Clinton Coverage p.

By: Debra Gersh

Times Mirror poll shows only 51% of Americans believe press
coverage has been fair; Bush and Reagan coverage deemed fairer
NEWS COVERAGE OF the Bush and Reagan administrations received higher marks for fairness than has coverage of the first few months of the Clinton regime.
According to the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press, Washington, D.C., just over half (51%) of Americans believe press coverage of President Clinton is fair.
That compares to the 77% in January 1992 and the 82% in August 1989 who thought coverage of President Bush was fair.
In June 1985, 78% of Americans believed coverage of President Reagan was fair, 67% thought so in December 1986, and 66% were of the same opinion in January 1988.
Nevertheless, a full 87% of those surveyed think President Clinton is less popular now compared with a few months ago, but most of them (44%) say that is because he has not done a very good job. Only 20% of respondents who said the president is less popular chalked it up to the press being too critical, while 31% said it was because Congress was not cooperating with him.
About half (52%) said the press criticism should not have a serious effect on the president's chance for success in Washington, although 40% believe there is so much criticism that it may be difficult for President Clinton to succeed.
Respondents were pretty evenly split over whether the press has been too quick to judge the Clinton administration (45%) or whether it has been about the same as previous administrations (44%). Only 8% said it has not been quick enough.
Fewer thought coverage of Hillary Clinton was too critical (28%), with about half (51%) saying it was about right, and 18% believing it was not critical enough, according to the study.
Among those who thought coverage of the first lady was too critical, however, 69% said it was because the press did not like her involvement in White House policy decisions. Twenty percent said it was because the press did not like her political views, and only 6% said it was because the press did not like her personally.
Sixty-one percent said press criticism of Ross Perot has been about right. Only 11% said it was too critical, while 22% said it was not critical enough.
When asked how closely they followed recent news stories involving the Clinton administration, the story which received the most attention ? reports on the health-care reform task force ? was very closely followed by only 28% of respondents.
Twenty-six percent of respondents said they followed stories very closely about the administration's policies in Bosnia, and 21% followed very closely news about the nomination and subsequent withdrawal of Lani Guinier as assistant attorney general for civil rights.
Only 18% said they followed very closely the "Hairgate" controversy surrounding the president's $200 haircut while Air Force One held up traffic on the runway in Los Angeles, and even fewer, 13%, followed very closely the firing of the White House travel office staff and questions over management there.
Still, more people followed very closely those stories than said they followed very closely the debate in Congress over the president's budget (12%).