COMMON If someone or something gets a bad press, they are repeatedly criticized, especially in the newspapers, on television, or on radio. Rarely has a local authority received such a bad press. Note: This expression is often varied. For example, you can talk about someone getting bad press, or you can replace bad with other adjectives. Banks have lately received a lot of bad press about their conduct. He often had such a terrible press, yet everyone who met him liked him. Compare with a good press.