House Science Committee Chairman: Americans should 'discount the liberal media'

House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) suggested that Americans ignore information they see from the “liberal media.” In a brief speech on the House floor, Chairman Smith cited recent Gallup polling that found 55 percent of Americans think news reports are “often inaccurate.” The same poll also shows that 62 percent of Americans think the media favors a particular political party, an increase largely fueled by Republicans.

“Commonsense, reasonable Americans would do well to discount the liberal media since they don’t provide fair and objective information,” Chairman Smith said. He suggested that President Trump’s approval rating, which currently hovers around 40 percent, is historically low because of negative media coverage. He cited a report from the conservative Media Research Center that concluded coverage of President Trump by the three major broadcast networks — ABC, CBS and NBC — was 88 percent negative. “Is it any wonder that half of Americans disapprove of the job President Trump is doing? The real wonder is that it’s not greater given what the public hears and reads every day,” Chairman Smith said.