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Media Bias
Donald Trump
Kamala Harris
2024 Presidential Election
Author
AllSides Staff

Media bias was abound in coverage of the 2024 presidential election, and one can easily wonder how it may have shifted people’s votes.

From Biden’s dropout to Trump’s victory, let’s recap some prime examples of media bias in coverage of the election’s biggest moments. Plus, we want your feedback on the other stories where you saw major media bias this year.

Trump Grazed by Bullet in Assassination Attempt

On July 13, Trump narrowly escaped assassination when a bullet grazed his ear at a rally in Pennsylvania.

Outlets on the right were more likely than outlets on the left to highlight the role of the Secret Service and then-Director Kim Cheatle, often framing them negatively.

In addition, outlets on the right were much quicker to report that Trump was shot. Left-rated outlets were more cautious about specifics and whether a bullet actually hit Trump; there were initial reports that Trump was struck by shattered glass from a teleprompter hit by a bullet, which turned out to be false.

Notably, AP (Left bias) didn’t confirm that Trump was struck by a bullet until almost two weeks after the shooting. Until then, the outlet had reported that he “suffered an ear injury.” Meanwhile, many people believed the shooting attempt to be a hoax.

President Biden's Drop Out

Joe Biden’s exit from the race on July 21 sparked immediate discrepancies in coverage across the political spectrum.

In their initial reactions, left- and center-rated sources focused more on commemorating Biden's decades-long career in politics, while right-rated sources focused more on criticism of both Biden and Kamala Harris.

As our Clare Ashcraft wrote at the time:

Many commentators and politicians on the right warn Republicans not to write off Harris as the potential Democratic nominee, citing her popularity with Generation Z. Other commentators on the right view Biden’s decision not as an act of patriotism, but merely a last-ditch effort to save the Democratic party from collapse. 

Some on the left are hopeful of Harris’ potential chances as compared to Biden’s against Trump. Others on the left see Biden’s decision as a too-little-too-late situation, with Harris not having enough time to campaign before November if she were to become the nominee.

 


Harris Campaign and Debates

On the left, Kamala Harris’s campaign was treated mostly with graciousness and optimism, and defended from critics. On the right, she was unqualified and a “threat to America” from Day 1. 

Here are some of our many analyses of biased coverage of Harris and her campaign:

Election Result

Across the spectrum, Trump’s victory was framed as an existential event in the history of democracy: either as having marked its death or its revival. Writers rushed to tell us what the win means, and what it doesn’t. 

Another matter of split reflection was the Democratic party’s performance and future. While voices on the right celebrated, the reaction on the left was more mixed.

Some, like CNN’s David Axelrod, pointed to bigotry.

“There were appeals to racism in this campaign, and there is racial bias in this country and there is sexism in this country, and anybody who thinks that that did not in any way impact on the outcome of this race is wrong,” Axelrod said.

Others, like congressmen Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), said the Democratic party failed to connect with minorities and lower-class voters, and therefore had lots of soul-searching to do.

And in reflecting on the performance of polling, the left/right split was again unavoidable.

“Another miss: Polls undercount Trump vote for third straight election,” read a headline from Washington Examiner (Lean Right), in an article that said pollsters “once again underestimated support for President-elect Donald Trump” in a “race that was thought to be dead even for months.”

“Early Results Suggest the Polls Were Notably Accurate,” read a headline from New York Times (Lean Left bias). “Over the final weeks of the campaign, pre-election polls consistently pointed to a tight race between Mr. Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, in both the popular vote and the battleground states. And though the current results are preliminary, and many states are still counting ballots, a close race is what has unfolded,” the article stated.

Trump’s Plans and Cabinet Picks

Trump’s choices and nominees to staff his administration continue to fuel divides in coverage over the qualifications of – and controversies around – the individual selections.

In particular, various allegations of misconduct against nominees have been covered widely on the left, but scarcely on the right. Matt Gaetz, Trump’s first choice for Attorney General, withdrew in November after the Republican-led House Ethics Committee flirted with releasing the report from its investigation of him for alleged sexual misconduct. Both sides covered the story widely, but right media didn’t go into as much detail on the claims and potential fallout as left- and center-rated sources did.

In the ensuing weeks, left media reported descriptions of inappropriate behavior and a past allegation of sexual assault about Pete Hegseth, Trump’s choice for Secretary of Defense. As a result, some Republican Senators expressed concerns with his nomination. Right media covered these stories at a low volume — and when they did cover them, the central angle was that the left was engaged in “anti-Christian bigotry” or a smear campaign.

Much has been made of how Trump’s administration will impact education, immigration, LGTBQ issues, and more.

Left-rated outlets often highlight concerns about Trump’s purported plan to dismantle the Department of Education, while right-rated outlets focus more on arguments for state autonomy over education systems.

A similar split applies to Trump’s mass deportation plans. Right-rated outlets tend to reflect favor for the plan, while left-rated outlets focus more on questions and potential obstacles.

Take our survey to let us know where else you saw significant media bias in 2024, and we’ll publish the results and an issue-by-issue recap before the New Year.