Media Bias and the 2024 Democratic Primaries

Even as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. continues to get pummeled by the left-leaning press, he also faces a subtle yet pervasive media campaign that not only knocks him down but also props up his opponent, President Joe Biden.  

Voters get information about prospective candidates from a variety of sources, loosely grouped into news media, social media, and friends and family. Where people find that information often depends on what side of the political spectrum they fall. 

According to Political Polarization and Media Habits, an overview of a year-long study of the political divide in America by Pew Research, those who fall to the extreme end of either side—roughly 20% of the public—are more likely to turn to ideologically-aligned news sources. They are also the people with a greater impact on elections than those in the political center.

But what information are such voters actually getting? Media watchdog groups such as conservative-leaning Media Research Center (MRC) examined that question. One recent study, commissioned by MRC and conducted by McLaughlin and Associates from June 15 through June 19, looked at how liberal and conservative media covered eleven news reports related to the Biden Administration. 

Answers in the study came from 1,000 eligible voters, 49% who get their news primarily from cable news networks. The poll showed significant lack of awareness both from left and right leaning voters watching CNN and MSNBC on the one hand and Fox and Newsmax on the other. 

MRC’s poll revealed that people more likely to vote in Democratic primaries are significantly less aware about serious issues like economic conditions, impact on households and finances, border and national security, political maneuvers, Biden family scandals and proven corruption.

The 11 news reports used in the study were: the high number of border crossing under the Biden Administration; the estimated rise in gas prices (52%); the entrance into the U.S. of one hundred proven or suspected terrorists during his term; the average reported drop in household spending ($7,100); a consistent decline in median real wages and salaries under Biden; the lack of concrete proof of Russian collusion in the Durham Report, despite significant investment of time and resources; public outcry over Biden headlines and family scandals; FBI whistleblower disclosing protection of Hunter Biden’s contacts with Russian oligarchs; interference with the FBI whistleblower working on the Hunter Biden probe; a reporter by the House Oversight Committee on $10 million funneled from 20-plus foreign sources to Biden and his family; and investigations by the House and Senate of possible bribes during Biden’s time as Vice President, with the FBI accused of withholding proof.

MRC’s conservative bent notwithstanding, the poll shows how voters on the left lack a full understanding of some of Biden’s failures. For example, 38% of those who watch CNN/MSNBC are aware that household spending dropped by $7,100; 34% are aware that 100 suspected terrorists entered the country; and only 40% of those who will be faced with the option to keep Biden in office are aware that Congress uncovered a reported $10 million from foreign nationals that went directly to the Biden and his family.

MRC President L. Brent Bozell III did not shy away from taking a strong position: “This poll is just more evidence of the leftist media’s corrupt election interference,: he said. “It’s no surprise that voters who rely on these leftist cable networks for their news are vastly less aware of Joe Biden’s multiple scandals and policy disasters. CNN and MSNBC know exactly what they’re doing, which is to bury the truth of Biden’s failures in order to save Joe Biden from himself.”

Robert Hauptman in Media Bias and Censorship in the Journal of Information Ethics takes a more measured approach: “Some media at least attempt to offer unsullied, that is, politically untainted news reports,” he writes. “Others, owned by a person or group of people who have a very pointed agenda, tender ideologically slanted reports or fail to include news that may reflect badly on their perspective.”

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