Is Hillary Clinton covered unfairly by the press? Supporters say yes

The Independent spoke with supporters in Philadelphia after Barack Obama campaigned for Ms Clinton

It has been a difficult couple of weeks for Hillary Clinton. The Democratic nominee for president has seen her lead at the polls disappear and been forced to rest up as she gets over a bout of pneumonia.

While Barack Obama used his appearance on Tuesday to skewer Donald Trump, he also took aim at the way in which US media organisations have handled their coverage of Hillary Clinton.

The president took a jab at the coverage of Ms Clinton’s health, calling it “nonsense” and asserting that the candidate was “subjected to more scrutiny and … more unfair criticism than anybody out here”.

“I’m not running this time, but I sure do get frustrated with the way this campaign is covered,” he said to the estimated 6,000 people in attendance. “You don’t grade the presidency on a curve. This is serious business.”

Indeed, progressive media watchdog Media Matters for America found that cable news channels spent a significant portion of their air time to covering topics related to Hillary Clinton’s health after she almost fainted at the 9/11 memorial site.

According to their data, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC devoted a staggering 13-and-a-half hours to the apparent controversy, while giving less than an hour’s attention to evidence that implicates Mr Trump in some shady financial transactions with donations to his foundation.

The lopsided coverage certainly has been a source of frustration for Clinton supporters, even as the Democratic nominee prepares to return to the campaign trail on Thursday in Greensboro, North Carolina.

“I think there’s a double standard with the media coverage,” Lauren Engster, 59, told The Independent. “I don’t think the press is giving her a fair chance. I don’t understand why the press won’t look at why Trump won’t give his tax records out.”

Terry Guthrie, who attended the event with Ms Engster, agreed.

“I think the pneumonia thing is preposterous, actually,” she said. “I think she’s worked through it. How can you do anything but be positive about that. Now she needs to take a little rest.”

Earl Hackett, a 67-year-old veteran, said: “The problem is the media gives Donald Trump too much attention because he’s a celebrity,” calling into question the seriousness of Mr Trump’s candidacy.

But actress Daisy Century was was most excited for the prospect of a Hillary Clinton presidency.

“I’m real tired of the media just picking on every little thing just to try to get a story, but there’s no story to be gotten,” she said, punctuating her phrases with the US flag in her hand. “Hillary is going to win this November. No matter what the press says, we know better.

“We are the voters, we’ve done our research. We know her past history. We don’t even care about the media.”