Quick Hit: 

A recent study reveals that at least 90% of TV news coverage fails to identify the prosecutors in the criminal trial of former President Donald Trump as Democrats. This omission is seen as a significant failure to disclose the political implications of the prosecution.

Key Details: 

• The study analyzed evening news coverage from ABC, CBS, and NBC from January 1, 2023, through April 10, 2024.
• The three elected Democrats prosecuting Trump are Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Fulton County (Georgia) District Attorney Fani Willis, and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
• Despite their clear political affiliations, these prosecutors are often portrayed as nonpartisan career prosecutors in the media.

Diving Deeper: 

The study highlights a significant discrepancy in the portrayal of the prosecutors involved in the Trump trial. Despite their clear political affiliations and the potential implications of their actions on the upcoming general election, the media has largely failed to identify them as Democrats. This omission is seen as a disingenuous attempt to portray the indictments and civil lawsuits as the work of nonpartisan career prosecutors, rather than as partisan attempts to use the court system to influence the electoral prospects of the country's top Republican.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, for instance, is a well-known Democrat who has been linked to left-wing billionaire George Soros. Despite this, his partisanship was omitted from nearly 90% of evening news stories about his election-season indictments of the former President. Similarly, New York Attorney General Letitia James and Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, both Democrats, have been largely portrayed as nonpartisan figures in their pursuit of legal action against Trump.

The study raises important questions about the role of media in shaping public perception and the need for transparency in reporting. It suggests that the media's failure to adequately disclose the partisanship of the prosecutors could potentially mislead viewers and skew public opinion. The study concludes by questioning whether the media would have been as reluctant to disclose the partisanship of the prosecutors if a leading Democrat were under the legal microscope.