America’s Anxiety
With the presidential election right around the corner — literally three days away from what is being considered the most historical election known in United States history — it is imperative to take a look at how different news publications indirectly feed into the anxiety that America seems to be feeling because there is no way of knowing the outcome of this upcoming election, regardless of where one stands on the political spectrum. For example, the Guardian discusses how there is a certain level of uncertainty with who will win because the popular vote does not necessarily dictate who wins the presidential election:
“Joe Biden is leading Donald Trump in the national polls for the presidential election. But that doesn’t guarantee the Democratic candidate victory. Hillary Clinton also had a clear lead over Trump in the polls for almost the entire 2016 campaign. She ended up losing in the electoral college. Because the presidential voting system assigns each state a number of electoral college votes, which go to the state’s victor regardless of the margin of victory (with the exception of Nebraska and Maine), a handful of swing states will probably decide the election and be targeted heavily by campaigners.”
It’s important to take note of the fact that this article in particular does not seem to take either side but rather sticks to true journalistic practices by attempting at remaining objective because it includes both the Democratic and the Republican side of things. Also, the article in and of itself seems to be not taking either side, which is something that is just as equally important. In doing so, this news publication even goes far as to add on how it’s advocating against voter suppression and pushing for people to go out and vote because it’s our civic duty and a privilege to be able to vote:
“At a time like this, an independent news organization that fights for truth and holds power to account is not just optional. It is essential. Like many other news organizations, the Guardian has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. We rely to an ever greater extent on our readers, both for the moral force to continue doing journalism at a time like this and for the financial strength to facilitate that reporting.”
Another news publication by the name of the Tampa Bay Times discussed in this article about what exactly who is predicting the results of this election and what they’re predicting as well: “…we surveyed 170 of the Florida’s most plugged-in campaign operatives, fundraisers, activists, political scientists, lobbyists and other politicos and asked them to put their expertise to the test.” This in turn shows that the subjects that were interviewed were all different kinds of people, which is important when you are trying to receive information as a journalist because having a fair and balanced approach with subjects, one is bound to get differing points of view. Furthermore, the results of the survey that this news publication did added to this by showing that different people have different perspectives and mindsets.
One other article that explores how tense the atmosphere feels for Americans is one by the New York Post in which it mostly talks about the statistical data in how both Biden and Trump are doing in regards to votes, most specifically with how tight the race has become as of late. This article is important because it shows the data as well as explaining it as well as showing the reader directly how tight the race for presidency is currently.
- Live footage of the presidential election poll results: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-l7VvmG9yA