A Media Mea Culpa | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

The media grapples with how they misread the 2016 election outcome and acknowledges the need to better understand their audience and prioritize substantive reporting.

Key Insights

• 🤳 Media institutions engage in self-reflection following unexpected election outcomes.
• 👂 The media underestimated the importance of understanding their audience and listening to their concerns.
• 🪡 Journalists need to prioritize substantive reporting rather than chasing sensationalism.
• ❓ Polls alone cannot capture the complexity of voter sentiment and concerns.
• 💪 Investigative reporting remains a strong suit of media outlets.
• 💝 Elections should focus on substantive policy issues rather than the latest controversial comments.
• ⌛ Journalists should spend more time engaging with voters directly rather than relying solely on data and analytics.

Transcript

(regal music) - My name is Ruth Marcus. I actually have two hats at the Washington Post. I'm the Deputy Editor of the editorial page. So I oversee the signed opinion content, and I'm a columnist. It's been a week since the election, and there's been a lot of emotion and a lot of activity going on since the election, but I think the main activity am... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How did the media mislead themselves and the public about the outcome of the 2016 election?

The media failed to consider the possibility of an audience they had not fully understood, underestimated the number of white voters, and ignored the frustrations and anger expressed by voters.

Q: What were the limitations of polls in predicting the election?

While polls have been traditionally relied upon, they have their own limitations. In this case, the polls failed to capture the true sentiments and concerns of the electorate.

Q: What aspects of media coverage during the election were commendable?

Investigative reporting by various newspapers, including the Washington Post, allowed for excellent coverage of both candidates. Journalists praised the quality of reporting despite shortcomings in other areas.

Q: What are the main issues that voters were concerned about?

Voters were anxious and frustrated about not only their own economic circumstances but also that of future generations. They were also disillusioned with the system in Washington and lacked faith in its ability to bring about positive change.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Post-election, journalists are questioning how they got the election so wrong and misled their readers/viewers by not accurately capturing the anger, anxiety, and frustration of voters.

• The media's defensive response is that, while the outcome was unexpected, everything else was within the margin of error.

• A more critical assessment reveals that the media failed to recognize the actual audience, neglected to listen to the concerns of voters, and focused on sensationalism rather than substantive reporting.