For as much as I criticize Donald Trump, I will give him credit for one thing - the man is a master of projection. When he calls another dishonest, it's he who's lying. When he refers to another as crooked, he appears to be talking about himself. When he claims the election to be rigged, it winds up being in his favor. When he adamantly declares the mainstream media to be biased, he conducts the most biased survey in recorded history.
Just recently, I read a survey conducted by the Donald Trump team on "Mainstream Media Accountability" at this site:
https://action.trump2016.com/trump-mms-survey/
The first three questions are fine, but, well, allow me to share the survey with you...
"1. Do you trust MSNBC to fairly report on our campaign? Yes, No, or No opinion?"
"2. Do you trust CNN to fairly report on our campaign? Yes, No, or No opinion?"
"3. Do you trust Fox News to fairly report on our campaign? Yes, No, or No opinion?"
As I said, these three questions are perfectly fine. They ask participants the same question with regard to the three major cable news channels, not showing any bias in doing so. Like Fox News, however, that's where the fairness and balance ends, however.
"4. On which issues does the mainstream media do the worst job of representing Republicans? (Select as many that apply.) Immigration, Economics, Pro-life values, Religion, Individual liberty, Conservatism, Foreign policy, or Second Amendment rights"
"5. Which television source do you primarily get your news from? Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Local news, or Other"
"6. Which online sources do you use? (Select as many that apply.) Drudge Report, Breitbart, National Review, Weekly Standard, Free Beacon, Daily Caller, American Spectator, Red Alert Politics, or Other"
"7. Do you trust the mainstream media to tell the truth about the Republican Party positions and actions? Yes, No, or No opinion"
Okay, so the first three questions were fair and balanced. The next four started leaning more the biased direction. Let's see if that trend continues. Spoiler alert, it does...
"8. Hillary Clinton still gets a free pass from the media as she continues to lie about sending classified information on her secret server. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Oh, here we go! Now it's going to get good! I'll take "Biased Questions" for $200, Alex...
"9. The mainstream media takes Donald Trump's statements out of context, but bends over backwards to defend Hillary's statements. Yes, No, or No opinion"
It's difficult to simultaneously quote someone verbatim and take them out-of-context. Oh, and is the bending-over-backwards to be taken figuratively or literally? Moving on...
"10. The mainstream media failed to cover the fact that Bernie Sanders LEFT the Democrat Party. Yes, No, or No opinion"
The word in all caps was simply a typo, correct? Oh, and did the surveyor mean to type "fact" or "alternative fact"? I'm guessing the latter.
"11. The mainstream media needs to do more to expose the shady donations to the Clinton Foundation. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Let's now substitute "Clinton" with "Trump" to balance the equation...
"12. Political correctness has created biased news coverage of both illegal immigration and radical Islamic terrorism. Yes, No, or No opinion"
The most recent such attacks were committed or attempted to be committed by self-described Christians, so why does this so-called politically correct mainstream media mention radical Islamic terrorists, but not radical Christian terrorists? That's a mystery...
"13. The RNC was right to drop CNBC as a partner after they failed to fairly moderate the October debate. Yes, No, or No opinion"
...and conservatives have the gall to call liberals "snowflakes"...
"14. The mainstream media hardly reported on the fact that our small-dollar fundraising nearly MATCHED Hillary's Wall Street fundraising machine. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Again with the all caps? This can't be a serious survey, right? Are we being punk'd?
"15. The mainstream media played a critical role in electing President Obama and is now attempting to do it again for Hillary Clinton. Yes, No, or No opinion"
But of course! What came to be known as the Great Recession, which started under Republican George W. Bush, had absolutely no impact on the election results whatsoever!
"16. Contrary to what the media says, raising taxes does not create jobs. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Let's see here... What creates more jobs, decreasing taxes for the wealthiest among us and watching them hang on to said money, or increasing their taxes and putting that money into education, infrastructure, etc.? Common sense would dictate the latter. As a valley girl (or guy) might say, "Like, duh!"
