Fox News Debate Moderators Spoke More Than CNN Counterparts: Study

Fox News Debate Moderators Vs. CNN Counterparts: Study

Fox News moderators spoke 65% more during GOP debates than their CNN counterparts, according to a new study by the University of Minnesota.

Smart Politics, a non-partisan political news site at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs, conducted a study of 17 GOP debates that have taken place since September. Out of the five media outlets that hosted debates, moderators at CNN spoke the least amount of time in comparison to the candidates. The moderators, which included Wolf Blitzer, John King and Anderson Cooper, were heard during 15.9% of the debates.

In contrast, Fox News took up the greatest share of their broadcasts compared to the other outlets' debates. The three Fox News debates saw moderators speaking 26.2% of the time.

"Overall, CNN debates saw candidates speak at a ratio of 5.12 minutes for every 1 minute of moderator speaking time," the study concluded. "At FOX candidates were allowed to speak for just 2.76 minutes for every 1 minute given to the moderators." View the full results here.

Both CNN and Fox News have seen controversial moments during their debates, including Newt Gingrich's showdowns with Juan Williams and John King.

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