(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most adults in the United States believe their country’s media handled the 2008 presidential race in a proper fashion, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. 67 per cent of respondents say the press was fair to Barack Obama, and 56 per cent feel the same way about coverage of John McCain.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Most adults in the United States believe their country’s media handled the 2008 presidential race in a proper fashion, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press. 67 per cent of respondents say the press was fair to Barack Obama, and 56 per cent feel the same way about coverage of John McCain.
In American elections, candidates require 270 votes in the Electoral College to win the White House. On Nov. 4, Democratic nominee Obama secured a majority of electoral votes, defeating Republican candidate McCain. Obama will become the first African American president in U.S. history when he takes over from George W. Bush—who served two four-year terms—on Jan. 20, 2009.
Last month, Time magazine editor Mark Halperin described coverage of the presidential election race as "the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war," adding, "It was extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage."
Polling Data
Would you say the press has been fair or unfair in the way it has covered Barack Obama’s election campaign?
|
Fair |
67% |
|
Unfair |
30% |
|
Not sure |
3% |
Would you say the press has been fair or unfair in the way it has covered John McCain’s election campaign?
|
Fair |
56% |
|
Unfair |
44% |
|
Not sure |
3% |
Source: Pew Research Center for the People & the Press
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,500 registered American voters, conducted from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9, 2008. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
