Over half US voters think media biased in favour of Clinton

Over half of registered US voters, or 52 per cent, believe the US media is biased in favour of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to a newly-released Gallup poll.

The findings are based on Gallup Daily tracking data collected October 27-28, reports Xinhua news agency.

Voters' perceptions of media bias in 2016 are closely related to their underlying opinions of Clinton and her Republican rival Donald Trump.

Among voters who have a favourable opinion of Trump, 90 per cent say the media is biased in favour of Clinton.

By contrast, nearly two-thirds of those who view Clinton favourably say the media is not biased toward either candidate.

Voters' perceptions of media bias in 2016 are also related to political party affiliation.

Most Democrats, at 63 per cent, and independents, at 52 per cent, do not believe that the media is biased toward either candidate, Gallup found.

By contrast, the vast majority of Republicans, at 86 per cent, perceive media bias, and nearly all of them, at 80 per cent, believe the bias favours Clinton.

Among independents and Democrats who perceive bias, large majorities also believe the bias favours Clinton.

In the US, perceptions of a liberal media bias have been prevalent throughout this century.

According to Gallup, the increased perception of media bias among voters is largely driven by Republicans.

--IANS

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