Media coverage of Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders in November 2019

The media coverage of Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont, became a subject of discussion during his unsuccessful 2016 and 2020 presidential runs. Sanders and his campaigns alleged mainstream media bias against him, while others contended coverage was unbiased or favorable. ^{[1] [2]}

Academic analyses

Multiple academic studies examined Sanders's media coverage during the 2016 primaries. Research by political scientists John M. Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavreck found Sanders's coverage was strongly correlated with his polling throughout the campaign, and that he received the most favorable tone of any candidate while Hillary Clinton received the most negative. ^[1] Thomas Patterson's Shorenstein Center report similarly found Sanders was "largely ignored in the early months" but received "overwhelmingly positive" coverage once attention increased. ^{[3] [4]} Overall, Sanders received two-thirds of Clinton's coverage, while Donald Trump received more coverage than all other candidates combined. ^{[5] [6]}

A 2019 Northeastern University study found Sanders initially received the most positive coverage of any 2020 primary candidate, declining to third and then fourth most favorable as the field developed. ^{[7] [8]}

Specific conflicts

See also: 2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries and 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Sanders at a town meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, July 2015

During the 2016 primary, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting counted 16 negative Washington Post stories on Sanders within 16 hours; the Post called FAIR's criteria "overly broad". ^{[9] [10]} The New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan acknowledged some coverage was "regrettably dismissive" and later characterized retroactive changes to an article on Sanders's legislative record as "stealth editing". ^{[11] [12]}

In 2019, Sanders suggested The Washington Post covered him unfairly due to his criticism of owner Jeff Bezos's company Amazon; executive editor Martin Baron called this a "conspiracy theory". ^{[13] [2]}

During the 2020 primary, the Poynter Institute called CNN moderator Abby Phillip's handling of a Sanders-Warren dispute "stunning in its ineptness". ^[14] MSNBC hosts Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd drew criticism for comparing Sanders or his supporters to Nazis; Matthews apologized after invoking France's fall to Nazi Germany to describe Sanders's Nevada victory, which critics noted was insensitive given Sanders's family members were killed in the Holocaust. ^{[15] [16]}

Sanders suspended his campaign in April 2020. ^[17] Vice News subsequently released the documentary Bernie Blackout. ^[18]

See also

• Media bias in the United States
• Media coverage of the 2016 United States presidential election

References

1. John Sides; Michael Tesler; Lynn Vavreck (2018). Identity Crisis. Princeton University Press. pp. 8, 99, 104–107. ISBN   978-0-691-17419-8. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
2. Morgan Gstalter (August 13, 2019), "Washington Post editor calls Sanders claim about campaign coverage a 'conspiracy theory'", The Hill, archived from the original on November 30, 2019, retrieved December 1, 2019
3. Thomas E. Patterson (June 13, 2016), Pre-Primary News Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Race: Trump's Rise, Sanders' Emergence, Clinton's Struggle, archived from the original on November 27, 2019, retrieved December 1, 2019
4. Nikolas Decosta-Klipa (June 14, 2016). "This Harvard study both confirms and refutes Bernie Sanders's complaints about the media". Boston Globe. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
5. Thomas E. Patterson (July 11, 2016), News Coverage of the 2016 Presidential Primaries: Horse Race Reporting Has Consequences , retrieved January 3, 2020
6. Rachel Bitecofer (2018). The Unprecedented 2016 Presidential Election. Palgrave. pp. 36–38, 48. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-61976-7. ISBN   978-3-319-61975-0.
7. Alexander Frandsen; Aleszu Bajak (April 24, 2019), Women on the 2020 campaign trail are being treated more negatively by the media, Storybench, archived from the original on October 7, 2019, retrieved December 2, 2019
8. Aleszu Bajak (September 30, 2019), Gabbard, Booker and Biden get most negative media coverage over last four months, Storybench, archived from the original on December 4, 2019, retrieved December 2, 2019
9. Adam Johnson (March 8, 2016). "Washington Post Ran 16 Negative Stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 Hours". FAIR.
10. Borchers, Callum (March 8, 2016). "Has The Washington Post been too hard on Bernie Sanders this week?". The Washington Post . Retrieved February 27, 2020.
11. Sullivan, Margaret (September 9, 2015). "Has The Times Dismissed Bernie Sanders?". The New York Times. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
12. Margaret Sullivan (March 17, 2019). "Were Changes to Sanders Article 'Stealth Editing'?". The New York Times.
13. Dominico Montanaro (August 13, 2019). "Bernie Sanders Again Attacks Amazon – This Time Pulling In 'The Washington Post'". NPR. Archived from the original on November 27, 2019. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
14. Jones, Tom (January 15, 2020). "A media misfire from CNN during the debate". Poynter Institute. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
15. Grynbaum, Michael (February 24, 2020). "Chris Matthews Apologizes to Bernie Sanders for Remarks on Nevada Win". The New York Times. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
16. Allison Kaplan Sommer (February 11, 2020). "'Meet the Press' host rapped for comparing Sanders supporters to Nazi 'brownshirts'". Haaretz. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
17. Ember, Sydney (April 8, 2020). "Bernie Sanders Is Dropping Out of 2020 Democratic Race for President". The New York Times . Retrieved April 8, 2020.
18. White, Peter (May 6, 2020). "Vice TV Laces Up Air Jordan Sneaker Doc & Bernie Sanders Film". Deadline. Retrieved May 25, 2020.