The democracy will be healthier if political journalists widen their lens to cover what’s really happening instead of just what politicians say.
Repeatedly covering lies impacts journalists as well as voters. The constant undertone of pessimism is deeply misleading. Worse, it confirms a false view America that feeds MAGA.
The MAGA right lies and then undermining journalism because it will not go along. The left is exasperated by journalists repeat those lies, even when those journalists disclaim them. Some in the media look at the criticism, coming as it does from all sides, and see it as vindication of the job they are doing. It isn’t.
Mark Jacob, a long-time journalist and editor, has been particular effective at explaining the failures of journalism from the perspective of journalism itself. It is a critique based on the values and aspiration of the profession. To see his work look here.
There is another problem with journalism, one more human than professional. Every day, journalists witnesses cruel attacks on truth, on democracy, and on Americans who MAGA pollsters say their party’s base wants to hate (immigrants, LGBTQ people, teachers, etc.). It’s not good for their health.
Many of the journalists I know once thought that if they told us what was going on, if they shed enough light on it, Americans would be appalled and the MAGA threat would subside. They were wrong. Over time, the burden of seeing this cruelty play out day after day takes a toll. A careful reader will find notes of pessimism and helplessness in mainstream political coverage- both news and commentary.
Just as repeatedly covering lies has an impact on both journalists and voters, so does the constant undertone of pessimism and helplessness. In its own way, this is deeply misleading. Worse, it confirms a false feeling in the country that feeds the MAGA autocratic movement.
Political journalists who have to cover what politicians say are forced to live in a bubble. If they could break free, they would see that America has turned its dark corner and is moving forward again. That does not mean that our problems are solved, or that everyone is suddenly prosperous. The world does not work like that. But the decisions we have made are moving us forward once again.
Economically, we have come out of a steep recession. Employment levels are at all-time highs. Inflation has come down. For the first time, the gap between the highest earners and the rest of us is shrinking. Both wages and private sector investment in manufacturing are on the rise. Geopolitically, we have moved on from disgrace of seeing Putin’s Foreign Secretary, Sergey Lavrov, honored with a visit to the Oval Office, and a US President sending “love letters” and making a state visit to Kim Jung Un, the murderous dictator in North Korea. Today, the US leads the world’s democracies in the fight against these tyrants. We have moved on from climate denialism, and now lead the world in our push for a green energy transition. In contrast to the failed infrastructure efforts when the GOP had control of the government, we are now rebuilding everywhere.
None of these are accidents. They are the result of leadership and policy changes. These past few years have demonstrated that we are not helpless, and we do not have to go backwards. It is hard work, but when we do it, we move forward.
These actual accomplishments should lead to political coverage that feels optimistic about our future, but journalists are only human, and daily obligation to report on lies has got them down. I suggest they widen their lens a bit and take in more of the real progress we are making. Even in politics, we Americans are getting things done. Those election deniers who ran for positions that would put them in positions of power over future elections? They lost. Those school board candidates who would dictate curricula and ban books? They lost. The great red wave that would sweep away the opponents of our homegrown autocratic movement? It didn’t happen. The efforts, in states like Ohio, to change the rules to stop voters from protecting reproductive rights? It failed. The subsequent effort to mislead voters to stop from actually protecting reproductive freedom? It failed.
Sure, about 30-percent of Americans support the MAGA autocrats. Journalists should understand that autocratic movements thrive on the kind pessimism that is prevalent in political coverage today. Meanwhile out in the world, as I’ve written elsewhere, America isn’t coming apart, it’s coming together. Any President faces headwinds during a term. But today the biggest opposition coalition is aimed at Mr. Trump and MAGA. United in the face of his autocratic threat are people who care about women’s reproductive freedom, people who care about labor, people who care about civil rights, people who care about economic fairness, people who care about climate change, people who care about sensible gun laws, people who care about the freedom to read, people who care about LGBTQ rights, people who don’t like bullies, people who prefer truth to lies, people who used to be Republicans, people who do like to vote… I could go on. It is the largest and most diverse coalition in American politics. Perhaps in American history.
America has, as I said, turned a corner. And Americans are leading the way. Now if political journalists would shelve their pessimism, and cover what’s really happening instead of what politicians are saying, they might provide less validation to the forces who stop us.
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