When Journalism was a Thing by Alexandra Kitty

Author:Alexandra Kitty [Kitty, Alexandra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78535-655-1
Publisher: John Hunt Publishing
Published: 2018-07-27T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

Trivial pursuits

For a profession that is supposed to be in the know and in the thick of things, they certainly were blindsided by the presidential victory of Donald J. Trump. The press has access to two important variables: the pulse of citizens, and the goings-on of those in power. Even in an age of social media, the press still has more experience and access to those things that elude most others. They are supposed to know things the average citizen does not, yet they did not see Trump coming.

It is a peculiar blindness that requires deeper analysis. When Trump announced his candidacy, the press was amused. When he won the nomination, they shrugged off his chances until it became evident he was gaining momentum. But then the traditional mainstream press turned on him, finding his every real and perceived flaw, to a point they lost every bit of their credibility. They did not see that his strategy would ensure victory over his opponent as he stumped and managed, despite lacking the popular vote, to nab enough electoral votes to gain a victory.

The howls from the press went beyond Election Night, but it was that day that showed that journalists no longer had clout, nor any ability to predict the pulse of the people. It saw the redundant votes going for Clinton, and did not bother to look at the finer grains to see a distinct and significant pattern arising. While Clinton’s election team were equally obvious to the fact that they had their guards down and were about to suffer a humiliating and unprecedented knock-out punch, it was the press that lost far more that night as they proved themselves incapable of seeing reality as it is.

That is no minor deficiency. To be a journalist is to have a clear view of that reality, and react sensibly, rationally, and logically to it. They could not do so when it counted the most, and their gross collective ignorance spelled an end to an era.

How did it happen? How did the sky fall on their heads? The answer is that the sky did not fall on their heads, but the ground had eroded underneath them for years, and they were unaware of it until it was too late. For example, the Hamilton Spectator, a Canadian newspaper that has seen its glory days decades ago and has been reduced to a shadow of its former self, had tried to make itself relevant on May 5, 2017, with a large font message on its front sleeve: “JOURNALISM: MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER”. Unfortunately, by the time editors woke up, news consumers were no longer interested in the paper’s ominous plea.

To work as a journalist is a curious job. You are surrounded by lies, spin, and feints at every turn. People put their best foot forward, and are on their guard in your presence, going so far as to take lessons from experts on how to behave and speak to you. You are expected to

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