The Media Research Center analyzed 69 minutes of coverage on ABC, CBS and NBC newscasts between September 15 and 17
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Network coverage of former President Trump has been overwhelmingly negative since the second assassination attempt against him Sunday, according to one report.
Analysts at the Media Research Center (MRC) reviewed 69 minutes of campaign coverage on the ABC, CBS and NBC evening newscasts between September 15 and September 17.
MRC reported that although the thwarted assassination attempt took up 70% of all campaign news on the networks, a significant amount of that coverage was negative towards Trump.
"Over the three nights, we tallied 21 evaluative comments about the GOP candidate, 20 of which were negative, which computes to a 95% negative spin score," the MRC reported.
Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a town hall meeting moderated by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders at the Dort Financial Center in Flint, Michigan, on September 17, 2024. ((Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images))
NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt drew a connection between Trump's rhetoric and the attempted violence against him just hours after a suspected gunman was spotted.
"Today’s apparent assassination attempt comes amid increasingly fierce rhetoric on the campaign trail itself. Mr. Trump [and] his running mate JD Vance continued to make baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Ohio," Hold said Sunday.
The town of Springfield, Ohio, was put in the spotlight after viral claims of pets being stolen and eaten by Haitian migrants, which officials have vehemently denied, were amplified by Trump during last week's presidential debate.
Meanwhile, Trump and his allies have slammed Democrats, arguing their extreme rhetoric is encouraging violence against the former commander-in-chief.
NBC host Lester Holt discussed bomb threats against Springfield, Ohio by tying them to rhetoric from the Trump campaign. (NBC screenshot)
The MRC noted that on CBS’s Monday night newscast, anchor Norah O’Donnell rejected Trump's argument and put the onus on him.
"Donald Trump is blaming Democrats for inflaming political rhetoric, but the former president’s own words seem to be increasing the threat of political violence in Springfield, Ohio. That’s where a false and ugly accusation against Haitians, thousands of whom are legal permanent residents, is impacting everyday life," she said.
According to the MRC, NBC reporter Garrett Haake similarly said, "Trump has also used incendiary language against Democrats, and authorities have not yet revealed a motive in either incident."
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"These networks gave relatively little time to the accusation that these attempted shootings might have been influenced by Democratic rhetoric painting Trump as an existential threat," the MRC said.
"Out of 48 minutes of coverage of the attempted shooting, the three networks spent less than two minutes (1 minute, 53 seconds) on the possibility that Democrats could share the blame."
Suspected would-be assassin Ryan Routh was arrested by law enforcement in Florida.
The incident comes approximately two months after an assassination attempt on Trump during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
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