Campaigns & Polls on Fox
Reported by Eleanor - September 4, 2004 -
On Fox & Friends Weekend (Sept. 4, 7:00 a.m.), the Fox Friends mentioned five times in one hour the Time poll, taken during the Republican Convention, as showing Bush ahead of Kerry by eleven points, or 52% to 41% among likely voters. No other polls were referenced, except the statement that this is "just one poll."
In the Zogby poll, taken on the same day as the Time poll, Sept. 2, Bush leads Kerry 46% to 44%. The American Research poll taken on Sept. 1 shows 48% to 47% in favor of Bush. Ellen Ratner said in an interview by our Fox Friends that Gallup is saying the Time poll cannot be trusted for a number of reasons, including the use of a new person, and the fact that no other poll shows the same result. Nevertheless, Fox is repeating this Time poll over and over again. Jim Pinkerton, who was interviewed with Ratner, predicted that Bush will gain another four points when the post-convention bounce is factored in. See Polling Report.com for a list of the latest polls.
Kelly Wright covered the campaign trail for Bush and Kerry. He said that Bush is enjoying a good surge in the polls, adding that Bush says the election will be based on more than just polls. Wright then showed a video of Bush speaking about specific substantial campaign issues such as war and character as the focus of the election. Wright switched to John Kerry defending his service in Viet Nam, and blasting the president on the war in Iraq. Wright then repeated the Kerry comments about the questioning of his service, and added that Bush thought Kerry's service was more valorous than his own.
Comment: The tone of this report felt condescending toward Kerry. This is another example of a report showing Bush as a positive leader discussing real issues, and Kerry as an angry defender of his Viet Nam war record, with nothing from Kerry's speeches about the issues. The surface intent is to cover both campaigns, but the way they are covered is obviously biased.
