James Risen, Contributing Writer - The Intercept
Stephan: I find journalists covering this election hopelessly mediocre. As this article points out most of the corporate media continues to cover the election as a horeses-race contest between equals, which is egregiously incorrect. On one side we have a liar, convicted rapist, convicted felon, life-long business scammer. On the other we have a traditional public service fostering wellbeing politician. At this point if you are a criminal Trump voter you are a person who is willfully ignorant and not a supporter of continued democracy.
Donald Trump walks on stage to speak at the National Guard Association of the United States’ 146th General Conference, on Aug. 26, 2024, in Detroit. Credit: Carolyn Kaster / AP
OVER THE LAST few years, as it grew increasingly likely that Donald Trump would mount a third campaign for the White House, leading press critics and others in the media vowed that this time had to be different. The press couldn’t fail in its coverage of Trump once again.
This time, it must aggressively investigate Trump while focusing coverage on the threat that he poses to democracy. The stakes for the nation in the election, not just the odds of who was likely to win the campaign, should be front and center in the press coverage, New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen argued.
But the change in coverage hasn’t happened. Instead, the press has doubled down on horse-race coverage, proving unable to alter its traditional formula for campaign coverage. Distracted by the campaign’s dramatic moments, highlighted by the attempted assassination of Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw from the race, day-to-day, [...]
