Joe Scarborough: “It’s A Lie” That The Press Carried Trump, “Probably No Candidate Has Had More Negative Press” Than Him

From the October 6 edition of MSNBC's Morning Joe:

Video file

DONNY DEUTSCH: It is amazing how the press has galvanized. They've carried him up until this point, but, what I'll call the overall conscience --

JOE SCARBOROUGH (CO-HOST): They haven't carried him up to this point.

MIKA BRZEZINSKI (CO-HOST): I don’t think they’ve carried him. They’ve not carried him.

SCARBOROUGH: Hold on a second. Now hold on a second. We've been hearing that forever that the press has carried Donald Trump. You know what you haven't seen this year -- because it would undermine that argument -- what you see every year. The percentage of negative stories for candidate A and the percentage of negative stories -- let me finish -- for candidate B. When this campaign is over, I hope some journalism student at Columbia will do a study and actually go through the numbers and what you will find is that probably no candidate has had more negative press directed in his direction in the history of presidential campaigns than Donald Trump. I think that is a matter of data. So all of these bull you know what generalities about “the press carried Donald Trump for ratings or to sell this or that” -- it's a lie. 

DEUTSCH: Let me respond what I was saying. Number one, I do think that data exists, and as of a month ago, there were more -- and I don't have it at my fingertips, but I promise I'll produce it today -- there were more negative articles about Hillary Clinton. When I say carry --

SCARBOROUGH: Than Donald Trump? 

DEUTSCH: Yes. I actually saw that which I was stunned.

SCARBOROUGH: Oh come on. 

DEUTSCH: I will provide that for you. 

SCARBOROUGH: The Young Marxist reader.

DEUTSCH: What I meant by carry was not that they were propping him up but they were not going to go for the full assault. Right now, universally, you see it in the Arizona newspapers, you see universally because basically people, journalists, are educated and that's what's happening here at this point in time. 

SCARBOROUGH: Well, the problem is, Willie, we talked about this yesterday. You now have a lot of people in the press openly -- that are supposed to be down the middle -- openly cheering for Hillary Clinton in a way that they want to be able to tell their children and grandchildren after it's over, I did everything I could.

DEUTSCH: Yeah, conscience.

SCARBOROUGH: Conscience? They're journalists, they're not supposed to have conscience.

DEUSTCH: They're human beings still. 

SCARBOROUGH: You're supposed to write your stories down the middle. Let Ron Fournier and people like Ron Fournier go after -- let people like us who get paid to give our opinions go after it. We still need journalists who can do things down the middle this passionately. 

DEUTSCH: But sometimes there's no other side to an argument. I think that's what's happening here. 

SCARBOROUGH: But sometimes you can tell the fact, give the facts, and Nick, we need to be talking to you about this. And you can do it dispassionately. Here are the facts. These are the things that Donald Trump said. If Donny Deutsch and Joe Scarborough want to think they're offensive, that's great. But my job is to put the facts down and not to tweet all day about how he's a xenophobe. 

Previously:

Harvard Study Confirms Media’s Role In Trump’s Political Rise

Media Analysis: Hillary Clinton Received Most Negative Stories, Least Positive Stories Of All Presidential Candidates

Harvard Professor: News Media Chose “Damaging Headlines” Over Policy And Context In Clinton Coverage

Morning Joe Hosts Criticized For Soft Interview Of Donald Trump During Primetime Town Hall

MSNBC's Scarborough: By “Past Debate Standards” Clinton Won, “But You Don't Judge Donald Trump By Those Standards”