Fox News Ad Targets CNN's Heavily Democratic Audience

The Fox News Channel has taken out an ad in Monday's Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and trade publication Multichannel News highlighting recent findings from a study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, which found that Fox News' audience is more balanced along party lines than either CNN's or MSNBC's.

The ad, exclusively obtained by the Huffington Post, targets CNN specifically, inserting the word "partisan" into CNN's "CNN = Politics" logo to read, "CNN = Partisan Politics" and declaring Fox News "The Only Fair & Balanced News Network." This may prove to be a particularly damaging charge, as CNN has sought to define itself as the independent alternative to partisan programming on its competitors (which, in addition to the fact that MSNBC trails both Fox and CNN in the ratings by wide margins, is presumably, why the ad targets CNN with no mention of MSNBC).

The study found that 51% of CNN's regular viewers are Democrats, compared to 18% Republicans. Fox News' audience leans Republican but is more balanced overall, with 39% of regular viewers declaring themselves Republicans compared to 33% declaring themselves Democrats. MSNBC's regular audience is 45% Democrat and 18% Republican.

See the ad below:

Excerpt from Pew study below (download the entire report here):

The general public has become more Democratic since 2006, and this is reflected in the audiences for leading TV news outlets. The audiences for CNN and MSNBC, which were heavily Democratic two years ago, have become even more so: fully 51% of CNN's regular viewers are Democrats while only 18% are Republicans. MSNBC's audience makeup is similar - 45% of regular viewers of MSNBC are Democrats, 18% are Republicans.

The regular audience for nightly network news also is now about two-to-one Democratic (45% vs. 22% Republican). In 2006, 40% of the regular viewers of nightly network news were Democrats compared with 28% who were Republicans.

The regular audience for the Fox News Channel continues to include more Republicans than Democrats. Currently, 39% of regular Fox News viewers are Republicans while 33% are Democrats; in 2006, the margin was 38% to 31%.

Comments

[305Rider]

Pot, meet kettle.

[robbo24]

The Democrats are watching Fux News in horror.

[DWP]

FOX is truly heavily Republican. However, I find that both CNN and MSNBC have some reporters who are obviously Republican and some who are obviously Democrat. I heard someone accuse MSNBC of being in Obama's Court. Who ever made this comment should listen to Pat Buchanan rave on and on. Or listen to Morning Joe and Joe himself. What I have noticed is the Republicans try this -- they accuse the press of being liberal and then the press bencs over back wards to prove them wrong.

[Mishkin]

They're just working the refs. They need to be called on it. When I get back from work tonight I'll have to add my voice to the others who've written letters to the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

[markkraft]

Balanced coverage does not equate to demographic balance.

If Fox can't realize that balanced coverage comes from paying strict attention to reporting on the facts, and letting the chips fall where they may, rather than reporting on all the half-baked, tawdry, drama-inducing crap they report on, well, then God help America, because we're going to need it to prevent Fox from damaging our country's reason.

If you're basing your decisions on anything other than proven, substantiated facts, then you can't make informed decisions based on the evidence at hand, and can't serve your duty to be a useful, informed citizen and a true participant in democracy.

[rlkinny]

Once again, Fox is unable to correctly interpret data. The only thing that this data says is that fewer Republicans watch cable news than Democrats. (I'm assuming that the numbers would be even more so if you added in MSNBC). Like that's news! Once again, Fox is showing how ineptly they try to spin information. That's why people who really want to understand the news stay away.

[Terriac]

And just how many Democrats are Fox News watchers? What a stupid ad.

[KazooDan]

The only thing these polls are showing me is that Democrats are more fair and balanced in their viewing habits than are Republicans.

[unclefarrell]

UR right. Measuring the audience is no indication of the content. I doubt the data, but even if that many Dems watch that crap, they may be keeping their enemies closer, as they say.

[Gary47]

Because after all, polls are always true...

[farii]

guess this explains why cnn is becoming more like fox news!!am i the only one seein this????

[MegInPA]

Do they really think they're still fooling anyone?

[castlerider]

I loved the news article that showed people in Colorado shouting:
" F*CK FOX NEWS!! - F*CK FOX NEWS!!" to a FOX news reprter in tow.

Man, that made my day. It's about time people called them out for their hypocrisy, their lying, their insistence on treating people like they are stupid, and doing their erstwhile best to KEEP THEM STUPID.

F*** FOX NEWS!!!!!!!!

[EuroPreacher]

I personaly find CNN very pro-McW*rmonger,they ran his negative ads for free over and over again,commentators are biased (Jonh King,G. Borger,some right-wing nut,etc.)...

[farii]

not to mention most of the pundits on there are republicans.

[mesut]

FOX is really kidding right? They are just trying to make us laugh. I used to watch CNN and couldn't stomach there nonsense either. I'm trying to give MSNBC a chance. At least they have a couple of people on their network I like

[EuroPreacher]

There is more of **O*b*a*m*a** on CNN but in a negative way!

[wdw101]

good

[sidesinger]

Traditional republicans are identifying as independents more than ever. The Fox's 28 remaining are probably conservatives. But seriously, how can any one stand Fox's attack on intelligence.

[IslandGyal]

I totally agree with that. They are "independent" in name only, but we know darn well they are republicans.