What gives?
According to Gallup analyst Art Swift, “While it is clear Americans’ trust in the media has been eroding over time, the election campaign may be the reason that it has fallen so sharply this year.
“With many Republican leaders and conservative pundits saying Hillary Clinton has received overly positive media attention,” Swift wrote Wednesday, “while Donald Trump has been receiving unfair or negative attention, this may be the prime reason their relatively low trust in the media has evaporated even more. It is also possible that Republicans think less of the media as a result of Trump’s sharp criticisms of the press. Republicans who say they have trust in the media has plummeted to 14% from 32% a year ago. This is easily the lowest confidence among Republicans in 20 years.”
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Gallup suggested that “The divisive presidential election this year may be corroding Americans’ trust and confidence in the media, particularly among Republicans who may believe the ‘mainstream media’ are too hyperfocused on every controversial statement or policy proposal from Trump while devoting far less attention to controversies surrounding the Clinton campaign.”
The mainstream press has been quick to accept the Clinton campaign’s explanation regarding her collapse Sunday at the 9/11 Memorial, while conservative pundits have been skeptical.
For example, Breitbart ran a piece on Clinton that was headlined thusly: “Doctors Raise Concerns over Clinton’s Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment.”
The piece quoted Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, who noted that after the Sunday incident, which was caught on video and went viral across social media, “people haven’t been talking about her cough this weekend.”
“Now, I don’t think this pneumonia begins to explain the terrible cough that she’s had for months on end,” Orient was quoted as stating.
That’s not all Dr. Orient has been saying, according to Breitbart. She was on Sirius XM with Alex Marlow on Mondays’ Breitbart News Daily and went into some detail about Clinton.
Breitbart has a significant following among conservatives.
The Gallup poll also revealed:
“Older Americans are more likely than younger Americans to say they trust the media, but trust has declined among both age groups this year. Currently, 26% of those aged 18 to 49 (down from 36% last year) and 38% of those aged 50 and older (down from 45%) say they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media.”
The current campaign season has been the most divisive in recent memory, and this new Gallup poll underscores complaints that the mainstream press is “in the bag” for Clinton.
Related:
- WaPo’s Chris Cillizza: Hillary’s health now a ‘real issue’ in campaign
- Media coverup continues: Reports say Hillary ‘stumbled’ at 9/11 ceremony
- Cokie Roberts: Dems ‘nervously’ whispering about replacing sick Hillary
- Blatant Media Bias: CBS Deletes Bill’s ‘Frequent’ Comment Regarding Hillary’s Ill Health
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