Sanders campaign slams ‘blackout’ by corporate media
The presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is demanding more equitable coverage from the “corporate network news,” which it says has engaged in a “Bernie blackout.”
The campaign pointed to data showing that flagship news programs on ABC, CBS and NBC devote paltry air time to Sanders compared to other similarly positioned candidates.
{mosads}“The corporately-owned media may not like Bernie’s anti-establishment views but for the sake of American democracy they must allow for a fair debate in this presidential campaign,” Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver said in a statement Friday.
“Bernie must receive the same level of coverage on the nightly news as other leading candidates,” Weaver continued.
The statement said ABC’s “World News Tonight” has devoted 81 minutes of air time to the campaign of Republican primary front-runner Donald Trump this year, compared to 20 seconds on Sanders through the end of November.
It also pointed to NBC’s “Nightly News,” which has afforded Sanders’ campaign 2.9 minutes of air time, and “CBS Evening News,” which has given Sanders 6.4 minutes of coverage.
The campaign pointed out that Sanders has received some of the largest crowds of any presidential candidate this election cycle, yet fails to draw equivalent levels of media attention.
Sanders currently trails Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton nationally, according to a RealClearPolitics polling average. Clinton garners 54 percent support, with Sanders at 31 percent.
But the Vermont senator leads Clinton in the early-voting state of New Hampshire by four points, according to RCP.
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