RNC reporting bias gets warning

Journalists working at the Republican National Convention may notice a common theme: billboards and advertisements telling them to check their bias.

The Media Research Center made a six-figure ad buy in Cleveland to mark the Republican gathering, inundating the area surrounding the Quicken Loans Arena with advertisements reading “Don’t Believe the Liberal Media!”

MRC President Brent Bozell said the ad campaign is a friendly reminder to members of the media covering the RNC proceedings. “This is kind of a signal from us to them that we’re watching you, and we’re going to make an issue of you,” Mr. Bozell said.

The “Tell the Truth” campaign includes nine billboards, mobile building projections, 100 sidewalk graphics and more than 3,000 taxi TV ads, featuring videos demonstrating blatant media bias in their coverage of the 2016 race.

The group has plans to do the same thing in Philadelphia when Democrats convene to nominate their candidate next week.

Despite the ad campaign, Mr. Bozell said he doesn’t expect the mainstream media to cover the Republican convention impartially. He said media bias is already evident after one day at the RNC, pointing to coverage overwhelmingly painting the convention in contentious terms.

“I can tell you already that every single minute of this convention, thus far, predictably, has been one of controversy,” Mr. Bozell said. “Controversy this, controversy that, controversy here. And that simply won’t be the case at the Democratic convention.

Despite a similarly polarizing candidate on the Democratic side of the aisle, Mr. Bozell said the media will likely cover that nominating convention in terms of unity and consensus behind presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

“Mark my words, put money on this, it will be Democrats coming together and unifying,” he said. “It will be the exact opposite, when there’s just as much controversy — or more — swirling around her.”