The media is to blame for the Democratic Party's dropping approval ratings because reporters won't share its messaging, according to Rep. James Clyburn.
"I think the message from the Democratic Party is a good one," the South Carolina Democrat told MSNBC's Ali Velshi, reports The Hill on Saturday. "The problem we've got, I'll say, is that we have to depend on the media to deliver it."
Clyburn's comments came after a question from Velshi, host of "The Last Word," who on Friday told the lawmaker that the perception of a lack of messaging from the party is leading voters to lose faith, particularly after the losses in the 2024 election.
The congressman, said The Washington Post is a good example of the messaging issue, pointing to the relationship between its owner, Jeff Bezos, and President Donald Trump.
"We have The Washington Post, for instance, caving to this wannabe dictator and we've got other media entities that seem to rather push a narrative that will bring eyes to their newspapers or their television sets and not really give a fair hearing or reporting to what we're doing," Clyburn said.
Polls are showing dropping approval ratings for the Democratic Party.
In March, a CNN survey showed the party's favorability ratings had hit a record low, with 54% of respondents saying they hold an unfavorable view of the party, while 29% said the opposite and 16% had no opinion.
Another poll in March from Harvard CAPS/Harris showed several results.
Clyburn praised Velshi's coverage, telling him he does a "real good substantive reporting of what the issues are around us."
But when others in the media say they won't fact-check, "we're going to worry about whether or not you're telling the truth," he told her. "That's what's killing us as Democrats, because we don't have a stomach for just lying."
Clyburn's complaints about news organizations mirror comments from Trump, who says public broadcasters and certain outlets have been too critical of him and his organization.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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