As a self-professed hand-wringing progressive, I say: not so quick on this one. There isn’t a doubt the media struggled mightily in 2016 with find out how to cowl Trump, however 2020 is totally different, each in what the media has discovered and the distinction between overlaying an incumbent and reporting on a challenger.
The errors of 2016 have been nicely coated. Donald Trump dominated the airwaves from his early morning telephone calls to “Morning Joe” on MSNBC to repeated preaching that he would Make America Nice Once more, to protection of his rallies on cable networks like CNN.
In fact, there have been many troublesome, scandalous tales Trump needed to cope with, however via sheer aggression, showmanship and probably a lift from Wikileaks and the Russians, he was all the time in a position to drive the marketing campaign narrative, get his message out — and win.
The media’s failures in overlaying his opponent, Hillary Clinton, are straightforward to dissect. Probably the most talked about and reported tales had been about her emails, which ultimately proved to be an enormous nothing burger. It might have given a touch about her penchant for secrecy, however it by no means ought to have been a defining attribute of her marketing campaign.
Much more irritating for Clinton’s marketing campaign was the shortage of protection for her issue-based bulletins. She had a plan for all the pieces even earlier than Elizabeth Warren had a plan for all the pieces. However these bought little protection, brushed apart by the media in favor of specializing in her response to the newest demagogic broadside from Trump.
In 2016, utterly overmatched on promoting spending by Clinton, he was in a position to drive the narrative with assaults on her and along with his frequent reside appearances on each community and cable tv. He has had some success turning comparatively small situations of violence at in any other case peaceable protests into a significant wedge situation. However this time, given the information on the bottom, he actually is simply in a position to seem unchallenged on Fox Information exhibits and the occasional interview with Rush Limbaugh or the far-right OANN.
Trump’s personal lack of self-discipline is contributing enormously to his drawback. If he hadn’t publicly taken on the FBI director, there was an opportunity his anti-Biden message would have damaged via the mainstream media. However when any politician provides reporters a buffet of reports nuggets, they may all the time go for probably the most compelling, even when it is not crucial.
Dealing with one other shortfall in marketing campaign money, Trump cannot rely upon the media to assist him drive the narrative. His personal document is defining the narrative and that is unhealthy information for him.
So, to my progressive pals, it is not proper to say 2020 is similar as 2016. There are nonetheless occasions he will get away with political homicide, however these incidences are vastly outweighed by a important, and truthful, in my view, give attention to his document as President.
No query, there are nonetheless occasions I discover myself yelling on the TV: “That is a lie, any individual say that is a lie.”
However solely Fox Information, which features as a state propaganda device, will enable him to pursue his technique of operating as a challenger though he is the President. The remainder of the media is doing a fairly good job of constructing this about what’s vital — what he does, not what he says.
