Just ahead of the November midterm elections, most Americans say the media is more interested in creating controversies about candidates than reporting on where they stand on the issues, a new Rasmussen poll shows.
According to the data, 52 percent of Americans believe that the media, in its coverage of candidates, is more interested in creating and propagating drama and scandal than reporting on candidates’ agendas and how they plan to make a difference on the issues that matter to voters.
Forty-three percent (43%) disagree and say the media is “more interested in where the candidates stand on the issues,” writes Rasmussen.
The measure was even higher during amid the coverage of the 2016 presidential election, with 75 percent who felt the media was “obsessed with political controversy” in July 2015.
Republicans and independents are more likely than Democrats to believe the media is more interested in creating controversy.
Sixty-seven percent (75%) of Republicans and 56 percent of Independents agree with the sentiment, meanwhile 61 percent of Democrats disagree and believe the media cares more about where the candidates stand on the issues.
The poll of 1,000 likely U.S. voters was conducted Oct. 25-26 and has a margin sampling error of 3 percentage points.