A lot of people have reported a tough 2016, but the single group that has suffered the most is main stream media. They have been wrong time and again, and just like they pushed false narratives in regards to the election, Trump, economics and politics in general, they will try to convince you that 2016 is to blame for their failures.
Don’t buy the hype. Main stream media will need years to remove the proverbial foot from their mouths, so enjoy a little recap on some of their greatest hits this year, and take a moment to learn how to navigate the travesty that U.S. media outlets have become.
2016 Election
The most prominent failure of the main stream media in recent years comes down to the Presidential Election. For months, the dominant narrative was of the inevitable victory of Hillary Clinton. Poll after poll was quoted or cited, always showing a massive landslide. Obviously, Trump’s social media faux pas were more important to Americans than issues like budgeting, economics, foreign policy and combatting corruption.
So how was everything so wrong? This particular failure largely tied into a rising bias within academia. It is increasingly difficult for politically conservative minds to succeed in academia, because of discrimination, and that results in polls and shared opinions being affected by that bias.
Because the people running the polls were more offended by Trump’s blunt attitude than they were by the core issues that actually matter to most Americans, they pushed the polls to favor their candidate. In some cases they may have implemented that bias unintentionally, but leaked emails suggest that main stream media’s conspiratorial efforts to instate Clinton as president simply failed.
Post-Election Economics
One of the strongest arguments to get people to vote against Trump was that despite his overwhelming business success, he didn’t understand economics and his election would spell certain doom for America. In fact, the early futures the night of the election trended that way, and many media outlets jumped on it as an “I told you so.”
Sadly for them, they were proven wrong before the exchanges even opened, and Trump’s election has heralded a bull run that has already surpassed the entirety of Obama’s tenure. They continue to predict an inevitable end, but as long as Trump continues to push effective reform that frees money for a free market, the stock exchanged is poised to continue smashing records.
Global Politics
The other big doom and gloom predictions were that a Trump election would lead to global destabilization before he could even take office. Our allies would abandon us and our enemies would pounce. Not only has this been the opposite of true, but Trump has already been more effective in pressuring China and other powers to fall in line than Obama.
He has formally acknowledged the sovereignty of Taiwan, and China’s response was grumpy, but accepting. Russia is closer than ever to entering a longstanding peaceful relationship with NATO, and the civil war in Syria has substantially de-escalated, largely because Trump has enabled Russia to take decisive action that has reduced bloodshed. So far, Trump’s election has promoted global stability.
Domestic Issues
More than anything else, Trump’s critics mercilessly pushed the idea that he was a racist, misogynist, xenophobic bigot, and that electing him would incite hate crimes and domestic destabilization, unseen since the Civil War.
They almost had an accurate prediction, as hate crimes did spike for two days after the election. Then, the hoopla died down, and things have been calmer than at any other point in 2016. Like every other fabrication supported by the main stream media, Trump is not a symbol of hate. He is a symbol of change, to the degree Obama never was.
Moving Forward
Ultimately, none of this is surprising or new. You know why media outlets were so wrong, but it’s such an important point that it merits saying again. Main stream media has completely abandoned the principles of integrity. Rather than trying to inform the public through unbiased reporting and uncovering truth, they are aware of their power, and have been for some time.
The media’s goal is to push political agendas that favor their position, and Trump’s election is not going to change their behavior. Thankfully, they have outed their weakness and provided an easy path to navigating the pitfalls.
You can easily review the political predictions of your favorite (or least favorite) media sources to see which were accurate and which were pushing bias. Anyone who predicted a close election, a stock market stabilization after the election or a general lack of upheaval is a substantially more reliable source than the doom speakers and naysayers.
Regards,
Ethan Warrick
Editor
Wealth Authority
