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Cable news coverage of Alito nomination
skewed right
Media Matters
October 31, 2005
CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News provided imbalanced coverage of the October 31
nomination of federal appeals court judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme
Court -- Republicans, conservatives, and pro-Alito guests dominated the
networks' coverage; far outnumbering Democrats, progressives, and Alito
critics. Media Matters for America analyzed the cable news networks'
October 31 coverage of the nomination from 7 a.m. to noon ET.
Cable news channel
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Republican/conservative/pro-Alito guests
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Democratic/progressive/anti-Alito guests
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CNN (American Morning, and a special edition of The Situation
Room)
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Gary Bauer, former Republican presidential candidate and
president of American Values
Lawrence Lustberg, "liberal" lawyer who endorsed Alito
nomination
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL)
Pat Robertson, right-wing televangelist
Bay Buchanan, president of The American Cause
Richard Thornburgh, former attorney general under
presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush
Helgi Walker, former clerk to Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas
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James Carville, Democratic political strategist
Lanny Davis, former White House special counsel under
Clinton
Nan Aron, president of Alliance for Justice
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
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MSNBC (Imus in the Morning, MSNBC News Live)
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Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
Pat Buchanan, MSNBC analyst and former Republican
presidential candidate
Gary Rubman, former law clerk for Alito
Terence Jeffrey, editor of Human Events
Sen. Jeff Sessions
Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA)
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Sen. Edward Kennedy
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Fox News (Fox & Friends First, Fox & Friends,
Fox News Live)
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John Nagle, associate dean for faculty research at Notre
Dame Law School
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN)
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)
Richard Thornburgh
Michael Carvin, former colleague of Alito
Nick Calio, former legislative specialist for President
Bush
Pat Robertson
Douglas Kmiec, former head of the Office of Legal Counsel
in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush administrations
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Jay Jorgenson, former law clerk for Alito
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
C. Frederick Beckner, former law clerk for Alito
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Former Sen. George Mitchell (D-ME)
Bob Beckel, Democratic strategist
Tammy Bruce*, Fox News political analyst
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*Bruce criticized Alito's dissent in the case Planned Parenthood v.
Casey (1991), in which he argued that a provision of Pennsylvania abortion
law requiring spousal notification should be upheld.
— A.D, S.G., J.M., & S.S.M.
Posted to the web on Monday October 31, 2005 at 8:10 PM
EST
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