"17. People of faith have been unfairly characterized by the media. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Oh, I believe the surveyor miswrote this question. Allow me to correct him. What he meant to write was, "Muslims have been unfairly characterized by conservative media outlets." There we go. Much better...
"18. American history is being rewritten by 'social justice' activists."
Oh, you mean conservative "social justice" activists trying to make slavery seem like a good thing or nonexistent? Or these individuals trying to condense the gay rights struggle? Or these persons attempting to quash the notion of police brutality? Or these conservative "activists" drowning out mention of Native Americans, claiming the country to be a Christian nation, yet ignoring the fact the country became what it is by "Christians" going against a Biblical Commandment?
"19. The media has not done its due diligence to expose ObamaCare's many failures. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Considering the fact approximately 33% of the public believe Obamacare to be different than the Affordable Care Act, if anything, the media has failed to properly educate the public about what the Affordable Care Act is, let alone its strengths and weaknesses. Nice try, though...
"20. The media wrongly attributes gun violence to Second Amendment rights. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Say what? Let's go back to question 9, which said, "9. The mainstream media takes Donald Trump's statements out of context, but bends over backwards to defend Hillary's statements. Yes, No, or No opinion" Yeah, I think that could apply to this question, for it should read, "Donald Trump takes the mainstream media's statements about gun violence out-of-context. Yes, No, or No opinion" I'll take that one. The answer is yes, "bigly."
"21. Coverage of the Tea Party movement has been deliberately negative. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Wait, there's still a Tea Party?
"22. The media has turned a blind eye to Planned Parenthood's worst actions. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Oh, you mean the highly edited videos which were released by conservative activists? Hold on a moment. I'm going to question conservatives on whether or not the media has turned a blind eye to Shrek's worst actions. I'll let you know what the results are.
"23. Americans are not fully aware just how much waste there is in the federal government. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Okay, that's one I actually agree with. Hey, they were due...
"24. The fact that the man who set up Hillary's server was granted immunity should be a bigger story in the press. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Really? Trump and his administration's Russian ties? His bromance with Vladimir Putin? Russia's influence on the election? Trump's extramarital affairs? His 20+ sexual assault allegations? Rape lawsuit? Hundreds of other lawsuits? Conflicts-of-interest? Bankruptcies? Tax returns? 70% lie rate? Need I continue?
"25. More time is spent covering fake 'scandals' involving Trump than real scandals involving Hillary and our national security. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Ditto to my answer for #24. Oh, and how about that failed raid in Yemen?
"26. "In order to preserve whatever journalistic integrity they have left, the mainstream media must come forward and admit Hillary LIED about her secret server. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Let's see here. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking site, Politifact.com, Hillary Clinton, who's been involved in politics for decades, has 76 "Mostly False," "False," and "Pants on Fire" grades attached to her name. Donald Trump, on the other hand, who's been involved in politics for roughly a month, has 258 "Mostly False," "False," and "Pants on Fire" grades attached to his name. Who's the "LIAR" again?
"27. The media uses slurs rather than facts to attack conservative stances on issues like border control, religious liberties, and ObamaCare. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Fact. The Affordable Care Act is the same thing as Obamacare and 33% of U.S. citizens believe the two to be different (mostly conservatives). Fact. Religious "freedom" laws permit discrimination against the LGBT community. Fact. By the time then President Obama left office, more immigrants left for Mexico than came here from the country.
"28. If Donald Trump said or did half of the things Hillary Clinton has, the media would effectively end his candidacy. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Actually, studies have consistently shown that the media was harder on Clinton than Trump, largely due to the elevated expectations they had for her over him. But, anyway, you were saying...?
"29. The media purposely tries to divide Republicans against each other in order to help elect Democrats. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Yeah, that was OBVIOUSLY (took a page out of their book) their strategy this past election cycle, wasn't it?
"30. We should spend more time and resources holding the mainstream media accountable. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Okay, I can agree with that. At the same time, however, we should also spend more time and resources holding politicians accountable, especially President Donald J. Trump.
