A new study suggests that Vice President Kamala Harris received the most lopsided news coverage in the country’s history when comparing reports from major networks surrounding the presidential election.
Media Research Center evaluated coverage of Harris on ABC, CBS, and NBC and found that 78% of the coverage for the vice president was positive versus 22% negative.
Donald Trump, on the other hand, received a whopping 85% negative coverage and just 15% positive.
This equates to a 63-point advantage in positive coverage for Harris, the largest gap in history, according to the study.
The report analyzed 660 stories from the major networks’ evening newscasts beginning on July 21, when President Joe Biden withdrew from the race, until October 25.
Research was divided fairly evenly between the three major networks: Eight hours, 20 minutes for NBC; eight hours, 13 minutes for CBS; and seven hours, 42 minutes for ABC.
Out of 753 minutes dedicated to Trump in that time, approximately 230 minutes of coverage (almost one-third) was dedicated to his personal controversies.
Comparatively, just 28 of 583 total minutes of coverage of Harris was spent on similar topics.
Harris’ coverage was described as being full of enthusiastic quotes from her voters, and overall, attempting to create a positive “vibe” for the Democratic candidate.
Credit: NewsBusters/Media Research Center
It may be hard to believe, but the 63-point difference in coverage for Vice President Harris was far wider than when Trump went up against Hillary Clinton.
For 2016, coverage for both candidates was overwhelmingly negative. Clinton received 79% negative coverage, while Trump was hit with 91% negative coverage.
For Trump, those numbers more closely represent what he faced in 2020, which was also the second-highest discrepancy for positive coverage in election history.
Trump received a shockingly low 8% positive coverage rating against Biden in 2020, while the now-sitting president saw networks give him 66% favorable airtime.
This 58-point difference in 2020 along with the 63-point difference in 2024 showcase a stark contrast in how coverage has been extremely negative since Trump jumped into politics.
This is further shown by what is considered the third-biggest difference in positive coverage, which was only a 35-point spread between Democrat Barack Obama (68% positive coverage) and Republican John McCain (33% positive).
The fourth-widest margin was in 1992 when Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton (D) had a 23-point advantage in positive coverage over incumbent President George H.W. Bush (R).
Rounding out the top five was John Kerry’s 22-point slant in positive coverage over incumbent President George W. Bush in 2004.
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Trump, Harris, Election, Media coverage, Mainstream media, Politics
