As Slate’s Jim Newell pointed out in December, each piece of major Trump news is inevitably followed by meta-commentary from journalists themselves condemning their colleagues for lavishing attention on the billionaire real estate mogul...
But with debate viewership larger than it has ever been before, television networks are certainly reaping the benefits of having celebrity merge with politics, even if it means watching the country’s would-be leaders descend into petty trash talk.
Leslie Moonves, the chief executive of CBS, shared a candid view of the presidential race on Monday: “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS.”
Speaking at the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference in San Francisco, the Hollywood Reporter reported, Moonves hopes to continue indulging in the “bomb-throwing” “circus” of the 2016 election cycle.
“Most of the ads are not about issues. They’re sort of like the debates,” said Moonves. “Man, who would have expected the ride we’re all having right now? … The money’s rolling in and this is fun.”
And he’s not planning on getting off the ride any time soon: “I’ve never seen anything like this, and this is going to be a very good year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible thing to say. But, bring it on, Donald. Keep going.”
01 March 2016
Are the media complicit in the rise of Donald Trump?
You decide. Here are some excerpts from a Washington Post article with comments from the CEO of CBS:
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It could be said that the current candidates (Republican or otherwise) are a reaction (of some sort) to the current administration. As a whole, the Republican field is garbage. Sure, there are bits and pieces that look good: Rand Paul's anti-violence and inclusion, Trump's foreign policy (except for some reason Libya), the moment when Jeb Bush and Chris Christie dropped out.
ReplyDeleteI don't think you could call Trump the "anti-Obama", but he is saying something a little different from the status quo, for better or for worse. And casting an honest eye on the Obama administration, of course the media would never do that, would likely result in a sullied legacy. Obviously his supporters would dismiss anything less than praise as racism, Looking honestly at Trump's message - as a response to what is going on now, might make things a little clearer.
Look on the severely darkened brighside: a Trump presidency means that neither Clinton nor Sanders won!
What didn't get pasted in the comments box, oops:
DeleteNo doubt Trump is a goldmine for the media, but the reason for Trump being so Trumpy has got to stem from him being a reaction to the current political climate. Blaming the media is just a way of glossing over that fact.
Yes the media is complicit in the rise of Donald Trump. There were fairly major events this past weekend for other candidates that got mentioned for a moment or two at best that were swamped by coverage for Trump on every news outlet.
ReplyDeleteBernie and Trump are both anti-establishment, but Trump is anti-establishment without raising taxes.
ReplyDeleteHence, he's winning.
It just demonstrates the decline of the political parties. It used to be that they could pick the candidates, raise the money, and make all the media buys. But now it's a free-for-all. The only traditional party-approved candidate left is Hillary, and even there, it's clear that the Democratic Party needs her a lot more than she needs them.
ReplyDeleteThe media covers what people watch. Americans get what they deserve.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I agree with Sybil Ann. If the media had not given Trump so much coverage, many people would have stayed out of politics altogether. I cringe when I think about how many people are actually supporting him for president. On the other hand, he repels thinking people, and if he is the candidate, the Democratic candidate should be a shoo-in.
ReplyDeleteWhile it may be tempting to assume a "shoo-in" for the Trump opponent, the most recent national polls do not confirm that -
Deletehttp://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/2016_presidential_race.html
Hillary leads Trump by just a few percentage points. Sanders, interestingly, does much better on a head-to-head basis with Trump.
(remember, the "thinking people" you refer to do not represent a majority of the electorate. Or at least of those who vote.)
Wow, what an elitist comment! The "thinking people" have been running the country into the ground. Ivy Leaguer think tanks have had Washington's ear and people are fed up with not being listened to. The unwashed masses have reacted to this and you don't like it. Tough. The "thinking people" should start paying attention or the plebes may show up with pitchforks and torches.
DeleteI'm hoping that this cycle will be the death stroke to the GOP (I was hoping that Bernie would do the same for the Demorats too, but at least this will leave a bad taste in young people's mouths.). A faint hope to be sure. That old vampire is difficult to kill.
Insulting and namecalling will not make the country better, neither will you further fostering hatred, as you are doing. Congratulations, you can read Slate and Salon, and have them form your political opinions for you without having to take the time for any critial thinking yourself.
DeleteAs a social progressive, I am terrified at the though of Barbwire or Minnesotastan reproducing.
"I was hoping that Bernie would do the same for the Democrats too, but at least this will leave a bad taste in young people's mouths."
DeleteV, is it your view that Bernie Sanders is not being well received by young people??
"On the other hand, he repels thinking people, and if he is the candidate, the Democratic candidate should be a shoo-in."
ReplyDeleteAsk Adlai Stevenson how helpful that will be.
This is a long article, but I found it a very interesting perspective on the motivation of the wide variety of people supporting Trump.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vox.com/2016/3/1/11127424/trump-authoritarianism
Thank you, xcentric. A very interesting and enlightening read.
DeleteIt's amazing the lengths people go to avoid admitting that Trump's popularity is a response to the current political climate - and what that means: that things are not perfect right now.
ReplyDeleteTrump says some (many) crazy things, but some of the things he's saying are things that the left used to support very vocally, especially when Bush was in office (diplomacy in foreign relations, anti-war stances). They are now glazed right over by the left, and the media. What this means is that politics gets even more divisive. The party that talks so much about inclusion, now focuses more on dividing and excluding. Somebody has to step up, show tolerance, understand that people have differences and embrace diversity (of opinion), and from the media, you'd think that would be the left.
Also, some of the numbers from the link appear sketchy, one in five people believe slavery should still exist? Sorry, not buying that.
Andy, where did you find that comment about slavery? I'd like to fact-check it, but it doesn't seem to be in the WaPo link I cited. From a previous post here, perhaps?
DeleteI did find a one-in-five percentage re slavery mentioned in this Snopes article -
Deletehttp://www.snopes.com/trump-supporters-pro-slavery/
- from a poll asking people what they thought of "executive orders" (calling the Emancipation Proclamation an executive order), but I've never seen that number used to support an argument that slavery should still exist. ??
I believe it came from the vox article linked above by xcentric.
DeleteMaybe I have too much faith in people, but I find it hard to believe that the poll(s) resulting in those numbers were not designed with specific results in mind.
Unscientific footnote: I know a lot of Trump supporters, mainstream republicans, and a lot of straight up assholes too, and I don't genuinely believe I could find one person that thinks slavery is cool.
The youth still keep the hope of democracy alive. I hope there are more people like us who refuse to partake in the political bullying that runs deep in Trump and his fans.
ReplyDelete