[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 148 (Wednesday, October 14, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H11304]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MEDIA GIVING PRESIDENT A FREE PASS

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, unemployment under President Obama 
is at a 26 year high. The last time unemployment was this high was when 
President Reagan took office.
  Despite the similar unemployment figures during the Obama and Reagan 
Administrations, the media have treated President Obama far more 
favorably than they treated President Reagan, according to an analysis 
by the Business and Media Institute. BMI found that 91 percent of the 
stories mentioning the Reagan Administration and unemployment were 
negative, while only 7 percent of the Obama administration stories were 
negative. That is absolutely astounding. Furthermore, the networks 
connected the Reagan White House to negative job numbers almost twice 
as often as they have the Obama administration.
  Why is the media giving President Obama a free pass? The media should 
report the facts, not play favorites.

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