THREAD: Trump's win in 2016 occasioned much media introspection. This year, we've seen a bit of that, but also a lot of back-patting. For @CJR today, I outline why I think that's premature, and ask what the "Hillary's emails" of 2020 may prove to be. /1 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
With some caveats, the press avoided Hillary's emails 2.0, and coverage of Trump was generally more critical. But there were errors. As @YochaiBenkler's research has shown, mainstream outlets were crucial in spreading Trump's anti-voting propaganda... /2 https://www.cjr.org/analysis/trump-twitter-disinformation-voter-fraud-election.php
...coverage of that improved over time, but continued to feel divorced from the horserace, which implied a level playing field. And despite plenty of advance warning, the rhythms of election-week coverage were too dynamic, playing into Trump's hands. /3 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
These may seem like trivial criticisms compared to Emailsgate. They're undoubtedly subtler, and will be harder to fix than simply saying “no thanks” to Rudy Giuliani. But there’s no guarantee these errors will still seem trivial by 2024. /4 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
The mainstream media's power to stop people consuming and believing disinformation about the election is of course limited. But there are nonetheless things we can improve going forward—even if only because they're the right thing to do. /5 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
1. Avoid normalizing new frames—that following basic rules is heroism, that overturning votes is a winnable “quest,” that Republicans delegitimizing the process is just a thing they do... Shifting public expectations is itself a victory for bad actors. /6 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
2. Continue to hold accountable the Republican senators and other officials who have abetted Trump, rather than uncritically welcoming them back on TV to cast Biden as a tyrant for passing some executive order or other. /7 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
3. Continue to prioritize and amplify the voting beat, even in the absence of a news peg—scrutinizing voter-suppression efforts, redistricting efforts, the health of the postal service, state and local offices with election-oversight powers, and more. /8 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
As @edyong209 has noted, people "often mistakenly equate an averted disaster with an overreaction." That’s not to say every averted disaster merits our attention. It’s to note that wise preemptive action often seems less rational than reactive action. /9 https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php
Outcomes can obscure problems. If Trump had won this year, media critics would doubtless be scouring election coverage for the new Hillary’s email. Just because he lost doesn’t mean we didn’t mess some things up. Me for @CJR: /END https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/election_coverage_2020_trump.php