Cable News Avoided Economists During Debt Debate: Study

Economists aren't necessarily the first in line at cable news networks when someone is needed to talk about economic issues. The watchdog group Media Matters for America said in a report that only 4 percent of the people brought on to talk about the debt ceiling issue on CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC this summer were actual economists. Most were politicians. Media Matters said that's understandable, given that Congress and the president decided the issue, but that it was important to include others in the debate. "The fact that economists are such a small part of the coverage speaks to a lack of depth that viewers are getting," said Ari Rabin-Havt, vice president of Media Matters.