The Media and the 2022 Election
The media if often criticized for how it covers politics in the United States. Their coverage is often focused on polls and campaign strategy rather than the issues. This was clearly seen in the 2022 election. Unfortunately for the media, this focus led them to make wrong predictions about what would happen during the midterms. While the media predicted Republicans to make massive gains in the House, Republican gains were well below normal for the out-party in 2022.
Another criticism of the media is that they often try to treat all sides of an issue the same, even if the other side is pushing a clearly false narrative. This has become a bigger issue as some candidates in 2022 began pushing false claims that the 2020 election suffered from voter fraud and the same was likely during the midterms. Defenders would claim that the media gave ample coverage to these claims, although critics would claim they were often providing a platform for these falsehoods to spread in the first place.
Instructors: click the link below to download this week’s lecture for use in your classroom. The deck contains a writing prompt and a debate question as well as other assessment questions.
Download: The Media and the 2022 Elections
Videos
News Articles
The Media’s Red Wave Narrative Fell Apart on Election Night
Vanity Fair
11/9/2022
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/11/2022-midterms-election-media-red-wave
Media Preps for 2022 Election With Focus on Democracy Issues
Associated Press
11/4/2022
https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-4b342f3cb8d2e42caa4a9ab3b4904d03
How TV Covered the Highs, Lows, and Worst Nightmare Candidates on Midterm Election Night
Arizona Centra;
11/08/2022
Why the Mainstream News Media Got Its Midterm Election Coverage So Wrong
Salon
11/26/2022
https://www.salon.com/2022/11/26/why-the-mainstream-news-media-got-its-midterms-coverage-so/
The Guy Who Got the Midterms Rights Explains What the Media Got Wrong
Vox
11/27/2022
The New Media Is Missing the Real 2022 Midterm Election Plot
Newsweek
05/30/2022
https://www.newsweek.com/mainstream-media-missing-real-2022-midterm-election-plot-opinion-1711019
Assessment
Debate: How much should the media focus on political polls?
How should the media handle political figures pushing false claims?
Poll: Should the media equally present all sides of an issue?
Does media coverage affect your likelihood of voting?
Short Answer: Why did the media incorrectly expect a massive Republican wave in 2022?
