View from the Left: Media shifts from 'But her emails' in 2016 to 'But Pelosi' in 2018
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We are in the midst of watching the collective Washington media commit journalistic malpractice all over again this election cycle with Nancy Pelosi taking over Hillary Clinton's starring role as their lead obsession while they give the GOP a virtual pass.View from the Left: Media shifts from 'But her emails' in 2016 to 'But Pelosi' in 2018
We are in the midst of watching the collective Washington media commit journalistic malpractice all over again this election cycle with Nancy Pelosi taking over Hillary Clinton's starring role as their lead obsession while they give the GOP a virtual pass. In 2016, Donald Trump broke nearly every norm imaginable from not releasing his taxes to proposing a ban on people of certain religions from entering to the country to never really even bothering to lay out a cohesive platform beyond, «I alone can fix it.» But it was Hillary's emails that captured that imaginations of political journalists and dominated the media scape, according to a meticulous study of press coverage released last year by Columbia Journalism Review. In just six days, The New York Times ran as many cover stories about Hillary Clinton’s emails as they did about all policy issues combined in the 69 days leading up to the election... During that period all the savvy Washington reporters knew Trump would never win, so why devote serious coverage to him? In fact, according to detailed findings by the CJR report, Clinton's email server and the hacking of her campaign and the Democratic National Committee got 25,000 more sentences—65,000 vs. 40,000—than all of Trump's scandals combined, including his bankruptcy, Trump University, Trump Foundation, Gold Star bullying, Access Hollywood tapes, sexual harassment and assault allegations, and his race-baiting nativist statements about Mexicans and Muslims, etc. Fast forward to 2018. The man they said would never win is now president, majority control of the House (and perhaps the future of the republic) hangs in the balance this fall, and the new media fascination on the Democratic side is whether Nancy Pelosi will be the downfall of Democrats this cycle and/or remain leader of the Democratic caucus. It's a narrative Republicans are pushing, partly out of a dearth of midterm messages that can move voters. There's no evidence it will play well in the swing districts Republicans need to defend to keep their majority—a CNN poll this week found Pelosi ranked dead last among 10 issues registered voters said were driving their choices this cycle. But not to be dissuaded, news outlets are hyping her as a liability on the campaign trail along with previewing the power struggle that could ensue should Democrats take back the House this fall. The Washington Post devoted two articles in the past couple weeks to GOP attack ads featuring Pelosi and invoking the word «liberal» as a smear (a Pelosi variation). NBC News is steadily updating a poll of Democratic nominees, candidates, and incumbents who say they will oppose Pelosi for Speaker if Democrats win the majority. The New York Times featured an article this week about a member of her own leadership team, Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, waiting in the wings in case Pelosi «falls short» of the 218 votes she'll need to become speaker. Read more