Why media scrutiny only makes Donald Trump and Ben Carson stronger

[Commentary] Among the many conventional-wisdom-defying things about the candidacies of Dr Ben Carson and Donald Trump, one of the most notable is this: Critical media coverage has not only failed to weaken their support but has actually made it stronger. Why? One theory is, as Sen Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in the third primary debate, “the American people don’t trust the media.” This is largely true. Recently, the annual American Values Survey, conducted by the Public Religion Research Institute, found only 47 percent of Americans have a “great deal” or even “some” confidence in news organizations. And nowhere is skepticism of the media more prevalent than on the political right. The problem with this convenient explanation is that Americans have been skeptical of the media for a long time. Gallup’s annual survey of media confidence hasn’t recorded majority trust since 2003, so the current state of affairs isn’t dramatically different from what it was during the last three presidential elections.

Carson and Trump -- better than their predecessors -- have successfully positioned themselves as the antitheses of status-quo politics while casting big-time media companies as symbols of entrenched Washington interests. For Carson and Trump, neither of which has held elected office, the media might as well be another career politician in a race that’s full of them. The press is just one more opponent to be defeated. Media reports are no longer reports; they’re attacks -- no different from what a political rival would launch.