil War.
I find that rather hard to believe. And by “hard”, I mean “easy”.
Speaking of spectrum, wireless spectrum should be taken from biased media, and allocated to public use.
Networks are running cover for Democrats because:
a. Networks are Democrats
b. Democrats support Democrats
c. _______________________________
c. Profit!
Trump should hold regular press conferences revolving around the shutdown, in a manner similar to the press conferences about COVID years ago.
He would make a few comments, then have various cabinet members and other administration VIPs make provide their own updates as to how they and their respective departments are doing their best to minimize the impact on the American people.
Gelded idea send to someone in the WH
Gelded dead God spell check please
Fake News bootlicker collaborators. No surprise. Marxocrats. We knew. America First! ULTRAMAGA!
You cannot hate the press enough.
The headline made me remember that rain is wet.
Holy ****!
Trump has gone from trolling Democrats to downright insulting them.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/mysafespace/
I personally found it hilarious, but I guarantee it will not go over well.