Tips from the AEJMC Teaching Committee
What Did We Learn?
By Earnest L. Perry Jr.
AEJMC Standing Committee on Teaching
Associate Professor
Associate Dean for Graduate Studies
Missouri School of Journalism
University of Missouri
(Article courtesy of AEJMC News, January 2017 issue)
Donald Trump’s victory in November surprised many Americans who heard for months that Democratic challenger Hillary Clinton had a comfortable lead and was poised to be the first woman president of the United States. Clinton won the popular vote, but lost the key states of Ohio, Michigan, Florida and Pennsylvania giving the Electoral College to Trump.
Many college students, including those on my campus, expressed a range of emotion from despair to anger to bewilderment. However, in almost every discussion I had with students, faculty and staff one question arose. How did the news media not see this coming?
A colleague, Ryan Thomas, and I pondered this question as he prepared to teach our Cross-Cultural Journalism post-election. We both agreed that there is no one answer to the question, but one aspect was clear: many in the news media missed telling the story of a significant segment of our society. It’s not like this has not happened before. Ethnic minorities have complained about the lack of coverage or stereotypical images by the mainstream news media for decades. However, the 2016 presidential election brought into focus the divisions in our society and how our fragmented news media contribute to that phenomenon.
Our goal in the class is to help students learn and understand the importance of telling individuals’ stories from their lived experiences and not the story in our heads. Sounds easy, but as this election demonstrates, many in the news media failed to connect with a large segment of the country that voted for Trump.
In the first class following the election, my colleague walked his students through several propositions. He told the aspiring young journalists that more seasoned professionals should acknowledge the disconnect between them and those they cover, whether they are left-leaning or right-leaning. He also said that journalists have an obligation to help people understand one another and create an environment for “high-quality, civil discourse,” which was sorely missing in the 2016 election. Journalism is not solely responsible for misreading the electorate, but the profession cannot deny that it was part of the problem.
The news media missed the story of white, working-class voters who overwhelmingly supported Trump for the same reasons it has historically misunderstood minority and immigrant communities. Newsroom populations do not reflect the communities they serve, especially as they relate to working class, rural and non-college educated people. Shrinking newsroom budgets have led to fewer reporters and more parachute journalism that relies on predetermined narratives based on stereotypes and official sources. With elections, the news media’s over-reliance on polls and pundits contributes to the failure to connect with large segments of the electorate.
Those stories can be found in union halls in what is called the Rust Belt (that term is also a problem), coal mining communities in Appalachia, retirement communities in Florida and Arizona, and farm towns in Missouri and Nebraska. After every election, the most recent one included, those who make up the national news media promise to move away from the horse-race, poll-driven, pundit-laden coverage that chokes the life out of the electorate. I’m skeptical. The current method works for creating drama, driving ratings and Internet clicks, and ultimately making money. However, as educators trying to teach the next generation the best way to tell authentic stories, Thomas and I have several suggestions:
Understand context: We preach this constantly as journalism educators, but in today’s get-it-out-now news media environment, context seems to get lost. The forces that underlie the current political and economic environment, both nationally and globally, represent a nationalistic fervor that has grown since the Great Recession of 2008. The election of Trump and Great Britain’s vote to leave the European Union can be seen as a push back against globalization, deindustrialization, immigration and ethnic inclusion. These are the communities that feel left behind in the global economic recovery. Journalists who understand the overall context and can connect it to the everyday experiences of those trying to live through it stand a chance of successfully telling the story.
Listen before judging: Journalists should listen more and talk less. Ask just enough questions to start a conversation and then sit back and listen to what is being said. Suspend the urge to confirm what you think you know. Listen for examples of how people live their lives. It will point you to the answers of what truly matters and not the stereotypical generalities that make their way into stories.
Don’t assume: This is on every list of what not to do, but journalists cannot seem to resist. Many in the news media assumed that Trump’s statements about women would lead to his defeat and much of the coverage leading up to the election tried to confirm that assumption. Journalists need to do a better job of gathering information that leads to authentic stories and not just information that confirms the narrative that has already been established.
Asking “Why” and “What”: Throughout the election, I found myself yelling at a television news report or news article: “What did he/she mean?” or “Why did she/he say that?” The news media did a lousy job of asking follow-up questions. Too often, candidates were allowed to make statements without being pushed to provide clarifying information. Not only should candidates and government officials be asked “what do you mean” questions, all sources should be asked to elaborate on statements they make. “Make America Great Again” had a different meaning based on the person making the statement. Every person who made that statement, whether it was Trump himself, a supporter or opponent, should have been asked, “What do you mean?” The question could open the door to a more authentic conversation.
Dig deep: For years, journalists have been told that in order to better understand ethnic minority communities they need to spend time building trust. The same can be said of all communities. This election brought one issue into clear focus. The national news media, and in some cases, even local media, need to spend more time developing relationships with everyday people. Too much time has been spent talking to the well-connected and one another. Building relationships does not fit the current 24/7, tight-budget news operation, but failure to do so will further corrode the public’s trust in the news media.
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