As the 2024 presidential race approaches its final stretch, a new study has unveiled a staggering imbalance in media coverage. According to the Media Research Center (MRC), former President Donald Trump has faced a relentless onslaught of negative coverage, with 85% of media reports casting him in a poor light. In contrast, Vice President Kamala Harris has been treated to a glowing 78% positive coverage across major networks like ABC, CBS, and NBC.
“The difference in coverage between the two candidates is far greater than in 2016, when both Trump and then-challenger Hillary Clinton received mostly negative coverage [91% negative for Trump, vs. 79% negative for Clinton,]” according to MRC analysts.
Trump vs. Harris: A Widening Media Divide
The new report suggests that the bias against Trump in this election cycle surpasses even what he faced during his 2020 re-election campaign, where 92% of his coverage was negative compared to 66% positive for Joe Biden. This year, ABC, CBS, and NBC have devoted more than 200 minutes of airtime—most of it negative—scrutinizing Trump’s controversies while largely overlooking allegations against Harris, such as plagiarism claims and accusations surrounding her husband, Doug Emhoff.
“Instead, Harris’ coverage has been larded with enthusiastic quotes from pro-Harris voters, creating a positive ‘vibe’ for the Democrat even as network reporters criticize Trump themselves,” the report from MRC reveals.
Harris Gets the Limelight, Trump Faces Scrutiny
The study analyzed more than 600 segments of presidential race coverage, running from the time President Biden suspended his candidacy in late July through October 25. While both candidates initially received roughly equal attention, the narrative shifted dramatically after the September debate between Harris and Trump. Analysts found that networks increased their negative coverage of Trump, dedicating nearly twice as much airtime to the former President compared to Harris.
“From the date Harris entered the race on July 21 through September 10, she received 353 minutes of network evening news coverage, virtually identical to the 355 minutes given Trump during the same period,” the study noted. “Since then, however, TV has focused nearly twice as much attention on Trump as Harris: 398 minutes for the former President, compared to just 230 minutes for the Vice President.”
But according to MRC, this additional airtime for Trump wasn’t a gift. “The additional airtime for Trump was hardly meant as a gift. Instead, it reflected the networks’ intensive focus on Trump controversies, providing opportunities for negative news coverage.”
Trump’s Controversies Take Center Stage
An overwhelming 31% of Trump’s total airtime—roughly 753 minutes—since July 21 has focused on his personal controversies. In stark contrast, Harris has seen just 5% of her coverage—28 minutes out of 583—dedicated to any such scandals.
The networks repeatedly cited January 6 and Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was rigged while labeling him as a ‘danger to democracy,’ MRC reported. On the other hand, Harris faced no comparable media scrutiny. Over the 14-week period, GOP criticisms of her as too liberal amounted to a mere 5 minutes, 22 seconds, a fraction of the time spent vilifying Trump. Moreover, none of the criticisms against Harris were echoed by nonpartisan sources or network reporters.
A Record-Breaking Imbalance in Media History
Summing up the past three months, the report calls this the most “lopsided” media coverage in the modern age of presidential elections. “Add it all up, and the media coverage of the past three months is more lopsided than that of any presidential election in the modern media age,” the report reads.
MRC analysts suggest that, should Trump regain the White House next week, the media’s relentless campaign against him may have accomplished little besides eroding their own reputations. “So if Donald Trump regains the White House next week, the media’s campaign against him will have accomplished nothing, except the further erosion of their own reputations.”
Declining Trust in the Media
The findings from MRC come on the heels of another study by Gallup, showing that Americans’ trust in the media remains at an all-time low. Gallup Senior Editor Megan Brenan revealed that only 31% of U.S. adults expressed a “great deal” or “fair amount” of faith in the media to report news accurately.
“For the third consecutive year, more U.S. adults have no trust at all in the media (36%) than trust it a great deal or fair amount. Another 33% of Americans express ‘not very much’ confidence,” Brenan wrote.
The major broadcast networks, ABC, CBS, and NBC, declined to comment on the findings.
