Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode Title: The Gap Between Media Coverage and Public Opinion
Air Date: January 31, 2026
Hosts: Georgia Howe & John Bickley
Guest: Bill d’Agostino (Senior Analyst, Media Research Center)

Episode Overview

This episode examines the striking disconnect between mainstream media narratives and public opinion, focusing mainly on the coverage surrounding immigration enforcement and associated protests in Minneapolis. The discussion features findings from the Media Research Center (MRC), exploring both the scope and tone of media reporting, and how these influence the national conversation and perception of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The episode unpacks why trust in media has reached record lows and what stories are left untold.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Media Bias Against ICE and Immigration Enforcement

• Broadcast Networks Under the Lens:
  • The MRC’s main focus is analyzing the three major evening news broadcasts: ABC, NBC, and CBS, which collectively attract 18–20 million viewers nightly, making them the most influential news sources in the US.
  • Their recent study (based on an 11-day sample period) found that 93% of coverage was negative towards ICE; only 7% offered any leniency or neutral tone.
  • Crimes by Illegal Aliens Underreported: Just 1.6% of stories referenced crimes committed by those ICE was seeking to apprehend.
    • Quote:

      "Only 1.6% of any of the coverage had anything to do with crimes committed by some of the illegal aliens that ICE was there to apprehend to begin with."
      — Bill d’Agostino (04:11)

2. Context & Important Details Omitted by Legacy Media

• Violence and Intimidation by Protesters:
  • Protester violence, property damage, and public intimidation have been scarcely covered, even when incidents are widely acknowledged elsewhere.
  • Networks avoid stories that cast left-wing protesters negatively.
    • Quote:

      "It's very rare that all three networks will cover any individual violent incident that ... makes the rioters or the protesters, the left in general, look bad."
      — Bill d’Agostino (04:47)

• Sanctuary Status Not Mentioned:
  • The context of Minnesota as a "sanctuary state" and Minneapolis as a "sanctuary city"—central to the tensions—remains unaddressed in legacy coverage.
    • Quote:

      "That is never mentioned in any of the coverage. And that's, I think, probably the most important context..."
      — Bill d’Agostino (07:30)

3. Analyzing Individual Incidents: Biased Framing and Reporting

• The Jonathan Ross/Renee Goode Incident:
  • When covering this high-profile shooting, only CBS failed to acknowledge that Renee Goode had struck Officer Ross with her car.
  • CBS stood out for being especially negative:
    • 96% of CBS’s coverage was negative on ICE.
    • They directly labeled Ross a "murderer" without qualifiers.
    • Quote:

      "They were also the only network that had a reporter just outright accuse Jonathan Ross of murder. Not even like saying alleged or whatever."
      — Bill d’Agostino (05:42)

• No Examination of Protest Organization:
  • Legacy networks skip investigation into funding, leadership, or orchestration of protests—issues that independent outlets frequently probe.
    • Quote:

      "There was none...there's basically no interest whatsoever in investigating what is actually behind these protests."
      — Bill d’Agostino (06:32)

4. Media Framing on The View & Other Mainstream Shows

• Inconsistency on Second Amendment Takes:
  • The View notably defended Second Amendment rights in the context of the Alex Preddy case.
  • d’Agostino critiques this sudden stance as opportunistic and narrative-driven rather than principled:
    • Quote:

      "...They basically have no principles and will argue whatever facts they think bolster whatever narrative they’re trying to push. If becoming pro Second Amendment...helps their argument, then okay, they'll wear their Second Amendment hat for as long as it takes."
      — Bill d’Agostino (09:08)

5. Reframing Local Scandal: The Nick Shirley Example

• Coverage of Daycare and Healthcare Fraud:
  • Nick Shirley, an independent journalist, investigated apparent daycare scams in Minneapolis’s Somali community—an angle largely recontextualized by mainstream outlets as a partisan or dubious "right-wing" pursuit.
  • Larger issues of healthcare fraud, estimated at $19 billion, receive even less direct scrutiny.
    • Quote:

      "The way that the broadcast networks have dealt with Shirley is generally to try to recenter the entire Minneapolis mostly Somali...fraud story writ large around him basically to recontextualize it as well. All of this came from this right wing YouTuber..."
      — Bill d’Agostino (10:21)

6. Media Influence on Public Opinion: Do the Numbers Shift?

• Despite overwhelmingly negative media coverage, most recent polling (excluding some outliers like YouGov) shows that the majority of Americans still support ICE's enforcement and even mass deportations.
• Media’s persistent attempts to phrase or spin polls fail to break the majority consensus.
  • Quote:

    "...every time they pull it, they find that, yeah, still a majority of Americans support mass deportations. And all of them are basically competing to try to become the first...to get that under 50% result."
    — Bill d’Agostino (12:01)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Bill d’Agostino, on media's selective reporting:

  "There’s basically no interest whatsoever in investigating what is actually like behind these protests. And more importantly, I think what is the cause of this whole melee to begin with." (06:32)

• On sanctuary city context:

  "That is never mentioned in any of the Coverage...probably the most important context." (07:30)

• On polling and public sentiment:

  "Still a majority of Americans support mass deportations. And everybody is...trying to become the first network...to get that under 50% result." (12:01)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [03:08] – Bill d’Agostino introduces Media Research Center’s methodology and focus
• [04:00] – Data on media negativity towards ICE and lack of crime reporting
• [04:47] – Exclusion of protester violence/property damage from network coverage
• [05:14–05:50] – Case study: Ross/Goode incident and CBS’s unique reporting slant
• [06:12–06:47] – Discussion of protest organization and why it goes uninvestigated
• [07:25] – The importance of Minnesota's sanctuary status and its absence in reporting
• [08:22–09:14] – The View’s debatable stance-switch on Second Amendment issues
• [09:33–10:21] – Nick Shirley’s investigation reframed by mainstream as right-wing
• [11:24–12:28] – Public opinion vs. media coverage on ICE enforcement

Summary

This episode spotlights the recurring gap between media coverage and what the broader American public appears to believe, particularly around controversial policy issues such as immigration. Using data and recent case studies, the conversation demonstrates a persistent pattern of omission and negative slant within the legacy media—whether on crime, policy context, protester conduct, or fraud—while public support for enforcement remains robust. The discussion raises larger questions about trust, impartiality, and the narratives prioritized by mainstream platforms.