Well, there you go. Tee-hee. A little moment of truth. Amid all the caterwaul about impeachment, collusion and other strategic media buzzwords of the moment comes some hard news and numbers. President Trump has a higher favorability rating than every one of his Democratic rivals in the White House race.
No, really. A new Monmouth University reveals all.
Among all registered voters, Mr. Trump has a 46% favorability rating — a number which is actually up 3 percentage points since September — certainly the prime time for impeachment talk in the news media and among Democratic leaders.
And the president’s Democratic rivals?
Joseph R. Biden has 43% favorability among all voters, Sen. Bernard Sanders has 41%, Sen. Elizabeth Warren 40%, Mayor Pete Buttigieg 34%, Michael R. Bloomberg 26% and Andrew Yang 25%.
The pollster remains in neutral mode about all, however.
“The impeachment hearings over the past month have not moved the reelection needle in either direction,” declares Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
JOLLY OLD MEDIA BIAS
Liberal bias has crossed the pond and landed in Britain.
Britain’s biggest broadcasters are now bent on defeating Brexit, denigrating Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and “educating” those who support both the nation’s exit from the European Union and the reelection of Mr. Johnson, leader of the Conservative Party.
“Next Thursday’s election pitting Boris Johnson against Jeremy Corbyn of the Labor Party isn’t the only political war in Britain. Much of the broadcast media — ostensibly required to be impartial — has set itself the goal of derailing both Boris and Brexit,” reports John Fund, a National Review columnist.
“Britain’s key broadcasters — the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 — are neither state-owned nor state-controlled. But they operate under strict public-service rules that require them to be studiously neutral and unbiased. ITV and Channel 4 are financed by advertisement revenue, while the BBC gets the bulk of its money from a $195 annual license fee that Britons must pay if they own any kind of television,” the columnist says.
“It’s increasingly clear that these broadcasters have abandoned the spirit of the objectivity rules under which they operate. Several official reports have identified bias at the BBC. Just this past September, broadcaster John Humphrys retired after 32 years on the BBC’s airwaves with a fierce blast at the ‘institutional liberal bias’ he found there. On some issues he found that the network’s bias ‘made the Kremlin circa 1950 look sophisticated.’”
PUBLIC OK WITH ‘LESS RELIABLE’
Yes, people lead incredibly busy lives — and that has influenced their news habits. A new Rand Corp. survey reveals that one-third of Americans rely on news platforms they acknowledge are less reliable. It’s all part of an evolving public habit that the research group deems “truth decay” — or diminishing public reliance on facts, data and analysis.
“A lack of time and competing demands may explain why a third of Americans turn to news sources they deem less reliable, which suggests improving the quality of news content or teaching people how to better consume news isn’t enough to address truth decay. Media companies and other news providers may need to provide more easily accessible and digestible ways for individuals to consume high quality investigative journalism” says senior political scientist and report co-author Jennifer Kavanagh.
The survey found that 44% of respondents say news is “as reliable now as in the past” while 41% said it has become less reliable. Another 15% — “mostly women, racial and ethnic minorities and those without college degrees” — says news is now more reliable. The survey of 2,543 U.S. adults was conducted throughout February and March 2018 and released Tuesday.
HANNITY, MAN OF FAITH
Fox News prime-time host Sean Hannity consistently tops the ratings at his network, typically drawing 3 million nightly viewers who are eager for his take on politics and life in America. Mr. Hannity is also a man of faith and reveals the particulars during an upcoming appearance on Fox Nation, the network’s popular on-demand streaming service.
“When I’m at my best, I also devote God quiet time,” Mr. Hannity tells Ainsley Earhardt, host of “Ainsley’s Bible Study” on Fox Nation, and a co-host on “Fox & Friends,” the network’s morning show.
“Everybody watching this understands that they’re busy. You get up in the morning, you shovel your coffee down your throat, you got to feed your kids, you got to pack them a lunch. You got to race off to work. You put in your 12 hours,” Mr. Hannity says in the interview, explaining that a half-hour with the Bible keeps him energized.
“When I spend that time and make it God time, if you will, I feel at my best,” he observes, noting that his favorite Bible verse is John 14, verses 1-4.
Mr. Hannity is candid about his relationship with God as well.
“I want to be a Christian because I want to be better. I want to get to know That Guy, that knows how many hairs are on my head. I want to get to know the Guy that created the majesty, the majestic universe we live in and gave me life. And I would like to know why I’m here,” Mr. Hannity notes.
He also talks of his own “tough times” — and the role of his faith.
“This is where I go when I need my help. That is my answer. That’s Christmas to me. And Christmas is available 24/7, 365,” Mr. Hannity advises.
The interview will be available Wednesday on Fox Nation.
FOXIFIED
Some continued items of interest from Fox News: The network is now marking its 48th consecutive week as the most watched network in the entire cable realm, according to Nielsen Media Research.
As it has for almost 18 years, Fox News also trumped its news rivals with 2.8 million prime-time viewers, compared to 1.8 million for MSNBC and 887,000 for CNN.
Presentations of “Hannity,” “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” “The Ingraham Angle,” “Special Report with Bret Baier” and “The Five” made up 20 of the top 30 cable telecasts in total viewers. Fox News also led the impeachment hearings coverage, drawing more viewers than CBS, ABC, NBC, MSNBC and CNN.
POLL DU JOUR
• 79% of Americans say the health care they receive is generally excellent or good; 86% of Republicans, 73% of independents and 78% of Democrats agree.
• 71% are satisfied with their health care coverage in general; 81% of Republicans, 65% of independents and 69% of Democrats agree.
• 61% are satisfied with the cost of their health care; 73% of Republicans, 58% of independents and 52% of Democrats agree.
Source: A Gallup poll of 1,015 U.S. adults conducted Nov. 1-14 and released Tuesday.
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