The Propaganda FilesMaddow's Russia-Heavy Coverage, and the Post-Mueller Ratings Dip
For two years, The Rachel Maddow Show made Trump-Russia its dominant story and raised the possibility that Russia was steering the Trump administration.
Built a nightly audience around expectations of a Trump-Russia conspiracy finding.
What was reported
For two years, The Rachel Maddow Show made Trump-Russia its dominant story and raised the possibility that Russia was steering the Trump administration.
What actually happened
An Intercept review of 28 episodes from Feb. 20 to Mar. 31, 2017 found Russia was the main subject of 53% of her broadcasts. In March 2017 she asked on air whether Russia's campaign operation was still running. After Barr's March 24, 2019 summary, the AP reported Nielsen figures showing her audience fell to about 2.5 million on Monday and 2.3 million on Tuesday, roughly 19% below her 2019 average. Her week of Mar. 25 to 31 averaged 2.46 million viewers, her least-watched week of the year, while Hannity's audience rose. Ratings shifts have many causes, and the drop alone does not prove viewers left over the Mueller findings.
The proof
AP's Nielsen figures for the week after the Barr letter show a drop of about 19 to 21% from her 2019 average.
The receipt. Copy this and paste it anywhere:
Maddow's Russia-Heavy Coverage, and the Post-Mueller Ratings Dip — Bad Call. AP's Nielsen figures for the week after the Barr letter show a drop of about 19 to 21% from her 2019 average. Full file: https://www.thepropagandafiles.com/case/maddow-russia-focus-ratings-drop/
Original reporting
- The Advocate: Maddow: Russians may be controlling our government (Mar. 10, 2017)https://advocate.com/politics/2017/3/10/maddow-russians-may-be-controlling-our-government
- The Intercept: Maddow sees a Russia connection lurking around every corner (Apr. 12, 2017)https://theintercept.com/2017/04/12/msnbcs-rachel-maddow-sees-a-russia-connection-lurking-around-every-corner/
Corrections, findings & records
- Political Wire, quoting AP: Maddow slides in ratings, Hannity soars (Mar. 28, 2019)https://politicalwire.com/2019/03/28/maddow-slides-in-ratings-hannity-soars
- Washington Times/AP: Hannity tops Maddow; her least-watched week of 2019 (Apr. 2, 2019)https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/apr/2/sean-hannity-crushes-rachel-maddow-ratings-after-r/
- Washington Examiner: Maddow sheds viewers in 2019, per Nielsen (July 30, 2019)https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2285169/maddow-sheds-more-than-800000-viewers-in-6-months/
Archived copies
Stories get edited after publication. These open the Internet Archive's earliest saved copy of each original.
- Archived copy: The Advocate: Maddow: Russians may be controlling our government (Mar. 10, 2017)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://advocate.com/politics/2017/3/10/maddow-russians-may-be-controlling-our-government
- Archived copy: The Intercept: Maddow sees a Russia connection lurking around every corner (Apr. 12, 2017)https://web.archive.org/web/2/https://theintercept.com/2017/04/12/msnbcs-rachel-maddow-sees-a-russia-connection-lurking-around-every-corner/