CBS’ Eric Sevareid noted that election journalists forget their lapses in the last campaign as soon as the wine of the new campaign touches their lips. The 2024 U.S. presidential election campaign is no different: too few issues, and too many polls and overblown controversies.
If, as journalists claim, the 2024 election is a pivotal moment in the nation’s future, the voters on many days would be hard-pressed to know why from the news. Will debate microphones be muted? Why did Kamala Harris include her running mate in her first press interview?
Media Tenor monitors U.S. news coverage and is sharing its findings with us through Election Day. Over the years, Media Tenor has documented the scant attention to policy issues in most U.S. news outlets. A recent report, for example, found that inflation has accounted for only 1% of the coverage on two of our leading TV channels.
I recently listened to an NPR program where the host interviewed journalists fresh off the campaign trail. They said voters wanted to hear candidates address everyday concerns like food prices, child safety, and job security. The host and guests agreed that candidates needed to focus on such issues. Yet, neither the host nor the guests said reporters should step up their issue coverage.
Claiming that candidates don’t talk about issues is inaccurate. Attend a campaign speech, and you’ll hear plenty about their priorities. While candidates may not discuss issues in the way reporters would prefer, it’s clear what the candidates value and the direction they will take. These aren’t just empty promises. Issues aren’t like tissues, disposed of at the campaign’s end. Studies have shown that candidates typically keep their campaign promises, and when they don’t, it’s usually because others block them.
With the media’s usual approach, we can expect the remainder of this crucial election to be dominated by polls and fleeting controversies, quickly forgotten once the votes are counted. But the consequences will endure, without journalists acknowledging their role in this recurring spectacle. I have yet to hear a convincing explanation for why emails were the most heavily covered issue of the 2016 campaign, the last time a woman led a major-party presidential ticket. That focus, and the accompanying narratives, cost the nation its first woman president. “Crooked Hillary” and “Lock Her Up” were repeated nearly 3,000 times on CNN alone during the 2016 campaign.
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