MSNBC Halted Use Of 'Right-Wing' While Fox News Ramps Up Use Of 'Left-Wing'

A curious thing happened in July 2014: MSNBC, which had consistently used the term "right-wing" three times as much as CNN and Fox News, abruptly largely ended its use of the phrase almost overnight, using it just barely more than the other two channels over the past five years. Similarly, in November 2016 as the press and public digested Donald Trump's election, Fox News rapidly ramped up its use of "left-wing" back to its circa-2009-2010 levels versus its substantial decrease over Obama's second term.

The timeline below shows the combined airtime across CNN, MSNBC and Fox News that mentioned "right-wing" versus "left-wing" since July 2009.

Live Version.

The timeline below shows "right-wing" broken down by station.

Live Version.

The timeline below shows "left-wing" broken down by station.

Live Version.