Check out this article that was published today a few days ago by the Huff Post: 85% Of Americans Haven’t Changed Their Minds About Trump Since 2016
Check out the pic above they used for this article. They show Trump angry and pointing at a member of the crowd. It basically portrays him on an authoritarian rampage behind that mic. I wonder why they don’t show a pic of him smiling, or sitting with members of his cabinet in the oval office? How about him walking outside the White House premises? Or maybe speaking at a rally?
And then there’s the headline that insinuates people hate him: “[H]aven’t changed their minds about Trump” When I hear someone say they “haven’t changed their mind about someone,” it’s almost always because they despise the person. Example: I haven’t changed my mind about Michael Vick even after all his charitable work; in my opinion, he’s still an animal killer.
How about this instead for a headline: “Trump Favorability Ratings Remain Largely Unchanged Since 2016.” That sounds a bit more on target. After all, they’re discussing whether there’s been a change in how he’s been viewed since he was elected president.
Then there’s the phrase “lion’s share” to emphasize that 48% have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 36% have a favorable opinion of him. Hmm… “lion’s share”? Really? I don’t know if you know this, but the phrase “Lion’s Share” comes from a fable written by Aesop, in which the lion goes hunting with three other beasts, and the lion ends up taking ALL the spoils. Although it doesn’t mean the entire amount (or spoils) anymore as in the fable, subconsciously you think that it’s some huge proportion. And that’s not the case.
Finally, this is how they titled their chart explaining how Trump’s favorability declined from 85% to 66% among those who voted for both Obama and Trump.
“President Trump Now Less Popular Among Obama-Trump Voters”
My theory is that the editor deliberately wanted this worded this way to mislead people who just skim through the article. If I just skimmed that, I would interpret that to mean that Trump’s less popular among those who voted for Obama, as well as those who voted only for him. But he isn’t less popular among his own base; further, the article goes on to explain that his favorability is still a solid 66% among those who voted for both him and Obama. Using the phrase “less popular” is another means of portraying him in a negative light.
How about this instead for a title: “Trump Favorability Declines to 66% Among Obama-Trump Voters”
Taking out the “less popular” phrase, and substituting “favorability declines to 66%” seems less biased and more accurate.
What’s even more suspect is the timing of this article by Ariel Edwards-Levy. It just happens to be published days after Trump’s approval rating hit an all-time high of 46% in a Gallup poll. Not surprisingly, there’s no mention of Mueller’s findings that there was no evidence of collusion with Russia, which has improved his approval rating.
Looks like the Huff Post is back to their dirty tricks and word games. Shame on them.
Animated News Warriors 