Fox News is following its well established pattern of underreporting stories that don’t appeal to its conservative base, instituting a virtual blackout of Rep. Todd Akin’s (R-MO) controversial — and widely condemned — comments about “legitimate rape.”
While CNN and MSNBC — the two other main cable news channels — led with the Akin statement, Fox steered clear of the comments completely until 9:19 AM, referencing them in a loaded segment with Karl Rove without playing video of his remarks. The network didn’t air the remarks until 12:10 PM — showing the the clip well after Republicans (including GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney) harshly condemned the GOP Senate candidate from Missouri. Below is a comparison of cable news mentions of “Akin” from Monday at 6:00 AM to 12:00 PM:
Fox News has has a long history of offering slim coverage to stories that could disappoint conservatives including, the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and passage of New York’s historic same-sex marriage law.
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