Media coverage of Bernie Sanders


The media coverage of Bernie Sanders, a U.S. Senator from Vermont, became a subject of discussion during his unsuccessful Bernie [Sanders 2016 presidential campaign|2016] and 2020 [Democratic Party presidential primaries|2020] presidential runs. Sanders and his campaigns alleged mainstream media bias against him, while others contended coverage was unbiased or favorable.

Academic analyses

Multiple academic studies examined Sanders's media coverage during the 2016 primaries. Research by political scientists John M. Sides, Michael Tesler, and Lynn Vavreck found Sanders's coverage was strongly correlated with his polling throughout the campaign, and that he received the most favorable tone of any candidate while Hillary Clinton received the most negative. Thomas Patterson's Shorenstein Center [on Media, Politics and Public Policy|Shorenstein Center] report similarly found Sanders was "largely ignored in the early months" but received "overwhelmingly positive" coverage once attention increased. Overall, Sanders received two-thirds of Clinton's coverage, while Donald Trump received more coverage than all other candidates combined.
A 2019 Northeastern University study found Sanders initially received the most positive coverage of any 2020 primary candidate, declining to third and then fourth most favorable as the field developed.

Specific conflicts

During the 2016 primary, Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting counted 16 negative Washington Post stories on Sanders within 16 hours; the Post called FAIR's criteria "overly broad". The [New York Times] public editor Margaret Sullivan acknowledged some coverage was "regrettably dismissive" and later characterized retroactive changes to an article on Sanders's legislative record as "stealth editing".
In 2019, Sanders suggested The Washington Post covered him unfairly due to his criticism of owner Jeff Bezos's company Amazon; executive editor Martin Baron called this a "conspiracy theory".
During the 2020 primary, the Poynter Institute called CNN moderator Abby Phillip's handling of a Sanders-Warren dispute "stunning in its ineptness". MSNBC hosts Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd drew criticism for comparing Sanders or his supporters to Nazis; Matthews apologized after invoking France's fall to Nazi Germany to describe Sanders's Nevada Democratic caucuses|Nevada] victory, which critics noted was insensitive given Sanders's family members were killed in the Holocaust.
Sanders suspended his campaign in April 2020. Vice News subsequently released the documentary Bernie Blackout.