Media coverage of the 2024 United States presidential election has been criticized for being “the most lopsided in history,” according to a report by the Media Research Center. The report highlights that since July, Vice President Kamala Harris received 78% positive coverage from ABC, CBS, and NBC, while President-elect Donald Trump faced 85% negative coverage. Trust in mass media has reportedly reached an all-time low, with only 31% of Americans expressing confidence in media integrity and just 12% of Republicans trusting national news fairness.
U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) addressed these concerns by sending a letter to major broadcast networks urging them to prioritize balanced news coverage. Cramer expressed his ongoing worries about media bias, emphasizing that these networks operate on a federally allocated spectrum granted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to serve the public interest.
“Unfortunately, the concerns expressed in my 2016 letter have not only gone unaddressed but have worsened,” wrote Cramer. He noted that public confidence in national news operations has dropped significantly.
Cramer continued, “Such biased news coverage should serve as a wake-up call to any network claiming to value fact-based journalism.” He stressed that operating on a federally allocated spectrum is “a privilege, not a right,” granted by the FCC.
“The editorial slant of your national news programming not only betrays the trust of Americans but also undermines the exceptional work of local affiliates,” concluded Cramer. He called for upholding journalism’s core tenets—objectivity, fairness, and impartiality—in all coverage.
Additionally, Cramer had previously written to National Public Radio (NPR) regarding similar allegations of bias and met with NPR CEO Katherine Maher to discuss impartial journalism under her leadership.
