Between June 1 and September 30, mainstream media TV networks obsessed over negative stories about President Donald Trump and his administration, while almost entirely ignoring the good news about the booming Trump economy.
Coverage of Trump from ABC, CBS, and NBC was 92 percent negative, according to a Media Research Center (MRC) analysis. Even worse, the booming Trump economy received less than one percent of air time on these three networks.
The networks dedicated 342 minutes to the Russia “collusion” investigation, with coverage that was 97 percent negative on Trump. They spent 308 minutes discussing immigration policies, with 94 percent of that coverage negative. They spend 291 minutes on the Supreme Court battle over Brett Kavanaugh, 82 percent negative. The networks gave 179 minutes to the diplomacy with North Korea, 90 percent negative. They spent 151 minutes discussing Trump’s relations with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, 99 percent negative.
“Amid this sea of coverage, the networks spent almost no airtime — a mere 14 minutes, or 0.7 percent — on the administration’s economic achievements, including the positive effects of the tax cuts and deregulation, plus historic job growth,” MRC’s Rich Noyes reported. “Indeed, the only aspect of the Trump economic program that interested the networks during the past four months has been the President’s use of tariffs to push for better trade deals (80 minutes).”
This neglect proves particularly important as the mid-term elections approach.
In May, the unemployment rate dropped to 3.8 percent, the lowest since 1969. In July, the Commerce Department reported that GDP grew by 4.1 percent between April and June, an astounding number that Trump was advised not to promise in 2016 — but he promised 4 percent growth, anyway. No president is entirely responsible for the economy under his watch, but presidents are often held accountable for growth or recession nonetheless.
Millions of American workers have received bonuses thanks to the Republican tax reform bill.
As Americans got to the polls in November, they need to know the truth about the economic boom. It seems mainstream media networks are interested in everything else.
Follow the author of this article on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.
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