Aug 4, 2016
The media have played a powerful role in the 2016 presidential
election. Some critics argue Donald Trump became a viable candidate
thanks to his “free airtime,” and that he might not have won the
Republican bid without the attention. Others point out blatant
sexism in the media given the attention paid to Hillary Clinton’s
voice and clothing—something reporters didn’t do as much with male
candidates. And Bernie Sanders’ supporters contend
“corporate-owned" media are uninterested in scrutinizing his
campaign and platform issues. What is the right way to tell the
story of the election? What are the roles of polling data and of
shoe-leather journalistic coverage? Can they co-exist? Can they
help one another? Professors Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss
this and more in episode six of Politics & Polls.