Locals Talk Presidential Campaign Coverage

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) — Many of you have reached out to News 12 upset about political news coverage after the release of an old video with Donald Trump making controversial comments about women.

On Friday, we spoke to residents in both Tennessee and Georgia for their take on the campaign coverage in general.

While many folks told News 12 they’re not happy with the reporting, others say they think the coverage is fair. The issue is who to vote for.

Some don’t plan to vote at all.

People in the Tennessee Valley say they’re concerned about the upcoming presidential election, especially how it’s being covered.

“I think the media could do better at seeing both sides of the situation and showing what both viewpoints are, and looking up more of the facts behind those viewpoints and why people think that way,” said Georgia resident Sidney Hildebrand.

Residents tell News 12 they’d like see fair coverage of both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

They think there’s a liberal bias.

“I feel that it’s sadly biased towards the conservative side of it, even though I lean more towards the conservative side,” said Georgia visitor Arthur Warsaw.

“I think the media has suppressed a lot of information regarding Hillary Clinton that should be brought out,” said Cleveland resident Terri Phipps. “Donald Trump has been crucified by the mainstream media, and Hillary Clinton is made to look like she is a queen, and it’s really affecting the election.”

Other residents who wouldn’t go on camera say they’re not bothered by the campaign coverage, but they’re not happy with the presidential candidates themselves.

“I’ve had a hard time voting in the past for candidates. This is the roughest one,” Warsaw said.

“It will be a very tough call. I’m voting for the lesser of the two evils, but it is a very hard decision to make,” Hildebrand said.

Phipps says voters need to do their research before they head to the polls next month.

“People need to know,” Phipps said. “People really, they need to listen to what they’re doing, because our children, and our children’s children are going to pay for this election.”