How Politico handles awkward Democratic and Republican moments, in one picture

For example, when 2016 GOP candidate Donald Trump was questioned in September by a supporter who suggested President Obama is a Muslim and the real estate mogul brushed off the remarks, Politico highlighted that the Republican front-runner failed to challenge his questioner.

“Trump doesn’t correct man who says Obama is Muslim,” one headline read.

The story began, “Confronted with a questioner who called Muslims a ‘problem’ and asserted that President Obama is a Muslim and not American, Donald Trump did not correct him on Thursday night.”

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The supporter also asked Trump if he had a plan to “get rid” of Muslims. Trump also brushed off this remark.

But Politico kept after the story, publishing a separate article a few days later titled, “Trump refuses to condemn town-hall Muslim flap.”

“Donald Trump refused on Sunday to condemn the recent statement of a supporter who said Muslims are a ‘problem’ for the United States, asking CNN’s Jake Tapper, ‘Are you trying to say we don’t have a problem?'” the article reported.

The Virginia-based outlet’s coverage of the “Muslim flap” stands in sharp contrast to how it handled news that an alleged former Hewlett-Packard employee told Hillary Clinton Tuesday afternoon that he wanted to “strangle” Republican candidate Carly Fiorina.

“I saw friends of mine that in over 20 years in digital, in Hewlett-Packard lose their homes. Their marriages broke up because of the stress and strain they were under,” the Clinton supporter said of the company that Fiorina oversaw as CEO.

“Every time I see her on TV, I want to reach through and strangle her,” he added, prompting laughter from the audience. “I know that doesn’t sound very nice.”

Clinton herself laughed, and remarked with a smile, “I wouldn’t mess with you!”

Unlike the Trump “Muslim flap,” Politico didn’t highlight Clinton’s failure to challenge her supporter. Instead, Politico focused on the reaction from Republicans.

The headline for report on the incident read, “Republicans knock Clinton for laughing at Fiorina ‘strangle’ comment.”

“Republicans denounced Hillary Clinton Tuesday after the Democratic front-runner laughed when an audience member told her he wanted to strangle Carly Fiorina every time he sees her on television,” the article’s opening paragraph read.

Politico is not alone in taking a varied approach to handling uncomfortable campaign moments. Bloomberg News also covered both events by emphasizing Trump’s failure to challenge his supporter, while also downplaying Clinton’s reaction:

The obvious difference between both awkward campaign moments is that while Clinton’s supporter appeared to be joking about “strangling” Fiorina, Trump’s supporter appeared to be very serious about fixing the Muslim “problem.”

(h/t Cameron Gray)