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Poll: More Voters Blame Media Than Trump For Political Division

posted 6 years ago by Destinata (3349)
17 replies | jump to latest

More registered voters think members of the news media are to blame for political divisions in America than think President Donald Trump is to blame, according to a new Morning Consult/Politico poll.

Of the 2,543 voters surveyed last week and early this week — amid news about the package bombs and the deadliest anti-Semitic shooting in U.S. history — a majority of voters said the press has done more to divide Americans than Trump has.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said the news media has done more to divide than unite the country since Trump was sworn into office, while 56 percent of voters said the same about President Trump. Republican women cast the most blame on the press, with 83 percent saying media has done more to divide Americans than unite. Democratic men had the most favorable view of the news media, with 44 percent saying the press has done more to divide than unite.

Democratic women were among the most critical of Trump, with 92 percent saying the president has done more to divide than unite the country. Only 21 percent of Republican men surveyed thought Trump has been more divisive than unifying.

The results come amid numerous media personalities have been blaming President Trump for the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, where 11 people were killed.

http://thefederalist.com/2018/11/01/voters-blame-media-trump-political-division/

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

Yes, Fox News media does more dividing than Trump can accomplish on his own.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

I agree. And OAN is to blame as well.

[–] Frogarama (12942) 6 years ago

Plus, it's easy to blame the media for spreading Trumps divisive rhetoric. They could just NOT do their job, and ignore him....

[–] Bubbathegut (18074) 6 years ago

OAN is bad.

[–] Bubbathegut (18074) 6 years ago

What about MSNBC? I thought Fox news was fake news?

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

They both are.

Your insipid whataboutism doesn’t work when both examples are equally biased.

Buffoon.

[–] Bubbathegut (18074) 6 years ago

Whataboutism (also known as whataboutery) is a variant of the tu quoque logical fallacy that attempts to discredit an opponent's position by charging them with hypocrisy without directly refuting or disproving their argument, which in the United States is particularly associated with Soviet and Russian propaganda.

[–] TJLamb0518 (3316) 6 years ago

Of course you can define (read: “copy and paste something someone smarter said”) it since you morons live by it since you have nothing else.

[–] Destinata (3349) 6 years ago

Amazing how Fox is the only news outlet out there! 😂

An hour with Hannity -- and I'm always stunned at how many people can stomach it -- is nothing but "Us vs. Them." But so's much of what's on the other networks. And they're just as ham-fisted about it as Hannity is.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

So true. I haven't watched any of the cable news shows in a few years. I used to switch between CNN and FOX (could never stomach MSNBC) and had to give it up. It was like watching a soap opera. I don't trust the media anymore than I do politicians these days.

[–] Destinata (3349) 6 years ago

"Soap opera" is a good analogy! They're trying to play on emotions. I'm old enough to remember when reporters were supposed to be dispassionate conveyors of fact. Chet Huntley caught flak for taking his glasses off and wiping his eyes in the middle of telling the nation that President Kennedy had been killed. Chances are you're not old enough to remember that, so it probably sounds surreal to you. What I'm seeing on so-called "news" networks is surreal to me.

[–] [deleted] 6 years ago

Kennedy was a bit before my time. I was born in the mid 70's, but I did grow up before the internet and the 24 hour news cycle. I remember that journalists took their jobs very seriously (most popular ones anyway) and they knew that if they became the story or part of the story they were doing something wrong. I grew up being taught that when reporting/telling a story you needed the 'Five W's' (who, what, when, why and where).

These days so many talking heads, journalists and reporters would rather talk about how they feel about a story than what the actual facts are. When I read or watch the news (outside of basic network hour long news) I get more opinion and conjecture than I do anything else from so called reporters and journalists.

[–] Rorikon (17888) 6 years ago

MSM are mostly to blame, not all but the majority. During the 2016 election all they did was give Trump free air time because it drew in viewers with their click/view bait titles for them cold hard cash. They hoped to show how crazy he is which had a streisand effect on the forgotten people and others. This is why many consider MSM #fakenews since they did it upon themselves and help spawn alternative news.

I remember a CEO of one of the news outlets NBC/ABC or whatever it was said Trump drew in ratings. I can't find the vid anymore as I can't remember the whole thing but I recall seeing it.

Update: FOUND IT!
CBS ex-CEO Leslie/Les Moonves
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyYQbIoX4vU
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/leslie-moonves-donald-trump-may-871464

He was buried under a hay of sexual misconduct videos which got him fired so it was hard to locate.

[–] Destinata (3349) 6 years ago

I remember when Trump won the primaries and one of his spokespeople sat down for what she was sure was going to be another softball interview and she actually got asked hardball questions. A pundit said she came out of the experience looking like a cat that had been electrocuted. I'm sure he meant that cartoon cat we've all seen.

I think not only did they get the ratings with Trump, but they really wanted him to go up against Hillary. I don't think they wanted her to debate Cruz since he's known for his debating skills, if not his warmth and charm. (For that matter, people were always trying to soften her image.) So while Trump got them ratings, he also got the guy they thought would be easiest to beat. I don't think they've quite understood what hit them yet -- and I'm no Trumpfan.

[–] dlancer (2036) 6 years ago

The media are the ones burdened to report Trump's divisiveness, so it only makes sense they would get a majority of the criticism.

The easiest way to tell it's not the media's fault is to examine both sides. Is anti-Trump media divisive? Yes. Is pro-Trump media divisive? Why, yes, it is. How can that be? We have a divisive president, perhaps the most divisive in history.

[–] FishGottoSwim (473) 6 years ago

By all means, go with the polls.

Because they were so right about the election in 2016, weren't they?

But reality is different than polls.

Polls aren't used in court proceedings.

But the FACT that there's a direct correlation between what Trump & the GOP has spewed & the shootings & bomb attempts CAN & WILL be used in court.

[–] Destinata (3349) 6 years ago

Yeah. I'll tell that to Steve Scalise and all the people who've been hounded out of restaurants by howling mobs. 🙄