The role of the media in the division of American opinion before the presidential elections

2024-07-06 19:17:31, Kosova & Bota CNA

The role of the media in the division of American opinion before the

Illustrative photo, source VOA

With only four months away from the presidential elections in the United States, the political divisions of the electorate are extreme. According to VOA correspondent Veronica Balderas Iglesias, some voters blame the media for deepening this sense of division.

American voters say there's no doubt the United States is polarized as the November presidential election approaches. John LaRussa is one of them.

"I don't think the country has been this divided since the civil rights era. We are in a situation where people are not able to talk to each other", he says.

Michael McDermott, another voter, says the politically polarized media is exacerbating the problem.

"We have special news stations for special points of view. You have to treat every piece of information you hear with skepticism," he says.

A 2023 poll found that Americans tend to see the media as damaging to democracy and as something that increases political divisions rather than smoothing them.

Only 16 percent of respondents say they are completely convinced that the media reports the news completely, accurately and fairly.

Student Nicki Dolce is one of the skeptics.

"When you read the news, you understand from the way they write that they are trying to influence the reader in one way or another," she says.

Media contributing to polarization is no accident, says Justin Owen, president of the Beacon Center in Tennessee, which advocates for policies that support a free market.

“It's about clicks, isn't it? It is about the number of readers for the news. And frankly, being more extreme pays off because it gets more attention," he says.

Many voters also blame social media for widening political divides.

"People express their opinions there, too. I think they add fuel to the fire," says another voter.

But while traditional media and social media may be fueling the rifts, experts say they are not causing them.

According to Syracuse University political science professor Johanna Dunaway, polarization is not a new phenomenon.

"There is very little evidence that the media can influence people beyond the attitudes they already have. Polarization existed even before the media changed and before the media that held party positions came back on the scene," she says.

As the presidential election approaches, Professor Dunaway says she is more concerned about the spread of false information and the increased challenges news readers face in distinguishing truth from lies./ VOA