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/hillary-clinton/
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/
Just recently, I read a survey conducted by the Donald Trump team on "Mainstream Media Accountability" at this site:
https://action.trump2016.com/trump-mms-survey/
The first three questions are fine, but, well, allow me to share the survey with you...
"1. Do you trust MSNBC to fairly report on our campaign? Yes, No, or No opinion?"
"2. Do you trust CNN to fairly report on our campaign? Yes, No, or No opinion?"
"3. Do you trust Fox News to fairly report on our campaign? Yes, No, or No opinion?"
As I said, these three questions are perfectly fine. They ask participants the same question with regard to the three major cable news channels, not showing any bias in doing so. Like Fox News, however, that's where the fairness and balance ends, however.
"4. On which issues does the mainstream media do the worst job of representing Republicans? (Select as many that apply.) Immigration, Economics, Pro-life values, Religion, Individual liberty, Conservatism, Foreign policy, or Second Amendment rights"
"5. Which television source do you primarily get your news from? Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, Local news, or Other"
"6. Which online sources do you use? (Select as many that apply.) Drudge Report, Breitbart, National Review, Weekly Standard, Free Beacon, Daily Caller, American Spectator, Red Alert Politics, or Other"
"7. Do you trust the mainstream media to tell the truth about the Republican Party positions and actions? Yes, No, or No opinion"
Okay, so the first three questions were fair and balanced. The next four started leaning more the biased direction. Let's see if that trend continues. Spoiler alert, it does...
"8. Hillary Clinton still gets a free pass from the media as she continues to lie about sending classified information on her secret server. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Oh, here we go! Now it's going to get good! I'll take "Biased Questions" for $200, Alex...
"9. The mainstream media takes Donald Trump's statements out of context, but bends over backwards to defend Hillary's statements. Yes, No, or No opinion"
It's difficult to simultaneously quote someone verbatim and take them out-of-context. Oh, and is the bending-over-backwards to be taken figuratively or literally? Moving on...
"10. The mainstream media failed to cover the fact that Bernie Sanders LEFT the Democrat Party. Yes, No, or No opinion"
The word in all caps was simply a typo, correct? Oh, and did the surveyor mean to type "fact" or "alternative fact"? I'm guessing the latter.
"11. The mainstream media needs to do more to expose the shady donations to the Clinton Foundation. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Let's now substitute "Clinton" with "Trump" to balance the equation...
"12. Political correctness has created biased news coverage of both illegal immigration and radical Islamic terrorism. Yes, No, or No opinion"
The most recent such attacks were committed or attempted to be committed by self-described Christians, so why does this so-called politically correct mainstream media mention radical Islamic terrorists, but not radical Christian terrorists? That's a mystery...
"13. The RNC was right to drop CNBC as a partner after they failed to fairly moderate the October debate. Yes, No, or No opinion"
...and conservatives have the gall to call liberals "snowflakes"...
"14. The mainstream media hardly reported on the fact that our small-dollar fundraising nearly MATCHED Hillary's Wall Street fundraising machine. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Again with the all caps? This can't be a serious survey, right? Are we being punk'd?
"15. The mainstream media played a critical role in electing President Obama and is now attempting to do it again for Hillary Clinton. Yes, No, or No opinion"
But of course! What came to be known as the Great Recession, which started under Republican George W. Bush, had absolutely no impact on the election results whatsoever!
"16. Contrary to what the media says, raising taxes does not create jobs. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Let's see here... What creates more jobs, decreasing taxes for the wealthiest among us and watching them hang on to said money, or increasing their taxes and putting that money into education, infrastructure, etc.? Common sense would dictate the latter. As a valley girl (or guy) might say, "Like, duh!"
"17. People of faith have been unfairly characterized by the media. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Oh, I believe the surveyor miswrote this question. Allow me to correct him. What he meant to write was, "Muslims have been unfairly characterized by conservative media outlets." There we go. Much better...
