Why do major media outlets seem to have a vested interest ...

[dblack]

... in convincing voters that there are only two choices in the coming Presidential election?

 

[occupied]

Because there really is just two choices.

 

[dblack]

Because there really is just two choices.

Looks like they've been successful!

 

[TheOldSchool]

There is only ONE choice

 

[Pogo]

... in convincing voters that there are only two choices in the coming Presidential election?

Because they make money selling a horse race.

And if it isn't close ---------------- count on them to nudge the suggestion that it IS close.

Two words: "it sells".

 

[dblack]

... in convincing voters that there are only two choices in the coming Presidential election?

Because they make money selling a horse race.

And if it isn't close ---------------- count on them to nudge the suggestion that it IS close.

Two words: "it sells".

I suppose I can see that. But there's drama in underdog stories as well, and they actively marginalize them.

I remember some interesting commentary several years ago from Ted Koppel. He attributed a lot of press idiocy to laziness. It's just much easier for an average reporter to regurgitate what is handed to them, and the major parties have become adept at feeding that pipeline. They even 'cut off' journalists who don't play ball by omitting them from the inside 'scoop'. There's a little more to it than reporters spinning stories that 'sell'. They're under significant pressure to sing along with the major 'newsmakers' and avoid rocking the boat.

 

[Pogo]

... in convincing voters that there are only two choices in the coming Presidential election?

Because they make money selling a horse race.

And if it isn't close ---------------- count on them to nudge the suggestion that it IS close.

Two words: "it sells".

I suppose I can see that. But there's drama in underdog stories as well, and they actively marginalize them.

I remember some interesting commentary several years ago from Ted Koppel. He attributed a lot of press idiocy to laziness. It's just much easier for an average reporter to regurgitate what is handed to them, and the major parties have become adept at feeding that pipeline. They even 'cut off' journalists who don't play ball by omitting them from the inside 'scoop'. There's a little more to it than reporters spinning stories that 'sell'. They're under significant pressure to sing along with the major 'newsmakers' and avoid rocking the boat.

The bottom line is still that we have a commercial news media. That's huge. Because it immediately colors all motivations for what the news is. It becomes less "what's happening in the world" and much more "what we can sell to keep your eyeballs long enough to dump a commercial on you". Which is why so much marginal shit nobody cares about like how Michael Jackson died or what the fire looked like in some apartment complex that has nothing to do with you looks like, gets sold as "news". Bush pukes on Japanese Prime Minister. Clinton gets a blow job. Howard Dean screams. As long as the Prime Directive remains "how much money can we make selling commercials" --- we'll never have legitimate news.

Drama sells and conflict sells and fear and loathing sells. Those will always be the ingredients.

Back to the campaign.... if you have three, four, five candidates, the drama gets diffused between them all, and that means viewers lose interest, and that's absolutely off the scale verboten. Possibly if you have ONE strong third party candy, like a Ross Perot, you can sell him as a threat to the Duopoly, and then you still have a dichotomy conflict of "3P versus the Duopoly" ("death match, only on pay per view"). That can sell. But put Rump, Clinton, Johnson and Stein in the same debate, and all you have left is ideas and policy and intellect. People won't stay tuned for that. That is-- people will, but not enough people will stay tuned for that to sell an expensive enough Viagra commercial.

That's exactly why William F. Buckley had to do his TV show on PBS -- it was too thoughtful. No commercial network was going to run that as a public service when they could ensnare far more viewers with "My Mother the Car".