Media Choose Clinton Story as Main Event

A majority of the media believes the barrier between the mainstream press and the tabloids has broken down this year, according to a nationwide survey of journalists released Wednesday.

Questions about Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton’s character have constituted the major development of the presidential campaign thus far, 46% of the journalists polled said; 17% identified Ross Perot’s independent candidacy as the major development.

The Times Mirror Center for the People and the Press surveyed 413 journalists nationwide by telephone, between April 20 and May 8, on their views of the 1992 campaign.

They were divided sharply over the quality of coverage. A majority agreed that “barriers between the mainstream and tabloid press have broken down,” that coverage has been focused on the “irrelevant and trivialized the issues” and that the media have been “too quick to judge a candidate’s electability.” Even so, 49% asserted that coverage has been better than that of the 1988 campaign.

Of the news personnel surveyed, 67% said “Clinton himself” was to blame for his problems, while just 12% cited “press coverage” itself as the problem. By 59% to 34%, the respondents said Clinton had been “not candid” in discussing the allegations about his personal life. About 72% of those surveyed said the stories about the governor’s personal life been handled responsibly, and 70% called the stories “relevant.”

The public apparently holds a quite different view. In a February survey by the Times Mirror Center, 48% of the respondents blamed press coverage, while 40% blamed Clinton for his campaign problems.

Clinton, nevertheless, is viewed more favorably by the press than is President Bush. By 55% to 36%, Clinton was given a favorable rating. The journalists were divided evenly on Bush, with 46% giving him a favorable rating and 46% unfavorable. Bush had his most troubles with members of the press in Washington, who viewed him unfavorably by 52% to 32%.

Vice President Dan Quayle drew the least favorable ratings. Only 17% of the press had a favorable opinion of Quayle, compared to 73% who said they viewed him unfavorably.

Other findings:

The top-rated politician was Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp, who got a 70% favorable rating among the press, followed by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.), who got a 69% favorable rating. Others who received high marks were Sen. Albert Gore Jr. (D-Tenn.), Secretary of State James A. Baker III and House Majority Leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.)

Just 13% of the respondents said Clinton had a “good chance” of winning the White House in November.