"18. American history is being rewritten by 'social justice' activists."
Oh, you mean conservative "social justice" activists trying to make slavery seem like a good thing or nonexistent? Or these individuals trying to condense the gay rights struggle? Or these persons attempting to quash the notion of police brutality? Or these conservative "activists" drowning out mention of Native Americans, claiming the country to be a Christian nation, yet ignoring the fact the country became what it is by "Christians" going against a Biblical Commandment?
"19. The media has not done its due diligence to expose ObamaCare's many failures. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Considering the fact approximately 33% of the public believe Obamacare to be different than the Affordable Care Act, if anything, the media has failed to properly educate the public about what the Affordable Care Act is, let alone its strengths and weaknesses. Nice try, though...
"20. The media wrongly attributes gun violence to Second Amendment rights. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Say what? Let's go back to question 9, which said, "9. The mainstream media takes Donald Trump's statements out of context, but bends over backwards to defend Hillary's statements. Yes, No, or No opinion" Yeah, I think that could apply to this question, for it should read, "Donald Trump takes the mainstream media's statements about gun violence out-of-context. Yes, No, or No opinion" I'll take that one. The answer is yes, "bigly."
"21. Coverage of the Tea Party movement has been deliberately negative. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Wait, there's still a Tea Party?
"22. The media has turned a blind eye to Planned Parenthood's worst actions. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Oh, you mean the highly edited videos which were released by conservative activists? Hold on a moment. I'm going to question conservatives on whether or not the media has turned a blind eye to Shrek's worst actions. I'll let you know what the results are.
"23. Americans are not fully aware just how much waste there is in the federal government. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Okay, that's one I actually agree with. Hey, they were due...
"24. The fact that the man who set up Hillary's server was granted immunity should be a bigger story in the press. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Really? Trump and his administration's Russian ties? His bromance with Vladimir Putin? Russia's influence on the election? Trump's extramarital affairs? His 20+ sexual assault allegations? Rape lawsuit? Hundreds of other lawsuits? Conflicts-of-interest? Bankruptcies? Tax returns? 70% lie rate? Need I continue?
"25. More time is spent covering fake 'scandals' involving Trump than real scandals involving Hillary and our national security. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Ditto to my answer for #24. Oh, and how about that failed raid in Yemen?
"26. "In order to preserve whatever journalistic integrity they have left, the mainstream media must come forward and admit Hillary LIED about her secret server. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Let's see here. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning fact-checking site, Politifact.com, Hillary Clinton, who's been involved in politics for decades, has 76 "Mostly False," "False," and "Pants on Fire" grades attached to her name. Donald Trump, on the other hand, who's been involved in politics for roughly a month, has 258 "Mostly False," "False," and "Pants on Fire" grades attached to his name. Who's the "LIAR" again?
"27. The media uses slurs rather than facts to attack conservative stances on issues like border control, religious liberties, and ObamaCare. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Fact. The Affordable Care Act is the same thing as Obamacare and 33% of U.S. citizens believe the two to be different (mostly conservatives). Fact. Religious "freedom" laws permit discrimination against the LGBT community. Fact. By the time then President Obama left office, more immigrants left for Mexico than came here from the country.
"28. If Donald Trump said or did half of the things Hillary Clinton has, the media would effectively end his candidacy. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Actually, studies have consistently shown that the media was harder on Clinton than Trump, largely due to the elevated expectations they had for her over him. But, anyway, you were saying...?
"29. The media purposely tries to divide Republicans against each other in order to help elect Democrats. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Yeah, that was OBVIOUSLY (took a page out of their book) their strategy this past election cycle, wasn't it?
"30. We should spend more time and resources holding the mainstream media accountable. Yes, No, or No opinion"
Okay, I can agree with that. At the same time, however, we should also spend more time and resources holding politicians accountable, especially President Donald J. Trump.
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/hillary-clinton/
http://www.politifact.com/personalities/donald-trump/
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