The latest Harvard CAPS-Harris survey finds that 54 percent believe that the mainstream media treats Trump fairly. However, there is a big split on political identification.
Nearly 80 percent of Republicans say the media is unfair to Trump, while 84 percent of Democrats and 55 percent of independents believe the president does get a fair shake from the press.
And 59 percent say Trump treats the mainstream media unfairly, including 62 percent of independents.
“At 54/46, the public is divided on whether the media is fair to President Trump, as these numbers mirror his job approval,” said Harvard CAPS-Harris co-director Mark Penn. “But Trump’s unorthodox blasts at the media prompt most to say he is unfair to them.”
Still, 68 percent of voters say that there is “a lot” of fake news in the mainstream media and 84 percent say it’s difficult to know what online news to believe.
The Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll survey is a collaboration of the Center for American Political Studies at Harvard University and The Harris Poll. The Hill will be working with Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll throughout 2018.
Since the 2016 campaign, Trump has repeatedly used the term "fake news" largely for any coverage criticizing him or his allies.
