WOMEN, THE MEDIA, 2016, AND 2020

WOMEN, THE MEDIA, 2016, AND 2020

by Ruth A. Sheets

May 30, 2019

At the beginning of the 2020 campaigns, it is necessary that the media, all the media cover female candidates with respect and honesty.  They deserve at least that much.  They are all , at least as qualified as the men in the group of candidates.  They should be judged by their proposals and their ability to address the needs of this nation.  NO mention of their hair, cute or otherwise.  There should be no comments on their perky outfits, whether or not they are perky.  They should not be told their voice is too strident or harsh.  Few people have a harsher , more strident voice than Donald Trump. 

In the 2016 election, most of the media covered nearly every one of Donald Trump's words and lies, but called them everything but lies.  Cameras focused on empty podiums while awaiting the mega (or MAGA) star.

In the interest of “equality” and “fairness,” they did cover Benghazi and emails when discussing Hillary Clinton (except, of course when Mr. Comey was inappropriately chastising her and after her mention of some of Mr. Trump’s followers being a “basket of deplorables).  Mr. Trump was shown shouting, yelling and egging on crowds with his lies and half-truths with no identification of those comments which were lies.  Perhaps the reporters and newscasters thought that would take up too much time.

Hillary had pneumonia, like many Americans each year, but was instantly described as unfit, not healthy enough, not strong enough, etc.  Mr. Trump dictated a note supposedly from his doctor describing him as the healthiest person ever to run for president, a man who could live to be 200.  That was shown over and over.

Mr. Trump was allowed to loom over Ms. Clinton in debates instead of being forced to stay at his own podium with the threat of ending the debate.  Mr. Trump is a bit taller, so for a lot of people, he seemed bigger, stronger, manly enough to be president, while poor pathetic Hillary Clinton just stood there trying to present her “ridiculous” platform.

Mr. Trump was and still is proud that he does not read and it is reported that he does not listen very much either.  Hillary Clinton was and is well informed about the world and the issues that directly impact the nation.  That fact was mentioned a few times, on MSNBC, but even more rarely on mainstream or other cable media outlets.     

Benghazi was thrown in Clinton’s face often as though she had gone in and single-handedly killed the Americans there.  Isn’t it interesting that Mr. Reagan and his Secretary of State were not held responsible for the more than 200 Marines killed in Lebanon in the 1980s, or George W. Bush not held responsible for 9/11, attacked embassies,  or the extreme recession of 2007?  But Hillary Clinton is forever associated with and blamed for Benghazi.

The private emails Hillary Clinton didn’t turn over to the government was the other issue.  If it was such a big deal, why is Donald Trump’s family allowed to keep private servers?  Why is Mr. Trump allowed to have an unsecured phone?  Oh, they’re men and Republicans.  As we are learning lately, Republicans don’t have to abide by the law, any law.

Hillary Clinton was blamed for her husband’s infidelities while the people who accused Mr. Clinton and led to his impeachment were cheating on their wives.  Mr. Trump was not blamed in the media for the way he treated his wives over the years either.  It was like a joke.   Boys will be boys!  And, the women are always responsible.   

Detailed plans for improving conditions for all Americans were laid out by the Clinton campaign, but what was covered concerning them, she told coal miners they would be losing their jobs and that everyone had a responsibility to help them find quality jobs.  That was seen as a slap in the face for miners and other white working men.  Mr. Trump shouted that he would keep coal mining jobs and he would make coal great again.  Miners are still losing their jobs, but there is no strong federal program to help them.   Coal is a losing proposition, but Mr. Trump had no clue.  Ms. Clinton did.

The media was markedly unfair to Ms. Clinton in 2016.  More than the media led to her electoral college defeat, but media coverage definitely tipped the balance.  Already the female candidates running for the 2020 election are receiving comments about their hair, their clothes, the way they walk, their voices, and on and on.  The “b” word has also been employed.  (Maybe the “b” means brilliant, brave, balanced.)  I have heard no similar comments about the men.  Of course, conservatives and Republicans make disparaging comments about male candidates, but mostly political, not gender or appearance related.

In 2016 we expected more from journalists, but got garbage and a pathetic childish president who “hates” the media OK, that’s not exactly true, though, every time Mr. Trump says something disparaging about the media, he laughs because he knows what the media did for him and what he thinks he can make them do for him again in 2020.

Unless some serious changes in the media are made related to the women in the race, 2020 will be a repeat of 2016.  With Russia helping out, Mr. Trump could be allowed to trample any candidate, particularly women who might run against him.  That would be bad for all of us.