George Graham

Hillary’s Bad Press

Hillary-and-the-pressIf it proves nothing else, this campaign season is demonstrating beyond a reasonable doubt that the power of the media has been wildly overestimated.

While the press relentlessly smears Hillary, for example, most Democrats remain staunchly loyal to her. More than a million of them voted for her in the New York primary yesterday.

She easily swept to victory over Bernie with nearly 60 percent of the vote.

An article in Salon.com this morning examines the biased reporting that Hillary has had to overcome. The article cites a recent study showing that in 10 major media outlets more negative stories have been published about her than any other candidate.

And according to the study, Hillary has received the fewest positive stories, too. Indeed, she gets 10 times more bad press than good press.

I didn’t need the study to make me realize how badly the media are treating Hillary. I couldn’t help noticing the overwhelming barrage of criticism aimed at her candidacy. And it’s coming from the left as well as the right.

I don’t think any other candidate has ever been the target of such venomous media coverage. And I haven’t once seen any credible evidence to support the accusations.

I recently overheard a visitor at my sister Elizabeth’s home confidently predicting Hillary would be arrested before the November election. He rattled off a long list of charges – including murder.

But he was undoubtedly a Republican, so I didn’t waste my time trying to set him straight.

Fortunately for America, most Democrats remain unmoved by the propaganda. And the Democrats who know Hillary best are the most loyal to her. The vast majority of the party’s officials and elected representatives – at all levels – have endorsed her. And she has won the support of nearly 1,800 delegates so far.

I don’t doubt for a minute that she will win the nomination, but I wonder how much damage this irresponsible press assault will do in the meantime.

I am sure that many voters know by now they can’t trust the press and will vote for her regardless.

And I know nothing would persuade a right winger to vote for a Clinton.

But there are those who might be swayed by the mud slinging media, and if enough of them go to the polls, the White House could be lost in November.

Click for the Salon article.

Click for primary results.

About the author

gwgraeme

I am a Jamaican-born writer who has lived and worked in Canada and the United States. I live in Lakeland, Florida with my wife, Sandra, our three cats and two dogs. I like to play golf and enjoy our garden, even though it's a lot of work. Since retiring from newspaper reporting I've written a few books. I also write a monthly column for Jamaicans.com