A majority of voters believe reporters are more likely to put far-left Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the White House than former President Donald Trump, according to a new Rasmussen Reports poll. Found.
Half of US voters (50%) expect most journalists to support Harris ahead of the November election, while 14% said they would support Trump. The survey also found that about a quarter (26%) believe most journalists will be unbiased in their reporting, while 10% were unsure.
“Looking at the future of the race, 66% of Republicans, 34% of Democrats and 50% of independents expect most reporters to try to work with Harris,” the poll reported. “Thirty-eight percent of Democrats said most reporters would be unbiased in their reporting, while only 14% of Republicans and 26% of independents agreed.”
The survey found that 60% of respondents believe most reporters try to help their preferred candidates when covering political campaigns, up from 51% during the 2020 election cycle. Nearly three in ten (28%) disagree, saying most reporters are fair, and 12% are unsure.
Democrats (44%) are more likely than Republicans (16%) and independents (23%) to say reporters strive to cover the election fairly. In contrast, 74% of Republicans, 64% of independents and 45% of Democrats believe reporters are promoting the candidate they want to win, the survey found.
Nearly six in ten (57%) said Harris has received the best coverage from the media so far, while 29% said the media supports Trump. 13% were undecided.
“Majorities across all political categories — 65% of Republicans, 53% of Democrats and 54% of independents — say Harris has received the best coverage she has ever received from the media,” the poll report said.
President Joe Biden’s strongest supporters are also more likely to think the media is fair. More than half (55%) of voters who “strongly approve” of Biden’s job performance believe most reporters are striving to cover the election fairly. Only 7% of voters who “strongly disapprove” of Biden feel the same way.
The survey was conducted among 1,158 U.S. voters between August 12-14, 2024. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level.
