You’re not crazy: Coverage of President Trump by the mainstream media really is as negative as it seems.
How negative? Try 91%. Ninety-one percent of the coverage during the evening news offered by ABC, CBS and NBC was negative over September, October and November, according to a study by the Media Research Center.
In September, there were just 31 pro-Trump statements on the Big Three vs. 359 negative. In October, the number of positive statements grew to 41, while the negative statements swelled to 435.
In November, there was somewhat less coverage of the President, as political journalists raced to cover the allegations against Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore, but the ratio remained essentially unchanged: 33 positive statements vs. 320 negative statements.
Add it all up, and coverage of Trump has been 91 percent negative during the past three months. Our study of news in June, July and August found an identical rate of 91% negative, which means TV news is unchanged in its hostility toward the President.
The relationship between Trump and the media has been terrible since the beginning. Although the press embraced Trump during the campaign (in part for ratings, in part to detract from other more viable candidates), things have gotten worse in recent weeks.
On Monday, CNN’s Jim Acosta posted on Twitter: “When journalists are attacked, journalists have to resist.” Acosta also had a combative exchange with White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who opened the daily briefing by commenting on fake news posted by a Washington Post reporter.
“There was nothing more than an individual trying to put their bias into their reporting and something that, frankly, has gotten a little bit out of control,” Sanders said. “We’ve seen it time and time again over the last couple of weeks.”
“I would just say, Sarah, that journalists make honest mistakes and that doesn’t make them fake news,” Acosta said, before getting shredded by Sanders.
“Look, the president is simply calling out a very direct and false accusation lodged against him,” Sanders said. “A number of outlets have had to retract and change, and rewrite, and make editor’s notes to a number of different stories — some of them with major impacts, including moving markets. This is a big problem and we think it’s something that should be taken seriously.”
Since then Acosta disrupted an event with Trump. Right after Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act bill, Acosta shouted, “Mr. President, what did you mean when you said that Kirsten Gillibrand would do anything for a campaign contribution?”
The outburst prompted a warning from the White House.
Meanwhile, CNN’s Chris Cilizza said Sanders’ condemnation of the media was “disheartening” and made him “angry.”
But it’s increasingly clear that news agencies that hate Trump will go to any length to damage his presidency. So blinded with rage and hate is the media now, that they have run with stories without even checking to see if they’re true.
Don’t look for things to get better any time soon.