NEW YORK TIMES: For The Times, Bernie Sanders’s entry into the presidential race was almost a nonevent. Although many candidates’ declarations were treated on the front page with considerable fanfare, Mr. Sanders’s was tucked inside the paper on Page A21. Since that time, the Vermont senator has received considerable attention from The Times, but for his supporters, not nearly enough. And the tone of the coverage, many complain, has sometimes been derogatory or dismissive, and has been focused on personality, not issues. […]
Looking at August alone, The Times ran 14 articles on Mr. Sanders, compared with 54 on Mrs. Clinton. Donald Trump – like Mr. Sanders, also considered by many an extreme long shot for his party’s nomination – got the most coverage last month: 63 articles. Other Republican candidates received far less ink than Trump: Jeb Bush was the subject of 18 articles in August, and Marco Rubio, 10. […]
The Times did get off to a very slow start with its Sanders coverage but has responded as the crowds at his events have grown. What about the tone and content of the Sanders coverage? This is what really frustrates most of the readers I’ve heard from. They want the candidate, and the issues he raises – particularly those concerning income inequality – to be taken seriously. Instead, they say, there’s too much snark and too much fluff. The fluff may have reached its zenith — at least, one can always hope — with an exchange included in a Times Magazine interview. Not a part of the Times political coverage, it was by a well-known freelance contributor, Ana Marie Cox:
Do you think it’s fair that Hillary’s hair gets a lot more scrutiny than yours does?
Hillary’s hair gets more scrutiny than my hair?
Yeah.
Is that what you’re asking?
Yeah.
O.K., Ana, I don’t mean to be rude here. I am running for president of the United States on serious issues, O.K.? Do you have serious questions? MORE