Study Shows How Many Times Cable News Outlets Referred To Violent L.A. Riots As ‘Peaceful’

A study published on Friday revealed just how many times reporters and anchors on cable news outlets CNN and MSNBC referred to the violent protests and riots in Los Angeles as “peaceful.”

The Media Research Center (MRC) evaluated coverage of the protests — targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and attempting to prevent them from carrying out raids — on the two major left-leaning cable networks ranging from June 7 to June 11, 5:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. ET. During that time, as rioters burned cars in the streets and threw cinder blocks at law enforcement, the protests were called “peaceful” some 211 times.

According to the study, CNN aired more than half (123) of those mentions and the other 88 were seen on MSNBC’s coverage.

Fox News anchor Dana Perino brought up the study with former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on “America’s Newsroom” on Monday, and the two discussed the obvious disparities between what people saw playing out in Los Angeles and what CNN and MSNBC were saying about it.

WATCH:

CNN & MSNBC referenced the anti-American LA riots as “peaceful” over 200 times.@kayleighmcenany and @DanaPerino to discuss our latest study on @FoxNews pic.twitter.com/ltAwz97vv8

— Media Research Center (@theMRC) June 16, 2025

“The Media Research Center shows that between June 7th and 11th, CNN and MSNBC had a reference to the protests as ‘peaceful’ 211 times — as if they were trying to really make the — drive that point home,” Perino said.

“Yeah, and I actually saw this pivot in real time where it was ‘peaceful, peaceful, peaceful,’ and then on that Sunday afternoon the cars were burning, there were scooters being tossed onto the hoods of police cars, and all of a sudden that ‘peaceful’ adjective made its way out of the coverage, at least temporarily,” McEnany replied.

A report from MRC’s Newsbusters cited several examples from CNN and MSNBC noting that multiple personalities had used the term during the studied timeframe.

“The intention, it seems, is to lump in violent rioters and peaceful protestors,” Brian Stelter said on June 9 on CNN.

Two days later, CNN anchor Erin Burnett said, “There were some incidents of violence. There were specific individuals involved in that. By and large, peaceful protest.”

On June 11, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes said, “Donald Trump can try to turn the military into a partisan tool, mobilizing the National Guard and even the Marines against peaceful protestors.”

The same day, anchor Nicolle Wallace added, “Donald Trump referred to those peaceful protestors exercising their First Amendment rights as insurrectionists.”

According to the MRC, the only statements that were evaluated for the purposes of the study were those made by anchors, reporters, and guests who were supposed to be “non-partisan.”