Posted on 09/10/2008 9:52:56 PM PDT by Ooh-Ah
Seven out of 10 voters (69%) remain convinced that reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and this year by a nearly five-to-one margin voters believe they are trying to help Barack Obama.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 50% of voters think most reporters are trying to help Obama win versus 11% who believe they are trying to help his Republican opponent John McCain. Twenty-six percent (26%) say reporters offer unbiased coverage (demographic crosstabs available for Premium Members).
Just last week a Rasmussen Reports survey found that 51% of voters believed reporters were trying to hurt McCain’s running mate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, with their news coverage.
Interestingly, while 83% of Republican voters think most reporters are trying to help Obama, 19% of Democrats agree, one percentage point higher than the number of Democrats who believe they are trying to help McCain. Unaffiliated voters by a 53% to 10% margin see reporters trying to help Obama.
Forty-five percent (45%) of Democrats say most reporters are providing unbiased coverage in the current presidential campaign, but only 20% of unaffiliateds and nine percent (9%) of Republicans agree.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls).
Voters from both parties, however, are skeptical of media bias in general. Eighty-six percent (86%) of Republicans think reporters try to help the candidate they want to win, and a plurality of Democrats (49%) believe that, too. Seventy-four percent (74%) of unaffiliated voters agree.
Only 21% of voters overall say reporters try to offer unbiased coverage.
These numbers track closely with findings from a Rasmussen Reports survey in mid-July and follow criticism throughout last week’s Republican convention of media coverage viewed as exceptionally hostile to Palin. Democrats, however, are a bit more questioning of the media now and slightly less inclined to regard them as favorable to Obama.
Among all voters, 57% believe Obama has received the best treatment by the media, while 21% say McCain has been treated best. Only nine percent (9%) believe the media has been most favorable to Senator Hillary Clinton, who was Obama’s closest rival for the Democratic presidential nomination.
Forty-two percent (42%) think reporters would hide information that hurts the candidate they want to win, but 34% do not agree. But there’s a partisan divide here: While 63% of likely McCain voters believe reporters would hide information harmful to the candidate they favor, 52% of potential Obama voters do not agree.
Perhaps this explains why 46% of voters say they most trust information about the presidential campaign from family and friends as opposed to 32% who trust the information from news reporters more.
Please sign up for the Rasmussen Reports daily e-mail update (it’s free)… let us keep you up to date with the latest public opinion news.
See survey questions and toplines. Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.
Well, maybe the American public gets it.
I think 69% is pretty low.
5-1 ? is that all ?
50% of voters think most reporters are trying to help Obama win
Republicans and other fair people.
**************************************************************
11% who believe they are trying to help his Republican opponent John McCain.
Democrats
**********************************************************
26% say reporters offer unbiased coverage
Oblivious
and the liberal elite thought they had snookered the redneck ignorants that are not them. No way! The joke is on the ignoramus elites. They aren’t foolin’ a whole lot of people.
Love it!
I wonder why they’d think that? More than Matthews have been feeling the tingles and letting all of us know about it. Disgusting.
Absolutely wonderful! Obama is like a big daddy long legs stumbling around...
People know whats going on. Every time Obama opens his arrogant mouth, every time the media tells the public what they should do, every time they try to make Sarah Palin out to be an ignorant redneck....Ka-Ching! ....more votes for Mc/Palin. Liberals are mentally ill, they refuse to believe they are wrong...so everyone else must be. This will be the most lopsided election in the history of this country and the libs have only themselves to blame.
A CHANGE is gonna come. People are gonna CHANGE the channel and not watch these anchors anymore. They are going to CHANGE their reading habits. They are “tuned in” to what the Major Media is saying, “turning on” to the alternative means of communication, and “tuning out” on the daily DNC talking points.
A change is gonna come.
A change is gonna come.
The jig is up.
FYI.
I see hope though, this election cycle is teaching us all valuable lessons about how politics and politicians affect our lives and it doesn't seem that we as whole are all that thrilled with the results of the last 30 years or so. I envision us as a Nation taking these lessons and building upon them, bringing about a new era of accountability, ourselves to government and government to us. We the People, not We the Sheeple!! And the ones in government that don't get it - let's toss them the Hell out!
You must be mistaken, they Said their unbiased, so they must be, right?
ok I’d be extremely gullible to believe that.
“I think 69% is pretty low.”
It’s a lot better than it was in 1981. Back then it was pretty easy to feel like the Lone Ranger.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.