by Ireland Owens
North Dakota Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer in a letter Thursday demanded that corporate media networks be held accountable for “biased” coverage of the presidential election.
Republican letterobtained exclusively by the Daily Caller News Foundation, it was aimed at top network executives at Fox, CBS, Disney and NBCUniversal. In his letter, Cramer accused the networks of biased coverage of President-elect Donald Trump.
“Eight years ago, I sent a letter to your predecessors on behalf of concerned citizens across the country addressing the blatant media bias observed during the 2016 presidential election.” Cramer wrote. “To date, none of the prospective networks have responded. Following the 2024 presidential election, I feel compelled to write again – this time with even greater urgency.”
They were different examples apparent media bias over the past few years, journalists Linsey Davis and David Muir, for example, faced criticism after they moderated the Trump-Harris presidential debate on ABC News on September 10 because many viewers felt it was unfair counterfeit against Trump.
“Unfortunately, the concerns expressed in my 2016 letter have not only gone unanswered, but have worsened,” Cramer added. “Public trust in your national news efforts and programs has fallen to unprecedented levels. Last month, a Gallup poll found that public trust in the media has reached an all-time low, with only 31 percent of Americans expressing confidence in the honesty of the media and just 12 percent of Republicans maintaining any confidence in the accuracy of national news reporting.
Before the election, Americans’ trust in the media was at an all-time low. According to according to a Gallup poll published on October 14. About 36 percent of respondents said they had “no confidence at all” in the media, while only 31 percent expressed “a lot” or “somewhat” confidence and 33 percent expressed “not very much” confidence, according to the survey. .
In his letter, Cramer demanded answers from executives on how they will address concerns about bias at their networks and also asked what hiring practices the networks employ to promote fair journalism.
Media coverage of the 2024 presidential election on national broadcast networks was “the most skewed in history,” according to an Oct. 28 report. report published by NewsBusters Media Research Center. Cramer cited that report in his letter, mentioning that in July, several major networks, including ABC, CBS and NBC, gave Vice President Kamala Harris 78% positive coverage, compared to Trump’s 85% negative coverage.
“The editorial skew of your national newscasts not only betrays the trust of Americans, but also undermines the exceptional work of local affiliates,” Cramer wrote. “Affiliates, especially those serving rural communities, work tirelessly to provide fair and valuable reporting, but their credibility is undermined by associations with biased national coverage.”
– – –
Ireland Owens is a reporter with the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Photo “Donald Trump” by Gage Skidmore CC2.0.
