Fox has mentioned the Inflation Reduction Act more than twice as often as CNN since its passage two years ago – and 40 percent more often than MSNBC.

In the two years since the law passed, CNN mentioned the Inflation Reduction Act 58% less than Fox, and MSNBC referenced the law 29% less than Fox—together, CNN and MSNBC mentioned climate in just 18% of their peak coverage of the IRA. This lag in coverage continues a problematic trend of Fox News dominating and framing climate policy coverage on cable television around right-leaning issues.

Yet despite the lack of coverage, both CNN and MSNBC amplified some of the more positive portrayals of the Inflation Reduction Act.

In the June 4 issue of All In with Chris HayesThe MSNBC host used data on the current clean energy boom sparked by the Inflation Reduction Act to illustrate the success of the legislation.

“We have seen the most massive transformation in our energy production since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, when we began using fossil fuels on a large scale,” said Hayes. “This transformation was driven in no small part by President Joe Biden's landmark legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act. It is the largest climate investment in U.S. history. In just one year, private companies announced investments in clean energy production valued at over $110 billion.”

In the August 13, 2023 issue of Inside with Jen Psakithe MSNBC host and former White House press secretary under Biden spoke about certain members of Congress who publicly railed against the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act and then touted the economic benefits that climate spending brought to their districts—including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who posted in August 2022 that the IRA was an “America Last disaster.”

“But in April, Greene tweeted positively about the expansion of solar company Qcells and the jobs it would create in her district,” Psaki explained, adding, “The thing is… Qcells specifically attributed the new investments to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.”

In the March 23 edition of MSNBC VelshiClimate scientist Michael Mann discussed the role of new emissions regulations and the IRA in the context of broader efforts to decarbonize the energy sector. Mann noted that “these provisions, as part of a broader strategy from this administration, the Inflation Reduction Act, have the potential to reduce carbon emissions by nearly 40% by 2030.”

Mann said the IRA's combination of climate and energy policies, with a focus on electrifying the transport sector, “actually offers hope of meeting the commitment to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 50% by 2030,” adding: “If we can do that, we will maintain the kind of leadership that brings other countries to the negotiating table and allows us to meet the bigger challenge of reducing carbon dioxide emissions globally enough to avoid catastrophic warming again.”