Media outlets were scrutinized for their initial coverage of the Trump shooting at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13, as outlets rated Lean Left by AllSides did not initially use words such as “gunfire,” “shots,” or “shooting,” and media outlets rated Right or Lean Right were quicker to report that there was possible gunfire/shots, or to use the term “assassination attempt.”
Comparing word choice in initial coverage of shooting at Trump rally:
— AllSides (@AllSidesNow) July 14, 2024
CNN (Lean Left bias): Trump “falls”
AP (Lean Left): "loud noises ring out"
Fox News (Right): “possible gunfire”
Breitbart (Right): "Trump shot" pic.twitter.com/yutuJHcvP8
How the Left Covered the Shooting
Media on the left was slower to report that the incident was a shooting.
At 6:22 pm ET, CNN’s (Lean Left) original headline read, “Secret Service rushes Trump off stage after he falls at rally.” A half hour later, a CNN headline read, “Trump Speech interrupted by Secret Service.” CNN later ran a headline that stated, “Trump Injured in Incident at Rally,” but did not refer to the event as a shooting until an hour and a half after Trump was shot. Get the full timeline of CNN headlines here.
RELATED: Timeline: Trump Shooting and CNN’s Evolving Headlines
The Associated Press (Lean Left) tweeted at 6:23 pm ET: “Donald Trump has been escorted off the stage by Secret Service during a rally after loud noises ring out in the crowd.”
BREAKING: Donald Trump has been escorted off the stage by Secret Service during a rally after loud noises ring out in the crowd. https://t.co/hkKfdKWnqz
— The Associated Press (@AP) July 13, 2024
The Boston Globe (Left) ran the headline, “Donald Trump was whisked off the stage at a rally in Butler, Penn., after loud noises rang through the crowd.”
The Washington Post (Lean Left) ran the headline, “Trump escorted away after loud noises at Pa. rally.”
At the time of the headlines, it had not been confirmed by law enforcement that Trump was shot, however, a video of the shooting appeared widely online at 6:14 pm ET. The right tended to be quicker to report the incident as a shooting, while the left tended to wait for more information to come out.
USA Today’s (Lean Left) headline was, “TRUMP, BLOODY, RUSHED OFF STAGE.” The subheadline mentioned “loud popping sounds” and that he was “pushed to the ground” by Secret Service agents.
How the Right Covered The Shooting
Media outlets on the right were more likely to immediately say there were gunshots or that there was a shooting.
Breitbart (Right bias), for instance, immediately ran the headline, “TRUMP SHOT AT RALLY … ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT … BLEEDING FROM EAR.”
The Daily Wire’s (Right bias) headline read, “BREAKING: Trump Appears to Be Shot At Rally.”
Fox News (Right bias) ran the headline, “Gunfire breaks out at Trump rally in Pennnsylvania [sic]” The headline was later updated to, “Assassination attempt on Trump at Pennsylvania rally leaves 2 hurt, 2 dead, including shooter.”
Washington Examiner (Lean Right), ran the headline, “TRUMP RUSHED FROM STAGE AFTER SHOTS FIRED AT RALLY.”
Outlets on the right, like The Daily Wire, the New York Post, The Daily Signal (Lean Right), Newsmax (Right bias), and Breitbart (Right bias), used the term “assassination attempt” in their headlines immediately.
Conservative Media Criticizes Liberal Media for Initial Coverage
In the aftermath, several commentators and outlets on the right were critical of the headlines on the left for, in their view, downplaying the shooting — and for their coverage of Trump leading up to the shooting.
The Daily Caller’s (Lean Right bias) headline was, “Liberal Media Botches Initial Headlines, Downplaying Trump Assassination Attempt.” It included posts from media commentator Drew Holden and Sen. Marco Rubio, who critiqued CNN (Lean Left), USA Today (Lean Left), NBC News (Lean Left), and The Los Angeles Times (Lean Left), pointing to headlines that mentioned “loud noises,” “popping noises,” and stating, “Trump injured in incident at rally.” Sen. Rubio criticized CNN for not stating there was an attempt to kill him.
The Daily Wire (Right bias) also ran the headline, “Loud Popping Noises,’ Trump ‘Falls’: Media Outlets TipToe Around Mentioning Shots Fired At Rally” and the The Daily Signal (Lean Right) ran the headline,“Liberal Media’s DESPICABLE Coverage of Trump’s Attempted Assassination.” The New York Post (Lean Right) tweeted, "White House refers to Trump assassination attempt as an ‘incident.’”
Joe Gabriel Simonson from the Washington Free Beacon (Right) critiqued the Washington Post (Lean Left) for not updating its headline from “Trump escorted away after loud noises at Pa. rally,” at 6:54 pm ET.
Another point made by the right was that the shooting could have been a result of ongoing, biased media radicalizing readers against Trump and likening him to a dictator or to Hitler. David Reaboi, a fellow at the Claremont Institute (not rated, but runs a media platform called The American Mind, which AllSides rates as Lean Right), cited the June 2024 magazine cover of The New Republic (Left bias), which depicts an altered image of Trump with a Hitler-like mustache and facial features and the headline “American Facism: What It Would Look Like.”
Do you get the New Republic delivered at home? I’ll bet you do. I didn’t hear anything about “civility” when that came out 6 days ago. pic.twitter.com/QWfihcIGwD
— David Reaboi, Late Republic Nonsense (@davereaboi) July 14, 2024
Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard said, “The assassination attempt on President Trump is a logical consequence of repeatedly comparing him to Adolf Hitler. After all, if Trump truly was another Hitler, wouldn’t it be their moral duty to assassinate him?”
Andy Ngo, editor at The Post Millennial (Right), stated, “The killing comes after years of the far-left urging for Trump to be assassinated to fight ‘fascism’ and ‘save democracy.’”
Tucker Carlson (Right) said he feared for Trump’s assassination in an interview he did 10 months ago. NBC News (Lean Left), at the time, ran the headline, “Tucker Carlson stokes conspiracies, claims U.S. is 'speeding towards' assassination of Trump.”
Other Reactions
One Newsweek (Center) headline said, “MAGA Responds With Outrage After Donald Trump Injured at Pennsylvania Rally,” demonstrating sensationalism.
One BBC (Center) journalist said, “Baseless claims by conspiracy theorists on the left and right are going viral after the shooting at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania. Some leftists are claiming without evidence that the shooting was ‘staged’, and some on the right are blaming the Mossad, Soros, Obama, and Hillary.”
Many commentators noted the shooting may have cemented a win for Trump in November.
AllSides’ initial headline when the news broke was, “Trump Apparently Shot in Ear at Rally,” and was published at about 6:45 pm ET. We later updated it to, “Trump Grazed by Bullet at Rally in Pennsylvania.”
Written by Bridging and Bias Specialist Clare Ashcraft (Center bias) with contributions from Bridging and Multimedia Intern Carsen Brunn (Center bias).
Edited by Julie Mastrine, Director of Marketing and Media Bias Ratings (Lean Right bias).
Reviewed by News Assistant Malyana Bizier (Right bias) and Bias Research and Data Manager Andrew Weinzierl (Lean Left bias).
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