A National x-Ray

By: Liam, Kahaliah, and Matthew

Liam: The legality of mail ballots was certainly the main point of contention in this election. It was also the most frequently covered topic and dominated the news cycle. I believe the media could have bettered their coverage by projecting more confidence in the electoral process instead of raising questions regarding the peaceful transition of power.

Kahaliah: This is an interesting point. I find that there were more articles commenting on the arising concerns particularly from the Trump Administration and his supporters rather than on the actual legitimacy of the mail votes. Several articles posed questions about whether or not any of these concerns would be actually addressed in a legal setting, with many expressing doubt that this is likely, so I don’t think it was a matter of distrust/lack of confidence on the media’s part, but rather a display of the distrust that is present in certain facets of nation.

Matthew: I agree, as many of the articles seemed to believe that Trump’s claims on the legality of mail in votes were not made with the law in mind, but rather protecting himself and trying to flip the results of the election. While most articles were impartial about this, I think that the sources reporting on Trump’s actions should have taken the stance that his actions were both morally and ethically incorrect as a message to readers that Trump’s actions should not be taken as other partisan issues are, where “both sides are at fault.”

Kahaliah: Speaking of this distrust in the current administration and in the nation overall, I think a major narrative portrayed by the media was that about the tensions and the divisions that have been arising due to the election. The media has framed Election day and politics in general as competition between the two sides: the blue and the red and each gain won by one side is portrayed as a loss for the other. This competitive “tit for tat” has only further exacerbated the extreme political divisions.

Kahaliah: One particular analogy that an article from The New York Times used to describe the election was that it “doubled as a national X-ray, with both sides distressed about what might turn up on the scan,” and I think this is indicative of the anxiety and the feelings uncertainty that were exacerbated by this election. Elections are the times where we as a nation ask ourselves “who are we?” and it seems both sides are unsure. There is a sort of identity crisis going where the media and the state of United States politics are trying to strictly place the nation into either a red or a blue box.

Matthew: That is a good point. Another issue that I found particularly compelling in both the articles I read is the issue of the health of American democracy, and whether or not Trump’s actions are doing real damage to our institutions. I believe the media is slightly exaggerating the damage that Trump is doing, as they paint the issue as both huge and something that will not be truly detrimental to democracy, which I find very contradictory. The media should not be focusing on the short term effects of Trump’s actions, but rather the precedent they set that one can claim that the results of a democratic election are false.

Liam: This election has been disastrous for both parties. Democrats took a step back in house races and underperformed in senate races (with two special elections in Georgia to go). As for the Republicans, allegiance to President Trump is becoming dangerous for the party as he sets the precedent for years to come. The media has done a decent job tackling these issues for both parties. As America transitions into the Biden administration, it is critical to criticize the media, but also recognize the challenges they face when reporting the news.