Coverage Bias in North Carolina Media | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    The media has been on the receiving end of a lot of criticism lately, particularly for chasing shiny objects designed to attract viewers and page clicks, rather than focusing on the important policies that actually have a meaningful impact on the lives of the American people. Reflecting this, a recent Gallup poll found that the nation's trust in the mass media is at an all-time low.

    I know many good journalists who are incredibly frustrated by this development, and this memo is not meant to be an attack on North Carolina's media outlets or reporters. It's simply a presentation of enlightening data points that I hope all reporters and editors in North Carolina will take to heart when they consider what to cover and how they cover it.

    Yesterday, many television stations in North Carolina provided air time to Rev. William Barber for a protest he held at Senator Tillis' constituent services office in Raleigh. Barber was protesting the nomination of Senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, demanding that Tillis oppose his confirmation.

    In total, 14 television stations covering North Carolina devoted air time yesterday to Rev. Barber's protest at Senator Tillis' office regarding Senator Sessions. And of those 14 television stations, only 1 reached out to Senator Tillis' office to give the Senator an opportunity to share his thoughts.

    Consider what this television coverage was about: a partisan political activist opining on what a duly-elected statewide official's position should be.

    Then consider how few media outlets in North Carolina actually covered Senator Tillis when he publicly declared his position on Jeff Sessions' nomination back in November, through a press release that was sent to the news desk of every single television station in North Carolina.

    In total, only 4 television stations devoted air time to Senator Tillis' statement on Jeff Sessions' nomination during the November 18, 2016 news cycle. None of the 14 stations covering Rev. Barber's protest yesterday included Tillis' original statement in their story.

    This poses an important question: why did media outlets believe it was newsworthy to cover a partisan political activist's opinion on what Senator Tillis' position should be, even though they previously made the decision not to run a story when Senator Tillis publicly expressed his position months earlier?

    Or, more simply put: why are views of a partisan political activist deemed newsworthy, but the views of a statewide elected official are not, even though they are in a direct position to influence the subject matter?

    Whether this type of coverage bias is intentional or not, it's bias nonetheless, and it's a disservice to North Carolinians.

• Contact: Daniel Keylin
•     daniel_keylin@tillis.senate.gov