AdvertisementIn the 2016 campaign, the media gave Trump the equivalent of $2 billion in free media coverage. The very few times that Trump managed to restrain himself, he was rewarded with embarrassing praise. As the focus shifted to the Build Back Better plan and voting rights legislation, the media narrative largely gave the Republican Party’s unanimous obstruction a free pass. The Jan. 18 edition of Politico’s Playbook led with the phrase, “Senate Democrats resume their doomed push on voting rights and election reform…” Axios featured the headline “Biden’s epic failures.” Biden’s forceful speech on voting rights in Atlanta was overshadowed by the media’s fixation on the GOP’s faux indignation. But I do think media institutions have huge influence in shaping public perception and how that perception is weaponized by the anti-democratic forces in America.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 20, 2022 19:29 UTC