Larry D. Lauer

What should be the communication objective of a political campaign? (1) Attract media attention with increasingly outrageous pronouncements hoping for some kind of temporary celebrity status? (2) Win a debate outright merely by repeating talking points which may or may not be true?  Or (3) informing citizens about the critical issues facing the country and giving them a chance to witness and evaluate various leadership styles? The best objective seems obvious to most of us. So what’s the problem?

What we have today is nothing more than a horserace with news media coverage based solely on popularity polls. And those polls are strongly influenced by how effective a candidate is at generating next-day news coverage.

Much of the news media will explain that they just report what the candidates say and do. And when pressed, many campaign staffers  will admit they have concluded that being outrageous is necessary in order to stay visible and keep the attention of the news media.

One broadcaster explained the situation as a tension today between the business and journalism sides of news. In other words, the business side just can’t resist responding to the natural audience appeal of aggressive conflict. And when a candidate like Trump exploits this situation over and over again we have a campaign system out of control and a real mess on our hands.

Even periodic fact-checking hasn’t changed the situation.  Eventually even the public gives up. Some drop out of the process altogether while others just pick a horse and hope the winner is smarter that he or she appears now.

The real loser, however, is the American citizen. Constant political attacks and name calling clearly make our country look silly. But what’s more, everyone at home and abroad is denied the opportunity to hear about thoughtful solutions and to evaluate each candidate as a potential national and world leader.

So who’s responsible for fixing the situation… the candidates or the news media? I believe they both need to take long look at themselves. They both need to make the obvious changes  appropriate for a nation that still wants to think of itself as a worthy democratic leader in a world that is becoming more hostile and insecure every day. This is not just child’s play or competition for ratings. This is serious business!