The liberal activist group CREDO Action on Tuesday called on MSNBC and CNN to stop giving Donald Trump so much airtime, claiming the real-estate mogul and Republican presidential front-runner is conducting a “racist and Islamophobic campaign” with the aid of cable television.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 200,000 have signed a petition calling on the networks to “stop promoting” Mr. Trump’s campaign.
“MSNBC and CNN should be covering Trump as a candidate, but should not be giving him a near 24/7 national platform to promote his racist and Islamophobic views. Tell MSNBC and CNN: Stop promoting Donald Trump’s racist presidential campaign,” the petition reads in part. “The media’s obsession with Donald Trump has real consequences for our Democracy. Desperate for ratings, the cable news networks have decided to broadcast nearly-continuous coverage of Donald Trump’s campaign at the expense of giving real issues the coverage they deserve.”
The initiative comes just weeks after Mr. Trump proposed a complete ban on all Muslims entering the U.S., a proposal that drew instant criticism from across the political spectrum, including from his fellow Republican primary candidates. Mr. Trump has defended the idea and argues it is necessary to protect Americans.
In its petition, CREDO also cited Mr. Trump’s “misogyny,” his “scapegoating of immigrants,” his “enthusiasm for creating a database of Muslims” and other reasons why his campaign should be getting as much serious attention by the media.
Mr. Trump remains the GOP’s clear White House front-runner in the 2016 race.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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