Politics Sells

Mass Media and Politics - For Profit

Of course we know that journalists must be paid for their professional expertise.  They have college degrees, work long hours, and keep us informed on important matters that don't respect holidays or late hours.  But deeply ingrained to their task of delivering news is a need to gain attention and make profits.  And so we are presented with controversial and biased questions that will get a reaction out of the candidates - and these two particular presidential candidates are more than happy to oblige.

Rather than getting to the nitty gritty platforms of campaign issues, the media pushes issues like Trump's obsession with Obama's birth certificate.  And for a man who says that he does not value political correctness, Trumps response to the media's criticism is highly entertaining.  

Although it is clear that the media prefers to spin things their own way rather than simply reporting the truth, we held on to hope that presidential debates would be a time of presenting facts rather than continuing to spin biased opinions.  But now we know that the spin factor has trumped the truth.  It is more important to make profits than inform the American public.

I think W. Lance Bennett summed it up perfectly in his book "News: the Politics of Illusion" when he said, "When powerful newsmakers engage in open public debate, news organizations are more likely to cover issues in depth and follow the political process through the halls and hearing rooms of government, and citizen comprehension often increases."

Can accuracy, balance, and fairness be achieved in the future?  We must hope that they can.  I believe that social media can help reign mass media into check on this issue.  If we can band together and show the news outlets that we want a true debate, one that forces the candidates to speak on important issues.  I need to know that Hillary has learned from her past mistakes and that Trump can bring himself to listen to reason and take advice.  One of those two people will be our next president and I am confident that the media can be objective and still gain viewership for the debates with Trump and Hillary at the table.