Eighty-two times. That's how many times ABC, CBS, and NBC mentioned FBI Director Kash Patel on their flagship morning and evening shows since January 1, 2026. Fifty-three of those mentions included evaluative statements — commentary that framed Patel in a specific light. Every single one was negative.
That's a one hundred percent batting average. So much for journalist and balanced news.
A new study from the Media Research Center, documents what might be the most mathematically precise demonstration of bias in broadcast news history. Three networks. Ten months of coverage. Eighty-two segments. Not one neutral assessment. Not one acknowledgment of an accomplishment. A perfect zero on the fairness scale.
The breakdown by network: ABC led with 22 negative evaluative statements. NBC followed with 17. CBS contributed 14. Combined, they produced a unified wall of hostility that would be statistically remarkable even if it were intentional — and the networks insist it isn't.
Consider what happened in April. The Atlantic published a story citing anonymous sources who alleged Patel had "behavioral issues" and inappropriate drinking. Patel denied the allegations and filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the publication. NBC News correspondent Kelly O'Donnell covered it on the Today show by describing Patel as "channeling his anger at the media into a 19-page lawsuit," calling the dollar figure "eye-popping" and "staggering." A man sues over fabricated claims, anonymous sources and no evidence and the network frames the lawsuit as the story — not the anonymous smear that prompted it.
That same month, the FBI under Patel's leadership executed Operation Iron Pursuit, which resulted in the arrest of more than 350 human traffickers and sexual abusers. The broadcast networks gave it minimal coverage. Three hundred and fifty arrests. Barely a mention. But anonymous sourcing about Patel's personal conduct? That gets the full treatment with dramatic adjectives.
In January 2026, former Olympic snowboarder turned drug kingpin Ryan Wedding surrendered at a New Mexico police station, and Patel was present for the handover to Canadian authorities. ABC ran two segments on it. Two. For one of the most dramatic law enforcement moments of the year, two segments was apparently the ceiling.
Meanwhile, the networks found time to air clips of comedian Aziz Ansari portraying Patel on Saturday Night Live. NBC broadcast segments from two of Ansari's three appearances. The mockery made the news. The arrests didn't.
For context, the MRC study notes that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — no media darling himself — managed to receive 4 positive evaluative statements during his coverage period. Four. All of them were direct quotes from his own mother describing him as a "changed man." That's apparently what it takes to crack the positivity barrier on network television: your mother has to say something nice about you on camera. Even then, Hegseth's coverage was overwhelmingly negative. But he at least broke the seal. Patel sits at zero.
The same study found that coverage of the Iran situation in April 2026 ran 88% negative overall — and even that included a moment where ABC's Jonathan Karl acknowledged Iran's blockade caused oil price increases. Eighty-eight percent negative still left room for one factual concession. Patel coverage left room for none.
Fifty-three evaluative statements across three networks over ten months. Fifty-three negative. Zero positive. Zero neutral.
A coin flip is right half the time. A broken clock is right twice a day. The broadcast networks managed to be wrong on every single attempt.