Between his two hits Tuesday on the Fox News Channel and one on the Fox Business Network (see here and here), Media Research Center Founder and President Brent Bozell joined Newsmax host Eric Bolling to tee off on the liberal media’s consistent hostility to conservatives (regardless of whether they hold the levers of power) and how obsessions with January 6 and smearing pro-lifers have become their calling cards.
Asked by Bolling which Republicans have been the liberal media’s top targets, Bozell first threw back to 2018 and noted NewsBusters found coverage against House and Senate GOP candidates was roughly 90 percent negative (88 percent) when the GOP held Congress and the White House.
Bozell conceded one could argue that was due to their standing as the party in power and it hues to the age old notion of emphasizing negative news. But, if the media were consistent, they’d be doing the same to Democrats in 2022 as they did with the GOP in 2018.
Not surprisingly, that hasn’t been the case and Bozell teased an upcoming study that will show the liberal media have been just as hostile to the GOP even though they’re in the minority:
[W]e believe that the number is going to be almost exactly 90 percent scrutiny of Republicans all over again, and they don't control the White House, the House, or the Senate, but it's going to be the same negative coverage of Republicans as we had in 2018 when they controlled everything.
Bolling pressed for specific examples and if there’s a new media punching bag like Sarah Palin or Donald Trump and Bozell replied with Senators Mike Lee (UT) and Marco Rubio (FL) as they face reelection fights and Senator Ted Cruz (TX) (despite him not being on the ballot). For his part, Bolling picked GOP gubernatorial candidates Tudor Dixon (MI) and Kari Lake (AZ).
More broadly, Bozell cited the liberal media’s obsession with January 6 and attacking pro-life Americans (click “expand”):
BOZELL: January 6th and the pro-life movement. The — it’s issues that — that they're going after more than — than anybody else. Um, in the Senate, of course, is going to be Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and — and — and the big one. You could also say is, uh, is, uh well, I'm gonna say Rubio right now because they want to take Rubio out. Um, but really, it's — it’s — Eric — it's the issues they want to get. Donald Trump's still so January 6th is something they harp on and harp on and harp on, even though there is so much worse violence taking place all over the country, especially in blue cities and then abortion — the pro-life movement had a huge victory. They cannot stand the pro-life movement, and they've been attacking them ever since.
BOLLING: Yeah. And, Brent, let’s talk a couple of gubernatorial races, I think that are going to be won by Republicans. Kari Lake who we had on earlier in the show, and also yesterday, we had Tudor Dixon. Two very, very popular conservative. It's rattling the left cage. They cannot stand, you know, very, very cogent, smart, attractive, well thought out women who are going to take big swing state seat — states in the governor's mansion in Arizona and Michigan. They're getting hit hard.
BOZELL: Yeah, I don’t — I don't know what threatens them more. Smart white women or smart Black men. I don't know, but — but both of them are threats to — to liberal dominance. And they know it. Look, um, if you look objectively, Eric, at the issues today. If you look at — at — at — at inflation out of control, at food prices through the roof, gas prices through the roof, and the riots in the streets.
BOLLING: Yeah.
BOZELL: You look at the crime in the streets. You look at the southern borders. You look at our —
BOLLING: They’re not worried about that, Brent.
BOZELL: — transgenderism being taught in schools.
To see the relevant transcript from October 25, click “expand.”
Newsmax’s Eric Bolling: The Balance
October 25, 2022
8:43 p.m. EasternERIC BOLLING: Alright, on cue, let's bring in now founder and president of media research center Brent Bozell. Brent, good to talk to you again.
BRENT BOZELL: Hi, Eric.
BOLLING: You know, this — this whole attack by the — by the propaganda media — the corporate media on GOP is not new. But is it getting worse? And who are the victims of this? Who are the peak GOPers who are getting hit the worst?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Election Lies; Media in Overdrive Against GOP Candidates]
BOZELL: Yeah, good — really good questions. Let's go back to 2018. When Republicans — the — the scrutiny on Republicans was at 90 percent which is to say 90 percent of the coverage was negative towards Republican candidates in the House and Senate, and you can say for those midterm elections . Well, look, the Republicans controlled the House, the Senate and the White House. So naturally, there's going to be more scrutiny. Correct. You could also say that, in the news media, if it bleeds, it leads. Good news is not news. Bad news is great news. Fine. I'll buy that one as well. But if that's true, now, let's look at 2022. We're crunching the final numbers and we'll release them next week, but we believe that the number is going to be almost exactly 90 percent scrutiny of Republicans all over again, and they don't control the White House, the House, or the Senate, but it's going to be the same negative coverage of Republicans as we had in 2018 when they controlled everything. So —
BOLLING: So, Brent —
BOZELL: — the agenda is there.
BOLLING: — a couple of cycles you know, several cycles ago, it was Sarah Palin. She changed the face of the media treating Republicans poorly. Conservatives poorly. Donald Trump came along and they just love to attack him. Who's the 2022 version of Palin or Trump?
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Exposing the Media’s War on GOP Candidates]
BOZELL: January 6th and the pro-life movement. The — it’s issues that — that they're going after more than — than anybody else. Um, in the Senate, of course, is going to be Ted Cruz and Mike Lee and — and — and the big one. You could also say is, uh, is, uh well, I'm gonna say Rubio right now because they want to take Rubio out. Um, but really, it's — it’s — Eric — it's the issues they want to get. Donald Trump's still so January 6th is something they harp on and harp on and harp on, even though there is so much worse violence taking place all over the country, especially in blue cities and then abortion — the pro-life movement had a huge victory. They cannot stand the pro life movement, and they've been attacking them ever since.
BOLLING: Yeah
BOLLING: Yeah. And, Brent, let’s talk a couple of gubernatorial races, I think that are going to be won by Republicans. Kari Lake who we had on earlier in the show, and also yesterday, we had Tudor Dixon. Two very, very popular conservative. It's rattling the left cage. They cannot stand, you know, very, very cogent, smart, attractive, well thought out women who are going to take big swing state seat — states in the governor's mansion in Arizona and Michigan. They're getting hit hard.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Media in Overdrive Against GOP Candidates]
BOZELL: Yeah, I don’t — I don't know what threatens them more. Smart white women or smart Black men. I don't know, but — but both of them are threats to — to liberal dominance. And they know it. Look, um, if you look objectively, Eric, at the issues today. If you look at — at — at — at inflation out of control, at food prices through the roof, gas prices through the roof, and the riots in the streets.
BOLLING: Yeah.
BOZELL: You look at the crime in the streets. You look at the southern borders. You look at our —
BOLLING: They’re not worried about that, Brent.
BOZELL: — transgenderism being taught in schools.
BOLLING: They’re not worried about that.
BOZELL: Ex — They should be.
BOLLING: They’re — they're worried about pronouns. And I don't know what other — they're worried about.
BOZELL: But if they were covering it —
BOLLING: Hey, they want to call him election deniers. Yeah.
BOZELL: — but, Eric, they were covering it objectively, this — I believe this would be an out of control Republican rout because all these things happened —
BOLLING: Yeah.
BOZELL: since the Biden —
BOLLING: I'm gonna go — I'm gonna go with 40 seats, Brent. Brent Bozell. I'm gonna go with 40 seats in the House and we'll go with 53-47 in the Senate and 31, 32 governors mansions. Brent Bozell, always —
BOZELL: I’m not making —
BOLLING: Go ahead.
BOZELL: — I’m not making predictions, but people who are smarter than me are agreeing with you.
BOLLING: Okay. Alright. Brent Bozell, appreciate your time. Thank you.
BOZELL: Thank you.
