Ted Cruz and other losing GOP candidates blame the MSM for their defeat, which they attribute to the amount of free air time given to Trump (Cruz sees this as a liberal conspiracy). Trump, for his part, complains endlessly about the quality of the coverage he gets, and regularly incites crowds at campaign rallies by attacking reporters. The MSM have defended the amount and tenor of the Trump coverage by admitting that he makes for good ratings, but pointing to their obligation to check facts.
Who’s right here? Actually, all of them are, at least to some extent.
There is no doubt that Trump, due to his celebrity and his gift for outrageousness, received far more free air time than his rivals; without it, his campaign would have been toast. The coverage of Trump was more critical than the coverage of his rivals, but he brought that on himself by being a blowhard and a liar. Finally, the MSM are operating in a universe dominated by the internet in which they can no longer serve the public interest gatekeeper function to the same extent that they did 25 years ago. They’re all just businesses chasing ratings now, so it is hardly surprising that they paid more attention to Trump than to his rivals.