Tag: news media

For Trump, Media Coverage Equals Poll Points, Not Favorability

Buck Banks

70%

Share of all December Republican race media coverage Donald Trump has garnered — even higher than his long-term average of 54 percent, Reports FiveThirtyEight‘s Nate Silver. “According to the regression, that extra media coverage is worth about 8 percentage points in the polls: almost exactly how much Trump has gained in national polls since the month began and enough to put him in the mid-30s in the polling average instead of the high 20s.” Silver notes: “The interesting thing, as we’ve pointed out before, is that a candidate can potentially gain in the polls in the short term by increasing his media coverage, even if he potentially hurts his favorability rating. Trump seems to realize this.”

Reporters Actually Like Covering Trump

Buck Banks

It is fun to be here. Even the reporters, to whose perfidy Trump devotes a substantial chunk of his speech, are having fun — you never know what Trump is going to say, and you get a lot of airtime … Despite all the negativity and fear, the energy in this room does not feel dark and aggressive and threatening. It doesn’t feel like a powder keg about to blow, a lynch mob about to rampage. It feels joyous.

— Molly Ball in the Atlantic

Kelly Vows to Continue Doing ‘Good Journalism’

Buck Banks

I certainly will not apologize for doing good journalism, so I’ll continue doing my job without fear or favor. This is a tough business and it’s time now to move forward.

— Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, quoted by the New York Times, noting she would not respond directly to any of Donald Trump’s numerous insults and disparaging statements about her.

Roger Ailes On Competing Networks

Buck Banks

I flip to MSNBC occasionally to make sure their blind pig didn’t find an acorn. But they never have once. I tell you who I do like at MSNBC — I like Joe and Mika. I don’t watch much CNN, they got out of the news business in primetime. But I look to see if they have a good documentary or movie. If they do, I’ll watch that.

— Fox News chief Roger Ailes, quoted by the Hollywood Reporter.

Majority of Republicans Only Trust Fox News

Buck Banks

66%

Of Republicans only trust Fox News as opposed to 25% who don’t, according to Public Policy Polling. “Fewer than 25% of Republicans trust ABC, CBS, Comedy Central, MSNBC, CNN and NBC. They’re closely divided on PBS with 37% trusting it and 39% distrusting it. … It’s almost the opposite story when it comes to Democrats. Majorities of them trust ABC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC, NBC News and PBS. And more of them than not (44/30) trust Comedy Central as well. The only outlet they don’t trust is Fox News, although 33% who do trust it is still more than the share of Republicans who trust any of the major networks.”