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Obamamania Media: Study Finds Press Favorable Toward Obama
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| President Barack Obama approaches the media on Jan. 27 to make a statement on Capitol Hill. A new study reports the media has given Mr. Obama more coverage than either of his two immediate presidential predecessors. (Lawrence Jackson/Associated Press) |
By MICHAEL P. TREMOGLIE, The Bulletin
According to a recently released study, the media coverage of President Barack Obama has been near slavish.
The report said the media have given Mr. Obama more coverage than either of his two immediate predecessors — combined. He has also received more positive coverage than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush did at this same point in their presidencies. The report was coordinated by the Center for the Media and Public Affairs (CMPA).
On the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news, 58 percent of all evaluations of the president and his policies have been favorable and 42 percent were unfavorable said CMPA in their press release. Their previous studies of network news found that George W. Bush received only 33 percent positive evaluations by sources and reporters during the first 50 days of his administration in 2001. Bill Clinton received only 44 percent positive evaluations during his first 70 days in office in 1993.
Favorable coverage by the three major broadcast networks of Mr. Obama was very similar. Comments on ABC were 57 percent positive. CBS coverage was 58 percent positive. NBC's reporting was 61 percent positive.
But the most positive reporting for Mr. Obama came from the New York Times. Nearly three out of four evaluative comments (73 percent) by sources and reporters were favorable.
The Times has been at the center of a controversy about its coverage of Mr. Obama. The Bulletin reported March 30 the Times refused to use information about the Obama campaign that the editors thought would have a deleterious effect on his campaign. The information came from a whistleblower who worked for the activist group known as ACORN.
The study determined that the Times’ policy coverage was less positive than its personal coverage of Mr. Obama. It portrayed domestic policy areas relatively favorably at 60 percent positive. But its coverage of foreign policy was only at 39 percent positive.
The research was conducted by researchers at George Mason University in Fairfax Va. and Chapman University in Orange Calif. It covered all news about Barack Obama’s presidency that appeared on the ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox evening newscasts (the first half hour of Fox News Channel’s “Special Report”) as well as front page stories in the New York Times, during the first 50 days of his term in office (Jan. 20 through March 10).
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
The report said the media have given Mr. Obama more coverage than either of his two immediate predecessors — combined. He has also received more positive coverage than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush did at this same point in their presidencies. The report was coordinated by the Center for the Media and Public Affairs (CMPA).
On the ABC, CBS and NBC evening news, 58 percent of all evaluations of the president and his policies have been favorable and 42 percent were unfavorable said CMPA in their press release. Their previous studies of network news found that George W. Bush received only 33 percent positive evaluations by sources and reporters during the first 50 days of his administration in 2001. Bill Clinton received only 44 percent positive evaluations during his first 70 days in office in 1993.
Favorable coverage by the three major broadcast networks of Mr. Obama was very similar. Comments on ABC were 57 percent positive. CBS coverage was 58 percent positive. NBC's reporting was 61 percent positive.
But the most positive reporting for Mr. Obama came from the New York Times. Nearly three out of four evaluative comments (73 percent) by sources and reporters were favorable.
The Times has been at the center of a controversy about its coverage of Mr. Obama. The Bulletin reported March 30 the Times refused to use information about the Obama campaign that the editors thought would have a deleterious effect on his campaign. The information came from a whistleblower who worked for the activist group known as ACORN.
The study determined that the Times’ policy coverage was less positive than its personal coverage of Mr. Obama. It portrayed domestic policy areas relatively favorably at 60 percent positive. But its coverage of foreign policy was only at 39 percent positive.
The research was conducted by researchers at George Mason University in Fairfax Va. and Chapman University in Orange Calif. It covered all news about Barack Obama’s presidency that appeared on the ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox evening newscasts (the first half hour of Fox News Channel’s “Special Report”) as well as front page stories in the New York Times, during the first 50 days of his term in office (Jan. 20 through March 10).
Michael P. Tremoglie can be reached at mtremoglie@thebulletin.us
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