Voters 3-to-1 say national media 'Not Aggressive Enough' reporting Biden sexual assault allegations

Voters by a nearly 3-to-1 margin say the national media is "Not Aggressive Enough" in reporting a sexual assault allegation against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, according to a new Just the News Daily Poll with Scott Rasmussen.

Just 14% of American voters said that the national media was "Too Aggressive," and 40% said it was "Not Aggressive Enough" in reporting on the allegations by Tara Reade, a congressional aide for Biden when he was a senator. Reade said publicly in March that she was assaulted by Biden in 1993 in the Senate office complex on Capitol Hill. 

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Just the News Daily Poll

With Scott Rasmussen

Sixty-five percent (65%) of Republicans believe the national media has not been aggressive enough in reporting sexual assault claims against Biden, the poll found. Just 9% of the GOP faithful believe the media has been too aggressive. 

"Not surprisingly, Democratic voters see it entirely differently," Rasmussen said. "A solid plurality — 38% — believe the reporting has been about right. The remainder are evenly divided — 21% say the coverage has been too aggressive while 18% say not aggressive enough."

There is a gender gap as well. By a 47% to 11% margin, men say the coverage has not been aggressive enough. Women lean in the same direction, but by a narrower 33% to 17% margin.

Biden on Friday for the first time publicly addressed Reade's sexual assault allegations, saying they "aren't true."

"There are correlations to partisan preferences that color these gender results," Rasmussen said. "A majority of both Republican men and women believe the coverage has not been aggressive enough. However, a majority of both Democratic men and women believe the coverage has been about right. It’s reminiscent of the Kavanaugh hearings, when perceptions were driven more by partisan leanings than gender."

The New York Times last month admitted it used different standards for Biden than those applied to Justice Brett Kavanaugh during coverage of sexual misconduct allegations against him while he was going through the Senate confirmation process to join the Supreme Court. 

"While not feeling as strongly about it as Republicans, a plurality of both Independent men and women believe the coverage has not been aggressive enough," Rasmussen noted. "Among independent voters, the attitudes are similar (if a little more moderated) — 40% say the media has not been aggressive enough, while 11% say too aggressive."

Respondents were asked, “Has the national media been too aggressive in reporting sexual assault claims against former Vice President Joe Biden, not aggressive enough, or about right?" They replied as below:

• 14% Too Aggressive
• 40% Not Aggressive Enough
• 25% About Right
• 22% Not Sure

The national survey of 1,200 registered voters was conducted April 30-May 2, 2020 by Rasmussen, a polling veteran. Margin of sampling error: +/- 2.8% for full sample. 

To see the full demographic cross-tabulations for this polling question, click below:

To see the methodology and sample demographics for this polling question, click below: