This election cycle has been filled with much speculation as to who the ultimate final two presidential candidates will be. Each side has their favorites and as time has passed, they have almost all dropped out like leaves from a tree in the fall. The media would like to you to believe a narrative that may or may not be true, but isn’t it their job to report the facts not dictate opinion? There’s a serious lack of genuine reporting going on in this country and it’s contributing to the entire negative discourse racing through it.
This speculation also reflects who the media want to be in the final two, not what the country, which is still voting in the primaries by the way, but who “they” want. Amazing how we hear most go on about the 1 percent in this country while they are also a part of that 1%. Journalists and reporters are a tiny minority (approximately 54,000) in the country as are the very wealthy (approximately 11 million), which is why I find it so entertaining that they can show their hypocrisy so openly. I’d like to think that it’s just their sheer ignorance to the fact that they are the 1% (actually much less than that), but the truth of the matter is that they know full well that either they aspire to be there or are already there; it’s really not about the money, it’s about the access and fame (read:power).
Spoilers aren’t only the presidential candidates that stay in this primary race because they think they’ll get something out if it, but journalists who are supposed to be objective and non-biased in their reporting are hardly making it a secret as to who they support. This is disgusting and a complete failure on their part, but it also makes you lose trust in an industry that once had the majority of the public’s trust. Gone are the days when you could turn on the evening news and watch honest reporting. No, you now have to do your own research. It’s time consuming, I know, but it’s better than sharing mis and disinformation across the internet. All a reporter or cable news station has to do, if they get caught, is correct the record, make a quick apology and continue their march. There are no consequences for their misleading of the public.
Yes, the First Amendment protects speech and allows us to have an open media. Many countries in the world have no idea what that even is, but there should be consequences for endorsing candidates by failing to do the due diligence that is required in that field. It should be uniform, which means I don’t care if you’re interviewing your child or spouse, you should question and interview them as if their the devil incarnate and doesn’t mean to be hostile either.
Will honest journalism ever return? I doubt it. When bloggers and college professors are used for commentary, the future for this industry doesn’t look likely to change anytime soon. Stop spoiling our democracy by tainting it with your biases and if you don’t know how to, then you should resign immediately!
Gina Olson 