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Richard Cochrane is trained in chemistry and metallurgy but is far more interested and practiced as a political and fund raising consultant, writer and amateur historian. He grew up in a Navy family and with his two younger brothers carried on its 500+ year tradition of naval service to Great Britain and the USA then enjoyed a career with one of the largest advertising and public relations agencies working with numerous Fortune 500 companies and many of America's premier educational institutions. He maintains friendships and acquaintanceships around the world. He lives in Santa Barbara, California.

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Plurality Of Voters Say Media Wants To Help Obama and Hurt McCain

July 21st, 2008 • Richard Cochrane
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We have a favoriteHypocrites At New York Times Reject McCain OpEd About His Iraq Views Because It Did not Include a Timeline

Forty-nine percent of voters believe most reporters try to help Obama with their coverage, up from 44% a month ago according to a nationwide survey released Monday by Rasmussen Reports. Just 14% believe most reporters will try to help John McCain win, little changed from 13% a month ago. Just one voter in four (24%) believes that most reporters will try to offer unbiased coverage. A plurality of Democrats-37%– say most reporters try to offer unbiased coverage of the campaign. Twenty-seven percent (27%) believe most reporters are trying to help Obama and 21% in Obama’s party think reporters are trying to help McCain.

Among Republicans, 78% believe reporters are trying to help Obama and 10% see most offering unbiased coverage.

As for unaffiliated voters, 50% see a pro-Obama bias and 21% see unbiased coverage. Just 12% of those not affiliated with either major party believe the reporters are trying to help McCain.

In a more general sense, 45% say that most reporters would hide information if it hurt the candidate they wanted to win. Just 30% disagree and 25% are not sure. Democrats are evenly divided as to whether a reporter would release such information while Republicans and unaffiliated voters have less confidence in the reporters.

Fifty percent of voters believe most reporters want to make the economy seem worse than it is. A plurality believes that the media has also tried to make the war in Iraq appear worse that it really is.

There Are 2 Responses So Far. »

  1. Comment by Deb Della Piana on 24 July 2008:

    Richard, honestly, I don’t know what mainstream media newspapers and television shows these people are watching, but I don’t see that. Now, I’m not a watcher of the mainstream media except from a critical standpoint, so I may not be the best person to judge this. However, what I see is the mainstream media continuing to paint McCain as some kind of maverick politician who bucks his party and has great disdain for lobbyists and special interest groups. That may have been true prior to the 2000 election, but it isn’t true now. Nearly his entire campaign staff is comprised of lobbyists and fundraisers. I think the mainstream media is enamored with McCain and they tend to make excuses for him.

    As far as Obama, I don’t really know what the mainstream media is doing with him. Perhaps they respond positively to a candidate who immediately moves to the center once he’s locked up the nomination. I’m not much enamored by it though, and I tend to read Obama coverage off the Internet because they are much more critical of his centrist move. I must say that he wasn’t my candidate to begin with. He’s getting my vote because he’s the last man standing on this side of the aisle.

    Deb Della Pianas last blog post..Nine Republicans choose America over Bush!

  2. Comment by richard cochrane on 24 July 2008:

    Deb- It’s obvious.

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