Last Monday at 7 PM Central Time, Iowa Republicans gathered at caucus sites across the state to cast the first ballots in the 2024 GOP Primary. At 7:32 PM Central Time, with under 1% of precincts reporting their results, the Associated Press declared Donald Trump the winner.
This came as such a surprise that the AP issued a statement clarifying their decision 8 minutes after making the call.
This prompted claims of voter suppression by the DeSantis campaign and criticism from voices on the left and right over calling an election where the majority of voters had yet to cast ballots.
While most observers felt the call didn’t materially impact the election, this call is part of a larger question as to whether the media is putting ratings ahead of public interest.
In this episode, we explore how the media’s fixation on controversy has deepened the political divide between Americans, distorted their view of the other side, and led some to embrace anti-democratic measures.
Additional resources below:
* As Seen on TV? How Gatekeeping Makes the U.S. House Seem More Extreme: https://academic.oup.com/joc/article-abstract/69/6/696/5681995?redirectedFrom=fulltext
* Research on media coverage of hyperpartisan politicians from Starts With Us: https://startswith.us/changethecoverage/
* Misperceptions about out-partisans’ democratic values may erode democracy: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-19616-4
* Information on Open Primaries: https://openprimaries.org/
* Information on Final Five Voting: https://political-innovation.org/final-five-voting/
