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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
Democratic Primaries
In reply to the discussion: Why Bernie Sanders is absolutely correct about the Washington Post -- and corporate media as a whole [View all]Gothmog
(143,630 posts)20. Opinion: Bernie Sanders's real media problem
Link to tweet
So let me offer an explanation of what Sanderss real media problem is: Right now Sanders 2020 is suffering from the comparison with Sanders 2016, when his candidacy was a captivating new phenomenon that turned what could have been a dull coronation for Hillary Clinton into a real contest. That made him compelling to reporters again, always drawn to whats new and what creates conflict who wrote story after story about this fascinating campaign, particularly the unlikely fact that a rumpled 74-year-old had become the hero of college students everywhere. They covered his policy proposals, but they also covered all the attendant human-interest sidelights such as people getting Bernie tattoos.
Sanderss current candidacy doesnt provide that same narrative interest. Hes just one candidate among many, running somewhere between second and fourth in every poll a part of the big story, to be sure, but not the primary protagonist/antagonist, depending on the framing. If during the 2016 primaries he was getting something like half the coverage, most of it positive, now he can expect only to get a much smaller portion of a pie that has been sliced into many more pieces. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but youd have to define what fair coverage would look like for all the candidates to say for sure.
Its not as though Sanders is being ignored. I did a search on The Posts website and found 28 articles and videos mentioning him that appeared just this Monday and Tuesday. FiveThirtyEight monitors the volume of cable news coverage of the candidates, and what you see is that coverage pretty well tracks poll standing: Joe Biden gets the most, followed by Sanders, Warren and Kamala D. Harris clustered together. You might be able to make a case for why thats wrong, but you cant say its particularly unfair to Sanders.
And heres the thing: Im sure Sanders knows how this all works. Hes a smart guy, and he has been around for a long time. In most of the comments he and his aides make on this topic, you can tell they understand the incentives and proclivities of the media perfectly well.
Sanderss current candidacy doesnt provide that same narrative interest. Hes just one candidate among many, running somewhere between second and fourth in every poll a part of the big story, to be sure, but not the primary protagonist/antagonist, depending on the framing. If during the 2016 primaries he was getting something like half the coverage, most of it positive, now he can expect only to get a much smaller portion of a pie that has been sliced into many more pieces. Is that fair? Perhaps not, but youd have to define what fair coverage would look like for all the candidates to say for sure.
Its not as though Sanders is being ignored. I did a search on The Posts website and found 28 articles and videos mentioning him that appeared just this Monday and Tuesday. FiveThirtyEight monitors the volume of cable news coverage of the candidates, and what you see is that coverage pretty well tracks poll standing: Joe Biden gets the most, followed by Sanders, Warren and Kamala D. Harris clustered together. You might be able to make a case for why thats wrong, but you cant say its particularly unfair to Sanders.
And heres the thing: Im sure Sanders knows how this all works. Hes a smart guy, and he has been around for a long time. In most of the comments he and his aides make on this topic, you can tell they understand the incentives and proclivities of the media perfectly well.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
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Why Bernie Sanders is absolutely correct about the Washington Post -- and corporate media as a whole [View all]
JoeOtterbein
Aug 2019
OP
Of course, Holly writes what she sees. And of course, she has disagreed with me more than anyone!
JoeOtterbein
Aug 2019
#8
Lol. Well, I guess some here are just fine with the M$M. Or at least selectively. nt
KPN
Aug 2019
#7
I've reported on Bernie Sanders for years. A free press won't give him what he wants.
Gothmog
Aug 2019
#19
There does seem to be lots of effort against Bernie. If he is doing so bad...
JoeOtterbein
Aug 2019
#5
Bernie is lovable, but his time has passed. No question. That doesn't mean he isn't somewhat
KPN
Aug 2019
#10
It's not "political-class distaste"; it's disgust for what he has done, and continues to do
LongtimeAZDem
Aug 2019
#28
So you're going to avoid the point of my post - that his remarks on WAPO echo Trumps?
ehrnst
Aug 2019
#37
But you didn't address the point of my post, which had more than one source included.
ehrnst
Aug 2019
#39
I can certainly understand the convenience of blaming the media for his poor polling.
LanternWaste
Aug 2019
#16
Bernie is angry at WaPo for reporting what his staffers said about the labor dispute.
ehrnst
Aug 2019
#40
I think I saw elsewhere that you've been "covering" Bernie for a while. Is that correct? Then...
JoeOtterbein
Aug 2019
#31
I like it too. It's not perfect (the only journalist who is perfect is my daughter, LOL!).
JoeOtterbein
Aug 2019
#35