Journalism is an essential part of the society. It is entrusted with provision of information to the society, synthesizing the same information and presenting it in a comprehensive way that the members of the society can understand. Journalism also serves to investigate and find the root of an occurrence, its instigators as we as its possible repercussions in the society (Deuze, 2005). More often than not, the media is responsible for bringing up stories that stir debates among the masses. This article seeks to determine the role of journalism in the society as well as its impacts- both positive and negative n the society by critically looking at the portrayal of Donald Trump by the global media and how it has influenced his life so far.
Donald Trump is a renowned American politician. He is currently vying to be nominated as the Republican candidate to run for the presidential seat of the United States for the forthcoming elections to be held later in 2016. He is also famous for his roles as a businessman, an author with books such as The Art of the Deal and How to Get Rich. He is at the frontline in real estate having founded Trump Entertainment Resorts which specialize in gaming and running hotels. Trump has enjoyed his fame for many years due to his bold and sometimes controversial moves portrayed in how he deals with people and his way of communicating. He has been in the media limelight for issues ranging from his marriages to his financial achievements. The media has always portrayed Trump as a successful but arrogant man. The Daily Mail carried an article by Piers Morgan describing Trump as the perfect candidate for the White House as he possesses the qualities of arrogance, evil, and viciousness. The Wisconsin Gazette carried a story where Romney, Trump’s rival candidate had labeled him as an arrogant and ignorant liar who thrived on harassing his rivals and opponents (Wisconsin 2016). This portrayal has earned Trump a bad image.
The key elements of journalism that will be delved into by this article include the truth as well as maintenance of loyalty to the recipients of the news. The portrayal of Trump as an arrogant individual is a truth that can be deduced from his disrespectful way of speaking and addressing his fellow candidates with no regard for their feelings whatsoever (Gergen 2016). The AM New York reports him as saying that Ted Cruz, a fellow candidate in the race for the Republican nomination, is a maniac who lacks the appropriate temperament to lead the United States. He is also depicted as referring to Ben Carson as having an incurable pathological temper and goes ahead to compare him to a child molester. The media does not withhold the truth from the public no matter how damning or inappropriate it may seem. This illustrates the extents t which journalism goes to have the public know the truth regardless of the person in question.
The media ought to remain loyal and impartial to the recipients of their content. This can be portrayed by the unselective reporting exhibited by the media American houses affiliated with the mogul. With their goal being to convey relevant, accurate and effective information to the public, they do not hesitate to report when Trump is on the losing end of an election. For instance, The New York Times carries a story showing how Trump, despite having huge amounts of wealth, has little influence in New York. Normally, the paper would be expected to campaign for him as he hails from New York. However, the paper tries to show that Trump does not call the shots in New York when it comes to the development of condominiums and exposes the fear shared by various banks to lend him money owing to the millions of money that he has lost in previous dealings. The paper has applied the concept of framing as described by (Peter 1997) by attempting to persuade the public that Trump is not as influential as he is thought to be.
The influence of such articles has far reaching consequences as can be seen by Trump failing to win in his home area of Kasich, Manhattan where the paper’s influence is at its greatest. The concept of framing has been applied whereby the paper has chosen to focus on Trump’s influence in the Big Apple despite there being other issues regarding Trump that has made the news. It is a case of the media showing the public what they, the media, have selected for them.
The media applies ideology as a way of justifying and defending their news content that may cause an uproar from the concerned parties. If the parties involved clash due to the news content carried by the media, the content is assumed to be true as that ‘the truth lies somewhere in the middle.’ An example of this is shown by a recent tirade from Trump directed at the New York Daily News, which had referred to his followers as ‘brain dead’ after his massive victory in New Hampshire. Trump came out guns blazing and labeled the paper as a failing paper at the brink of closing down. In as much as the paper’s allegations are not practically verifiable, the anger exhibited by Trump towards them can be cited as a sign of presence of some degree of truth that Trump finds rather dehumanizing and belittling on his supporters whom he has to defend.
As illustrated in the article, the media has played a significant role in shaping the brand ideal of an individual (Ouwersloot & Tudorica 2001). Trump receives a great deal of media coverage, which increased drastically after he expressed his intentions to run for the White House (Lee 2016). The media will have a huge bearing on the outcome of the nomination race and ultimately that of the presidential one with regard to Trump as it reaches out to a large group of people that comprises of among others the voters. Journalism has a role to play in disseminating information to the masses and is thus expected to ensure that every bit of information reaches its targeted population. Journalism influences the way the society perceives other people, their character, and their wishes. This, in turn, affects the prospects of having a commendable democracy (Dewey 2004).
The scope of contemporary journalism has changed greatly with the advancement in technology which has brought about the internet. It has made it easier for journalists to access more information and the information to reach the recipients a long distance from its source. It has however allowed for the dissemination of incorrect information and a deviation from distributing ‘real news’ to providing entertainment (Dunlop, Girma and Irvine 1999). Information has generated a lot of views and opinions from all circles and walks in life and the life of Donald Trump is a clear indication of the effects of journalism in the contemporary world. Media outlets thrive on the spread of journalism stories that are captivating and enlightening to the readers. The information provided by such news items and articles is critical on how the image of an institution or individual is treated or perceived in society. One is as great as the image that is communicated in the media and this is a general mode that is employed by most institutions and individuals.
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