On another topic. How do the American media cover the election campaign? interview with David Graham. “Lurer” talked about the US electoral system and pre-election developments with David Graham, political commentator of The Atlantic magazine, professor of Duke University. Mr. Graham, what difficulties do you face when covering the US election processes?
I think one of the main problems is to convince the officials to talk to us. Today, the American media field is divided, the parties are developing their own news outlets, the candidates also have other platforms for direct contact with their audience, so talking to them has become very difficult. High-ranking politicians give interviews less and less. For example, Joe Biden is the least interviewed leader of the US presidents in recent decades. As for Donald Trump, he doesn’t want to talk to us and prefers only loyal news outlets. When politicians feel that they can bypass us, they do so. What is your opinion about the risks of foreign interference in the elections, which was talked about a lot during the previous elections?
Such attempts in recent years are worrying. However, I think it is more worrying when Trump talks about his intention to reduce the protection of free speech and complicate the work of journalists. At the same time, it should be emphasized that if in the past there were several dominant news outlets in the USA, now their number is very large, which also increases the risks of spreading misinformation.
Concerns about social media and outside interference persist. According to the representatives of that field, it is still too early to predict what experiments will be undertaken. Companies such as Facebook and X have increased their ability to monitor political content to prevent potential misinformation. Candidate Donald Trump is targeting the news media, portraying them as his “enemy”, even though they are just doing their job. I think there is even a danger of physical violence. For example, I feel less safe at campaign events.
