MRC Watchdogs churn out breaking news on a daily basis. Don't miss Today's Highlights, where you can keep up with the top MRC content, whether it's the latest study on media bias, a glaring omission from the elitist media, or how the Big Tech companies are serving up the same leftist spin as the media.
Top Stories:
- 110 to 4: 'Independent Fact Checkers' PILE ON Trump, Spanberger Gets a Free Pass
- 8 to 0: Google News Rages Against Trump, Pushes Left-Leaning Media Undercutting SOTU
- SOTU Democrats Don't Stand 'to Protect American Citizens'
- Trump's Approval Dips to ~42% Despite Major Wins—Blame 92% Hostile Media Smear Campaign
110 to 4: 'Independent Fact Checkers' PILE ON Trump, Spanberger Gets a Free Pass
Extreme 110-to-4 imbalance, a 27-to1 ratio: Fact-checkers ran 110 checks on Trump’s speech vs. only 4 on Gov. Spanberger’s response. All four Spanberger claims were rated accurate or supported; Trump’s were relentlessly attacked.
Major outlets ignored Spanberger entirely NPR (28 on Trump, 0 on Spanberger), CNN (22–0), FactCheck.org (22–0).
Opposite standards on the same platforms PolitiFact: Trump got 9 hits like “exaggeration,” “wrong,” “no evidence.” Spanberger’s 3 claims? All praised—“research supports,” “accurate,” “early data supports.”
Nitpick Trump, rubber-stamp Spanberger, NYT ran 29 checks on Trump, including pedantic sports nitpicks, yet rated Spanberger’s $1,700 tariff claim “Mostly true.” Textbook double standard: exhaustive attacks on one side, gentle treatment on the other.
8 to 0: Google News Rages Against Trump, Pushes Left-Leaning Media Undercutting SOTU
Stark 8-0 bias in top stories Google News promoted 8 left-leaning articles and 0 right-leaning ones in its top coverage of Trump's SOTU—zero balance, all from outlets like NYT, Guardian, NPR, and NBC (per AllSides ratings).
Gatekeeping shuts out conservatives In the top 20 stories analyzed the morning after the speech, Google acted as a "digital gatekeeper," excluding right-leaning media entirely while elevating left-leaning sources that undercut Trump.
Negative framing dominates Headlines derided Trump’s address as "tedious, tiresome," "littered with false and misleading claims," highlighted Democratic boycotts/protests (e.g., 12+ lawmakers skipping), and emphasized empty seats or mood shifts against Trump.
Even "neutral" coverage tilts left The lone center-rated outlet (BBC) buried positives (like U-S-A chants for hockey stars) and focused on conflicts (e.g., ejections, confrontations), while multiple NYT pieces painted Trump as defensive, villainizing Democrats, or on the attack.
SOTU Democrats Don't Stand 'to Protect American Citizens'
Direct challenge met with silence Trump explicitly asked Congress to stand if they agreed: "The first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens." Republicans stood and cheered; Democrats remained seated in silent rejection.
Trump calls out shame on sanctuary policies While pushing to end "deadly sanctuary cities" that shield criminal illegal aliens (including "drug lords, murderers"), Trump rebuked Democrats twice: "You should be ashamed of yourselves, not standing up" and "And you should be ashamed of yourselves." They stayed seated.
Clear choice: Prioritizing illegals over citizens By refusing to stand for citizen protection over illegal aliens—and amid over 70 Democrats boycotting the address entirely—Democrats signaled they side against American safety on border security, crime, and fentanyl dangers, as Trump highlighted.
These points capture the article's core indictment: Democrats' non-standing visually demonstrated opposition to putting American citizens first.
Trump's Approval Dips to ~42% Despite Major Wins—Blame 92% Hostile Media Smear Campaign
Achievements Overlooked Amid Record Negativity Trump delivered big policy wins closing out the year, yet his approval fell from ~50% early in his term to under 42% (per Decision Desk HQ averages)—thanks to relentless media attacks ignoring successes.
Legacy TV News Delivers 92% Negative Assault In the first 100 days of Trump's second term, ABC, CBS, and NBC hammered him with 92% negative coverage on their flagship evening shows—reaching 19+ million viewers nightly and far worse than his first term.
Big Tech News Apps Bury Conservative Voices Apple News featured zero right-leaning outlets in 620 top stories in January 2026; Apple, Google, MSN, and Yahoo pushed anti-ICE, left-leaning narratives on key events like the Minn shooting—starving conservatives of fair exposure.
AI Defaults to Anti-Trump Attacks + CNN Ignores Victims Google and Meta AI automatically slam Trump as a liar even on vague queries; CNN skipped the White House Angel Families event honoring victims of illegal immigrant crime, earning Press Sec. Leavitt's "total disgrace" label for agenda-driven blackout.
