Strategically Communicating

As I’ve been reading chapters 1 to 5 in Spreadable Media, I have been thinking about the concepts of media power and of framing, as they relate to stories currently dominating the news, such as the upcoming Presidential election. In all honesty, although I do not agree with many of Donald Trump’s positions nor think that he is a positive or strong candidate, having these ideas in mind makes me think that much of the coverage of him by the media has been unfair, and has involved framing often in a negative or biased way. Ideally, it is the media’s job to be a middle entity or mediator between us, the public, and newsworthy events. It should be their job and their goal to present events and facts objectively, and without any spin. But as I think about it, I feel that they often have no hesitation or reluctance of portraying Donald Trump as an unfit or ridiculous candidate, and of conveying their own opinions regarding him. Ultimately, it is for the public to decide on our own and the media should not be actively asserting opinions or trying to influence these decisions.