Hillary Clinton complains media is too soft on Donald Trump

Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has criticised the media's treatment of her GOP rival Donald Trump, suggesting they are too soft on him.

Speaking at her first press conference for 10 months, following a Commander in Chief Forum, Clinton said she understood it was difficult for news outlets to cover Trump because he said outrageous things so often, but explained she found her coverage frustrating.

She told reporters in comments carried by The Hill: "I've been somewhat heartened by articles recently pointing out the quite disparate treatment of Trump and his campaign compared to ours — I don't understand the reasons. I find it frustrating, but it's part of the landscape we live in and we keep forging ahead.

"I'm not asking for any special treatment. I know the road that I'm on. I've been on it for 25 years and I just get up and keep moving forward."

She suggested Trump should be held to a higher standard, but added: "I know it may be difficult to feel you know exactly how to respond to some of his behaviour, but we're on the brink of making a very critical decision for our country."

Clinton has been previously criticised by her GOP rival for failing to hold press conferences more frequently, although Trump has also played the "biased media" card and suggested people treat Clinton more favourably.

In various tweets on the topic, Trump has referred to CNN as the "Clinton News Network" and frequently suggests the mainstream media gives Clinton a "pass" when she doesn't do well.