STANFORD—On Thursday, August 24, Brown Institute for Media Innovation at Stanford University released that researchers at the Computer Graphics Lab at Stanford University launched the Stanford Cable TV News Analyzer to track and calculate screen time of public figures in broadcasts from CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC.

“Each day, cable TV news networks determine what information millions of Americans receive. They also set the context and tone of the information presented. Editorial decisions, about who appears on cable TV news and what they talk about, shape public opinion and culture,” reads the official statement.

The Stanford Cable TV news analyzer utilizes AI and robotic measuring technology to find who is talking on TV, and what kinds of contents are covered in the news.

“The tool leverages computer vision to detect faces, identify public figures, and estimate characteristics such as gender to examine news coverage patterns. To facilitate topic analysis, the transcripts are time-aligned with video content and compared across dates, times of day, and programs,” the statement adds.

The Stanford Cable TV news Analyzer helps viewers notice how cable networks introduce news stories differently.

“Right now you can use the Stanford Cable TV News Analyzer yourself to analyze over 270,000 hours of TV news, counting the screen time of politicians, newsmakers, and experts you might be curious about analyzing coverage of the 2020 American election campaign,” the statement notes.

To share findings and ask questions send an email to tvnews-project@stanford.edu.