Have we forgotten how much air time the “billionaire” / “reality tv host” / “real estate mogul” got during the 2016 election? While everyone else was out getting donations to run ads for their campaign, the “press” used Trump’s fame to increase their viewership and advertising revenue. They didn’t talk about policy, they didn’t do deep dives or hardball interviews with the candidates, they didn’t do their job as the fourth pillar of democracy; they talked about the crazy antics and repulsiveness of the ‘this guy can’t be for real’ candidate. Of course the press wants Trump to win. No one watches the news (anymore) to learn things or to feel good about things.
You cannot engage the frames the press traffics in because it knows the best way to reach the maximum audience is to give Republicans what they want and drive liberals to hate reading, hate sharing, and even hate subscribing. Because even by rebutting them, you spread and strengthen them. That’s just how brains work.
That’s not how “the press” is supposed to work. Toying with your emotions for profit is how television programming and circus sideshows work.
Who’s holding the media accountable for fucking us over? Who among us are voting with our wallets and our eye balls and giving actual journalists a fighting chance against these newstainment programs and meme posts and social media click bait faux-headlines?
Right, no one. Because no one actually cares about The News and policy and how politicians and corporations are having an impact on our country. That’s too difficult to digest compared to lashing out at a headline that makes us feel upset. Of course I exaggerate by saying “no one” cares but it might as well be since those who care aren’t the ones watching newstainment and newstainment is raking it in appeasing to the mass of nobodies.