[ot-caption title=”Mrs. Bass’ Government and Politics class studying the role of the media in the presidential election. (via Sophie Glassman, junior)”] [spacer height=”20px”]

When most people think of this year’s divisive presidential election, two big names readily come to mind. However, many people forget about another critical player who has the ability to influence the outcome of such politics with the click of a button: the media. All media outlets are hungry for stories that receive the most attention, and the controversial 2016 election has undoubtedly sated their appetite, with many topics to cover due to the specific mannerisms of and quarrelsome interactions between candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. [spacer height=”20px”]

The involvement of the media in American politics has a substantial effect on citizens’ understanding of the election process because news inevitably finds its way into all homes whether it be through newspaper, television, or radio. For undecided voters, easy access to some form of news from various media outlets keeps them informed on the latest issues, surprises, and election highlights. Nevertheless, the larger the influence of the media grows, the more room there is for bias to occur. In fact, only 11% of media coverage focused on candidates’ policy positions, leadership abilities, or personal and professional histories during the primaries. The other 89% of media coverage was directed towards the candidates as people rather than politicians, and thus gave way for opportunities for bias to occur. On October 16, Donald Trump tweeted “Media rigging election!” after seeing a skit on Saturday Night Live that parodied the second presidential debate. While the tweet could have been nothing more than a sporadic burst of anger, many voters began to consider media portrayal of candidates, and how it can affect the results of the election on November 8. [spacer height=”20px”]

Pine Crest students taking Advanced Placement Government and Politics with Mrs. Bass and Mrs. Everett recently finished learning about public opinion and polling as well as the media’s involvement in politics. When asked how she felt about Trump’s claim that the media was rigging the election, Mrs. Bass replied, “There is always going to be bias in the media. If the media has to sell advertisements, they must pick stories that will garner the most media attention. For Trump to equate natural media bias to a rigged election is a stretch.” Junior Emily Aronson feels that the media is overly biased. She commented, “The media is focusing on both Trump and Hillary, but most media outlets are liberal, so you have a better chance of stumbling upon a bad article about Trump than Hillary. The media takes ‘personal’ offense to the allegations that Trump is making against them. For them to cover Trump is warranted because he makes more outlandish comments, such as the claim that he won’t accept the outcome of the election, which offends our democratic ideals.”[spacer height=”20px”]

Other students did not think the media was to be solely blamed for bias and election outcomes. Nikki Kone, a student in post-AP Political Science, said, “It’s hard to say that the media is overly biased as a whole because it’s mostly comprised of individuals who are running and reporting on the media. It comes down to the political leanings of those in charge of what stories are covered and how they are published, instead of the media outlet itself.” [spacer height=”20px”]

Although opinions vary on the media and its bias, this election is one in which media platforms are largely responsible for the candidates’ public images that will greatly sway the opinions of undecided voters. On Election Day, in just one week, the entire nation will be anxiously waiting to see who earns the prestigious title of the nation’s 45th president. [spacer height=”20px”]

Sources: PBS, CNN, Medium