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 saysABC, 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 DemocratsFor 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 BlameCoverage 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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