Media Bias Against Trump Evident in First 100 Days Coverage
A Media Research Center study reveals a stark contrast in network news coverage between Presidents Trump and Biden during their first 100 days in office.
A recent analysis by the Media Research Center has shed light on the disparity in how major U.S. broadcast networks covered the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s and Joe Biden’s presidencies. The study, which focused on ABC, CBS, and NBC evening newscasts, found that 92.2% of evaluations regarding Trump were negative, contrasting sharply with the 59% positive coverage Biden received during his initial period in office.
The report highlighted specific instances of coverage, such as CBS’s gloomy portrayal of Trump’s economic impact and overwhelmingly positive reports on Biden’s COVID-19 spending package, where the benefits to citizens were emphasized without significant mention of the deficit increase. The disparity in coverage volume was also noted, with Trump receiving nearly 1,000 more minutes of evening news coverage than Biden, much of it negative.
This bias was further exemplified in an interview between Trump and ABC’s Terry Moran, where the discussion veered into contentious territory with Moran’s negative framing of Trump’s policies. Additionally, the media’s focus on certain individuals, like Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an alleged MS-13 gang member, was criticized by Trump’s team as an attempt to skew public perception on immigration issues.
The study also pointed out the use of the term ‘controversial’ by PBS, which was predominantly applied to Trump and Republican policies, illustrating a perceived bias in language choice. This has fueled debates on the funding of public broadcasting, with critics arguing that such outlets echo partisan media rather than providing neutral reporting.
The findings of this study underscore the challenges faced by Trump in navigating media relations and highlight the broader issue of perceived media bias in political coverage.