Sunday Show Scorecard

By CJP | December 4, 2007

If it’s Monday, it’s time for the Sunday Show Scorecard, CJP’s tally of how many women show up on the Sunday shows. Since 55% of the voters are women, logic would have it that 55% of the people talking about politics on Sunday mornings would also be women. But as we know, logic sometimes calls in sick. How did she do this week? Let’s find out…..

As a reminder, here’s how it works:

Zero Janes: No women guests. Is this journalism or the men’s room?

One Jane: At least one female guest. She may be lonely, but at least she’s there.

Two Janes: 50% of the guests are women, almost as much as the electorate.

Three Janes: A coveted and rarely achieved rating- all of the guests are women. (Points will be deducted if the main topic is, “Is American ready for a woman president?”)

So here we go:

For Sunday, December 1, 2007:

In last place:

CBS’s “Face the Nation”- Face the Nation did not have a round table this week. Instead they featured interviews with Senator John McCain and two campaign spokesmen- David Axelrod and Howard Wolfson. In theory, FTN shouldn’t get a grade since they did not have a round table, but because Axelrod and Wolfson were so unpleasant to each other and generally difficult to look at, FTN must pay for the sins of its guests. With no women and two I-know-you-are-but-what-am-I men, FTN gets the dreaded No Janes.

In Second-to-Last Place:

NBC’s “Meet the Press”- Michele Norris, David Gregory, David Brody, Eugene Robinson. Three men, one woman and two hideous football analogies. NBC gets one Jane and a well-deserved second-to-last place ranking.

Tied for second place:

The “Chris Matthews Show”- Gloria Borger, Elisabeth Bumiller, John Heilemann and Andrew Sullivan. The Chris Matthews Show always books two of Washington’s smart women, and therefore will always get a very respectable score of two Janes.

“Fox News Sunday”- Fred Barnes, Maura Liasson, Nina Easton and Bill Kristol…..For the first time in recent memory, Fox News brings us two women, and gets two Janes. Props, Fox News!

First Place:

ABC’s “This Week”- Katrina Vanden Heuvel, Elisabeth Bumiller, George Will and Peggy Noonan. Three women out of four guests and nary a gender debate in sight. A well-earned two and a half Janes!

Talk about progress. Last week we had five women out of twenty guests. This week brought sixteen guests and eight lady talkers. Full parity. It’s almost enough to make you put away your scorecard. But why would we do that?? We’ll check back next week to see of the Sundays can keep up the good work, or if they need a scorecard to remind them that, in the words of the legendary Billie Jean, fair is fair.

Topics: Sunday Show Scorecard

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