Under the Microscope: Political Campaigns and the News Media

I doubt there are many Americans who think the news media fairly and accurately reports political news. The more important issue,however, is not whether individual stories are reported accurately, but which stories the media chooses to report at all. TV newscasts are drastically limited in time, and newspapers neither have the staff to report, nor the paper to print, every story that may be of interest to the public. Of course, the first amendment protects the media no matter what it does, but with those rights also come important responsibilities that the media are neglecting.

Let me give you an example. The two-party system in the United States largely exists, for better or worse, because the media chooses to give almost no attention to third party candidates. Forget about national politics where third party candidates have absolutely zero chance of success today; let’s focus on state-wide races for governor, congress, senate, and state legislative offices. There have been numerous highly credible, well-credentialed candidates for these offices all across the United States, and virtually none of them are able to get their campaigns off the ground because the news media refuses to follow them and report their ideas to the public. When there is some news report, it typically focuses on the candidate’s low public following in the polls rather than on the ideas the candidate espouses. By reporting only on the major party candidates, even when the stories are fairly written, the media are actually making news more than they are reporting it. They are making news by ensuring that the current parties, which every poll has shown represent only a minority of Americans, maintain control of government indefinitely.

That’s the media’s first amendment right of course, but what about the first amendment rights of the greater public to have a full panoply of ideas before them as they determine how to cast their votes? If a majority of Americans are denied the right to hear the views of all credible candidates, this is truly an abridgment of free speech by the press.