GOP congressman writes television executives, says he intends to 'request a hearing to explore network media bias'

A Republican congressman wrote the nation's top four television executives on Friday and notified them that he intended to request a hearing on supposed media bias.

"I am writing to inform you that I intend to request a hearing to explore network media bias in coverage of the 2016 presidential campaign," wrote Kevin Cramer, a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

The letter was sent to the top executives at ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox.

Cramer cited a recent Gallup poll that showed Americans' trust in media has hit an all-time low. He also referenced a Harvard University study that found negative coverage of Trump increased after the GOP primaries.

"I am alarmed by recent polls and studies, which seem to confirm that our national network news has devolved from fact-based journalism to surreptitious propaganda," Cramer wrote.

The North Dakota congressman said he did not favor a return to the Fairness Doctrine, a former Federal Communications Commission policy that required broadcasters to but told the television network executives that "the privilege to broadcast a free signal is a privilege afforded to very few, and with it comes tremendous responsibility."

Trump has frequently railed against the media throughout the 2016 campaign cycle. In September, the Republican presidential candidate took credit for reducing the trust Americans have in media to a historic low.