The influence of the media during the 2016 presidential election in the United States
The US media had a major influence on the US
presidential election in 2016. The media's role was more controversial than
ever before. Such a shameless position from the media had never been seen
before. Some US television networks and magazines openly supported Donald
Trump, while others only portrayed the negative aspects of Hillary Clinton. In
reality, television channels are responsible for the rise of a candidate like
Trump. I'm not saying that Trump is a bad person, but the truth is he is not
the ideal candidate for the USA. Nevertheless, he won the election, and the US
media played a role in that.
In the United States presidential election, the media plays a crucial role in determining the outcome. Since the 1960s, media influence has been incredibly important in winning elections in the USA. Most voters have busy lives, so they choose their preferred candidate based on what they see on television. The media often focuses on issues related to the candidates' personal lives, which are sometimes more important than daily news.
During the 2016 US presidential election, some US media outlets took controversial positions. Hillary Clinton consistently advocated for improving the lives of low-income workers and immigrants, which led her to propose increasing taxes for the wealthy. On the other hand, real estate businessman Trump aligned himself with the interests of the wealthy class. For him, the elite of society were crucial. Since the owners of TV channels and newspapers tend to be wealthy, their influence can be seen in the media's positive coverage of Trump. Some analysts even argued that the media transformed Trump into a political figure. Despite making several derogatory comments about women, immigrants, and Muslims, Trump was portrayed by some media as an agent of change. They published numerous articles about Hillary's email controversy but did not give as much coverage to the Trump tax scandal. Additionally, US media focused more on Trump than other important Republican politicians.
Conversely, some other media outlets opposed Trump. They depicted him as an abusive and manipulative person and openly campaigned against him, expressing their support for Hillary Clinton. Several public opinion polls predicted Clinton's victory. Furthermore, the media did not hesitate to label Trump as "mad." Media organizations like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal openly opposed Trump. In response, Trump criticized the media on Twitter, claiming that they did not accurately cover his rallies. He felt that they did not show the large number of people attending his events or capture the excitement of his supporters.
During the election, both parties blamed the media,
but I can confidently say that the media's impact was crucial to Trump's
victory. Trump's lower approval rating in opinion polls actually increased the
sympathy of the US people towards him. Media influence is present in elections
worldwide, but Donald Trump's triumph in the 2016 US presidential election
demonstrates that the media's impact on that particular election was the
highest in history.
