Allegations of Sexual Misconduct Against Trump Largely Fall on Deaf Ears

According to a Media Matters analysis provided to Morning Consult, the story appeared in at least five segments on original programing on weekday Fox News programs between June 21- 28, at least 45 segments on CNN and at least 20 on MSNBC. In print, The Washington Post put the story below the fold on its front page one day after Carroll published her essay, and the news was absent from the covers of major newspapers such as The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times and The New York Times, which led their papers with news on tensions with Iran. 

Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The New York Times, later told his paper that it was “overly cautious” about Carroll’s allegations. And in the week after Carroll published her account in New York Magazine, the New York Times reported an interview with two of her friends attempting to corroborate her story, featuring it on The Daily — one of the top podcasts in the U.S.

Other allegations against prominent people in the public eye — including those raised against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh amid his confirmation hearings last September and former Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama in 2017 — were at least twice as likely to trickle down to voters. 

Christina Bellantoni, former assistant managing editor of politics at the Los Angeles Times, said the reach of Carroll’s story was comparatively limited by the mechanics of how she released it: a first-person essay without the deep corroborating reporting that accompanied some of the other poignant stories of the #MeToo era or a made-for-television moment that could stop the public — and its elected representatives — in their tracks.

“Her magazine piece was beautifully written and heart wrenching,” said Bellantoni, now director of the Annenberg Media Center at the University of Southern California. “She didn't come out at a press conference with Gloria Allred or in a beautifully lit ‘60 Minutes’ interview.” 

Despite the lack of coverage of the allegations, Leeds said the stories hold political consequences for Trump, adding fuel to the Democratic Party’s base, who have been more likely to hear about allegations against the president than the overall population.  

"I think people care,” she said. “There is fatigue in general, but on the other hand, people are getting mobilized.”

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