The media’s ‘Main Character Syndrome’

One topic that media people are more interested in than Donald Trump in 2024 is “democracy.” On Monday alone, the word “democracy” was said 34 times on MSNBC. It aired 19 more times on CNN, according to the database TV Eyes. It is often followed by a word like “per se.” Because democracy itself is at stake in his 2024.

At least that’s what the arrogant, doom-scrolling, political-brained Acela Media is telling us, and most importantly, what it’s telling itself. The media has internalized the threat inflation associated with Trump’s third presidential bid and the growing impact of the very real possibility of a second term. And they are convinced that it is their mission to literally save democracy (itself!).

Consider the recent panic we saw on CNN. Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared in The Erin Burnett Show Monday Night. Burnett asked whether the “threat to democracy posed by Trump” really equated to the “evil” of Biden. “You could make the case that President Biden is an even more serious threat to our democracy,” Kennedy said, citing his administration’s censorship efforts and denial of Secret Service protection to himself. “He’s weaponizing federal agencies.”

This temporary distraction from the deal story was too much for CNN to bear. Immediately after the interview, the station brought in its chief “fact checker” Daniel Dale.Dale’s version fact check was simply stating It said there was “no evidence” that President Biden was “personally” responsible for the Secret Service’s denials and censorship, and that RFK was censored for posting “vaccine and other” false information. went on to explain why it was actually good.

No, the news media will not for a moment shed light on its immediate mission of making the case to the American people that Donald Trump is the only threat to America, while maintaining a posture of fact-based reporting and objectivity. I can not do it. They don’t seem to understand that their efforts have the exact opposite effect: they undermine confidence in the industry and persuade no one but the true believers of the “Resistance.”

But this is what happens when hitherto largely anonymous national journalists suffer from a collective “protagonist syndrome.” became more popular In recent years, thanks to the rise of social media, anyone can truly become an influencer.philosopher derek parfitt explained We are at the turning point of 2011, and the narcissistic media elite has taken this to heart. They can no longer just report the news. No, they must guide our path correctly so that the course of history unfolds correctly.

We saw this over the weekend in an unremarkable comment from “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker, which was reviled by the Very Online Left. After explaining Trump’s recent attacks on Judge Juan Machan and his family in Trump’s New York hush money case. Mr. Welker said so. “It’s yet another reminder that we’re covering this election against the backdrop of a deeply divided nation.” That’s a completely true statement.

But this wasn’t enough for the protagonist of X (the site formerly known as Twitter). MSNBC Contributor Ruth Ben Guiat That said it is “It’s woefully inadequate given the severity and scale of the threat.” Former CNN journalist John Harwood I wrote a method Mr. Welker should have instead explained that by calling President Trump a “deviant criminal.” New Republic Contributing Editor Nina Burleigh Said “NBC’s litigators may think that having a brown female anchor on TV will counteract what’s coming out of her mouth.”

Have these people lost their minds?

Context is important here. This comes after Welker and NBC helped oust newly hired contributor Ronna McDaniel last week, citing unacceptable riot adjacency. The campaign was carried out on air by ousted “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd, who justified his actions as follows: claim that it is At the end of a therapy session that aired throughout the day on MSNBC, Rachel Maddow spoke about “fundamental truths.” by attacking “Bad actors who seek to exploit the rights and privileges of democracy to end democracy” (Double Dose of Democracy!).

that’s right. Paying the former RNC chief to provide political opinions is contributing to the “end of democracy.” No one outside of newsrooms in New York and Washington, DC believes this.

Maddow interviewed Shepard Fairey of a group called Artists for Democracy on Monday night. who explained how His goal was to “save democracy and prevent Trump from being re-elected.” Apparently, hero syndrome also exists in the world of art.

It’s not just NBC. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) said on ABC in February. sparred with George Stephanopoulos criticized the host’s “ridiculous” questions that brought back the 2020 election, including social media censorship of Hunter Biden’s laptop article and state election law changes during the coronavirus pandemic. He said he believed there were “problems” in that election. “Analysis” of that Washington Post interview I used this stupid headline: “J.D. Vance would have upended our democracy with right-wing nonsense.”

Tuesday’s “Morning Joe” with co-host Mika Brzezinski read solemnly Most of “”letter from the editorFrom the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper, on “truth” and “duty” this election cycle.

“Media as we know it doesn’t exist if we don’t do it the right way,” guest Donny Deutsch said, adding that if Trump wins again, he will “call various networks” and fire certain hosts. He insisted that he would require him to do so. It’s hard to tell, but I think the former advertising executive actually believed this self-centered nonsense.

Although Brzezinski did not read it in its entirety, the newspaper letter contained the following frank and arrogantly decisive declaration: “Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump was.” What should readers of this paper expect from political coverage in 2024? And is it any wonder that local news organizations disappear with mission statements like this?

The thirsty egos of the “main characters” are unleashed. They are now our heroes. Because democracy is at stake. But thankfully, there are journalists who come to our rescue.

NewsNation contributor Steve Krakauer is the author of “Uncovered: How the Media Get Cozy with Power, Abandoned Its Principles, and Lost the People” and editor and host of the Fourth Watch newsletter and podcast.