Fox's quick commercial break
Media Matters editor Parker Molloy quickly noted on Wednesday what would be the start of drastically different coverage options of the two hearings with this tweet:
The networks showing the hearings — it was played on MSNBC, C-SPAN, and others — hardly ever took a commercial break, saving ads for pauses in the hearings. Fox News, though, which quickly cut to commercial right when Schiff began his questioning.
Schiff starts asking questions and Fox News immediately jumps to commercial pic.twitter.com/t9VVazGLqp
— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy)
November 13, 2019
Some Fox affiliates didn't even carry the hearing
In politics-crazed Washington D.C., everyone was tuned into the hearings, with even the local news channels running the testimonies.
Except for one station that is.
The national network carried the hearings, however, and the conservative news network covered it online as well, though not without controversy. The lead headline on the site's homepage Friday focused on Trump's tweet about Yovanovitch, not her testimony.
ABC, NBC & CBS in DC are all airing the impeachment hearings
Fox—which is owned by Fox Corp—is airing Wendy Williams instead pic.twitter.com/dSv82dReZF
— jordan (@JordanUhl)
November 13, 2019
Top headline at Fox News right now. Just beyond parody. pic.twitter.com/nB9emZMhIK
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse)
November 15, 2019
Networks' big-name hosts have different takes
Fox News has often defended its conservative opinion shows by saying its straight news anchors are unbiased, and the testimonies did bear some of this out. Brett Baier, for instance, pulled no punches after one string of testimony.
On CNN, the analysis roundtable format the network has gotten famous for included voices on both sides of the political spectrum.
But the most-watched and most famous hosts on Fox kept their unwavering support of Trump. Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity, and Laura Ingraham all spent time attacking the witnesses during their shows this week. One that many online found funny was the focus Ingraham's show had on George Kent's water bottle.
That was a turning point in this hearing so far. She was already a sympathetic witness & the President’s tweet ripping her allowed Schiff to point it out real time characterizing it as witness tampering or intimidation -adding an article of impeachment real-time. https://t.co/HSCkGMIqmH
— Bret Baier (@BretBaier)
November 15, 2019
"This has to be the worst day of the presidency so far for Donald Trump... this is the worst day," says David Gergen on the combination of Marie Yovanovitch's testimony, David Holmes' opening statement and Roger Stone's convictions.https://t.co/4IomPPiki8 pic.twitter.com/enlba2MzZH
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360)
November 16, 2019
wut pic.twitter.com/H9n7OerjLZ
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence)
November 16, 2019
Wow I wonder why she didn't witness the bribery I wonder if she was fired in order to keep her from witnessing the bribery I guess we'll never know pic.twitter.com/lylZSDJuPo
— Andrew Lawrence (@ndrew_lawrence)
November 16, 2019