While American political news coverage in general is weak, the quality of coverage during the presidential election was abysmal. While the media’s obsession with Hillary Clinton’s emails reflected reflexive both sides-ism, the coverage of Donald Trump’s staffers reflected an insider-oriented approach to politics. The press suggested that those who supported Trump leaned toward him due to their economic anxieties and desire for an outsider politician. But in reality, those who voted for Trump are more likely to view their campaign pledges as malleable symbols indicating their willingness to shake things up.
Politico’s rise
As the king of Washington politics, Politico’s CEO has been busy over the past year, directing restructuring, cost-cutting, and digital transformation of the media company. He now wants to focus on expanding his company’s U.S. coverage and growth in general. In 2007, Politico launched and transformed the way Americans consume Washington political news by moving away from traditional newspaper content and towards event-based and high-priced subscription services.
The company began the new era of politics reporting with a memo from VandeHei, the new president of the company, accompanied by gung-ho descriptions of global journalism. While the memo may have sounded encouraging, the reality was more complicated. Politico has since made some changes, and is now a thriving force in American political news. The rise of Politico, as well as the company’s expansion, are testament to the importance of talent.
Politico’s influence
The influence of Politico on American political news is difficult to overstate. Politico is more detailed and in-depth than its competitors, and many of its reporters have insider knowledge of Washington politics. It has also more frequent scoops and insider gossip than other news sites. Its news coverage is much faster than that of mainstream media. It also tends to be more inflammatory and unreliable. However, the power of Politico’s insider scoops has led to a change in the news industry.
The onset of Politico was a period of rapid change for the Washington political news industry. The company’s emergence coincided with the advent of the Web 2.0, and its early days were Beltway-focused, with reporters almost exclusively White. Its influence extended beyond the political arena to other forms of media as well, and editors and reporters across the country scrambled to hire Politico staffers.
Politico’s coverage of racism
Politico has received criticism for its lack of diversity in its newsroom. A survey of its staff showed that the newsroom is 92 percent white. This percentage is double that of the surrounding metro area. Politico does not release its diversity statistics, but it does employ six black reporters and one African-American editor. Politico’s newsroom is also twice as white as the surrounding metro area, according to its website. This is a troubling trend that should be addressed.
The Associated Press has already shifted its national race reporter to its 2020 election team, acknowledging race as a defining element of the Trump campaigns. Errin Haines Whack, the AP’s new national race reporter, has a diverse beat – a departure from the standard assignments at many other news organizations. Many prominent journalists of color have expressed frustration with the media’s coverage of race and politics.
Zakaria’s criticism of journalists
Despite the fact that journalists are supposed to give the people they report on a fair hearing, Fareed Zakaria’s criticism of the political media is based on a flawed premise. Zakaria’s criticism of journalists in American political news undermines the credibility of the media by allowing powerful people to rewrite history and frame serious issues. As far as Zakaria’s criticism of journalists is concerned, this is absurd and he should be fired from his position as host of CNN’s “The Four.”
In our report, we analyzed 12 instances of ‘plagiarism’ and plagiarism by journalists at CNN. For example, Fareed Zakaria copied an introduction to a Dutch documentary on the case of Sergei Magnitsky, but without attribution. He also lifted facts from an article in the Economist that was published in 2011, but failed to take into account the publication date. Finally, Zakaria borrowed entire sentences from Time magazine without attributing them.
Politico’s sale to Axel Springer
German media conglomerate Axel Springer has agreed to buy the Washington-based digital news website Politico for $1 billion. The deal includes Politico Europe and its tech-news site Protocol. The sale is subject to regulatory approval. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year. Axel Springer has other media properties including Morning Brew and Insider. The news isn’t surprising given its history and current state of media.
The media giant partnered with Politico in 2014, and launched the Brussels-based Politico Europe in 2015. The news site has been profitable since 2019. In 2018, Allbritton told Politico employees that the two companies would merge. The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of the year. Politico Europe’s profit margin has been increasing. Political analysis has been the core focus of Politico since its launch.