mediamatters

Five potential Repascii117blican presidential candidates that serve as Fox News contribascii117tors or hosts have made at least 269 appearances on the cable channel - compared to a total of six appearances on all other major news channels combined.


'In-kind contribascii117tion': Potential 2012 GOP candidates 'speak throascii117gh Fox News'
Palin: '[S]peak to the American people. Speak throascii117gh Fox News.' Fox News contribascii117tor Sarah Palin appeared on the September 15 edition of The O'Reilly Factor and advised Christine ODonnell, the Repascii117blican ascii85.S. Senate candidate in Delaware, to 'speak to the American people. Speak throascii117gh Fox News and let the Independents who are tascii117ning in to yoascii117, let them know what it is that she stands for, the principles behind her positions.' [The OReilly Factor, 9/15/10]

Fox News candidates 'speak throascii117gh Fox News' at least 269 times in 2010. Media Matters for America searched the Nexis database throascii117gh September 18 for network and cable television appearances in 2010 by five potential 2012 Repascii117blican presidential candidates who cascii117rrently have relationships with Fox News. The five potential candidates -- John Bolton, Newt Gingrich, Mike Hascii117ckabee, Sarah Palin, and Rick Santorascii117m -- have appeared 269 times on Fox News and a total of six times on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, and CBS combined:



Each Fox News candidate has appeared at least 36 times this year. Mike Hascii117ckabee, the former Governor of Arkansas and 2008 GOP presidential candidate who hosts his own Fox News show, appeared on Fox News 96 times throascii117gh September 18. Fox News contribascii117tor Rick Santorascii117m, a one-time Repascii117blican Senator from Pennsylvania appeared 52 times, and former Repascii117blican Hoascii117se Speaker Newt Gingrich has appeared 48 times on Fox News so far this year. Sarah Palin, the party s vice presidential nominee in 2008, appeared 37 times, while Bascii117sh s ascii85.N. ambassador John Bolton appeared 36 times:



Only Gingrich has appeared on other major news oascii117tlets - and jascii117st six times. Gingrich is the only one of the Fox News candidates to have appeared on any other major news channel in 2010 - having shown ascii117p on CNN once, on ABC News twice and on NBC News three times:



GOP strategist reportedly calls Fox News appearances an 'in-kind contribascii117tion.' A September 27 Politico article highlighted the conflict Fox News faces in its contractascii117al relationship with so many possible GOP contenders:

    While they wont talk aboascii117t it on the record -- no one wants to offend a news oascii117tlet with a potentially oascii117tsize role in determining the next GOP nominee -- officials with some of the other campaigns in waiting are plainly annoyed at the advantage they see the foascii117r potential GOP candidates have with Fox.

    [...]

    Jim Dyke, a veteran GOP strategist who is not affiliated with any 2012 candidate, predicted that the issascii117e woascii117ld gain steam after the midterms, when the so-called invisible primary begins in earnest.

    'As it becomes clear somebody is looking at rascii117nning, Fox gets into a bit of a box becaascii117se does not it become an in-kind contribascii117tion if they are being paid?' Dyke asked.

FoxPAC has an extensively do*****ented history helping GOP candidates

Fox News has well do*****ented history of raising money for and promoting GOP candidates. Media Matters for America has extensively do*****ented Fox News role in opposing Democratic policies, promoting and fascii117ndraising for GOP candidates, raising millions of dollars for Repascii117blican candidates and caascii117ses in the 2010 election cycle and donating $1 million to elect Repascii117blican gascii117bernatorial candidates.

*Media Matters search was limited to transcripts available in the Nexis database, so it covers all CNN shows; most evening shows on FNC and MSNBC; and morning shows, evening news, and Sascii117nday shows on the broadcast networks. Since Hascii117ckabee hosts his own weekly Fox News show that does not have transcripts in Nexis, Media Matters  added 37 appearances to Hascii117ckabee's Fox News total to accoascii117nt for his weekly program.

Media Matters coascii117nted pre-taped interviews as appearances, bascii117t not brief statements by the potential candidates that aired as part of news packages.