Trump assassination attempt exposes the danger of partisan news coverage

I always envied mature democracies – usually in the Global North – for having room for partisan news coverage. MSNBC and Fox News are at opposite ends of political bias in relation to news coverage and opinion. The same can be said of news coverage in many parts of Europe, Britain and a number of other nations, where freedom of expression and political debate are essential for democratic choice.

Throughout my media career, I have always recognised my own political bias and admitted to it openly. Of course, I would not use my platform of relative power to further my agenda, or campaign for a particular political party as I am completely unaligned anyway. Instead, I intended on using it to engage in rational debate and showcase the logic and rationale behind my beliefs or be convinced by those that oppose mine. 

I have on odd occasions come across compelling arguments which challenged my own views and I find that exciting; it advances thought. I dabbled in opinions which were completely in opposition to mine. Yes, when he was still a feature of mainstream news, I enjoyed watching the ramblings of Tucker Carlson, and in truth laughed at the ridiculousness of his views. 

I believed that it was useful if not essential, as I didn’t live in an echo chamber that constantly confirmed my bias. It expanded my horizons of what people believed and gave me a chance to interact with it, if not rebut it. Of course, it needs rationality, an ability to see things from another perspective and more importantly to be willing to challenge one’s own beliefs. 

That is great for someone who relishes debate and contrasting views, but the current political climate we exist in is not accommodating of opposing views. Cancel Culture or the belief in “the threat of the extinction of whatever fringe group you belong to” holds no room for rational debate or thought. Instead, we live in a world where a guy, gun in hand, would go to pizza place and demand that the children in the basement be released, because the internet said so. Worse yet, if mis- and disinformation of this nature is allowed to thrive via mainstream media in an environment with people unable to move from their political position, it leads to extremities such as the Trump assassination attempt this weekend. 

Let’s get one truism out of the way: the assassination attempt is egregious and should be condemned. To say that Donald J Trump is a globally divisive figure in the world of politics is an understatement, and on a personal level the man is quite frankly a horrible human being. However, democracy and its functionality is designed for an electorate to either choose such a despicable leader or not.

Through the simple act of voting, you can demonstrate your approval or disapproval of a political leader, South Africa just did it, hence the uncomfortable marriage that is the Government of National Unity. People got gatvol of ANC governance shortcomings and forced the party into a very uncomfortable marriage with the opposition in the hope that things will improve. Mature democracies should understand that notion as they have had centuries to rehearse. Therefore, the need to eliminate a political leader through assassination is not only pointless but horrific; no one has to die for what they believe, no matter how much you disagree with it. 

According to CNN, for the would-be gunman, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, “this year’s presidential election would have been the first he was old enough to vote in”. Instead of exercising this right, this young man will go down in historic infamy as a would-be killer of a presidential candidate, killed on site during his failed attempt.

Did partisan political news coverage motivate him? At the time of writing this piece, it is impossible to say what drove him to commit the pointless act, as investigations continue. However, in a world where those who form opinion through information tell us that those who do not view the world as we do are an existential threat, there is no room for dialogue and negotiation. Instead, the response is violent, instinctual, one steeped in a response to war. 

Is there no room for partisan opinion and news via mainstream media? There should always be. However, if partisan news becomes nothing more than propaganda, propaganda that legitimises the absurd, buys into racist, xenophobic and prejudiced conspiracy theories, those who believe these fringe ideas are bolstered to believe it. In other words, when the news fails in its fundamental duty to report fairly, accurately and honestly, it is dangerous.

More importantly, the victim of the assassination attempt was saying “fight” as he was escorted off stage, fist raised, blood pouring from the side of his head. He is a martyr now; he could win an election not because of his ability to best an elderly Joe Biden in the recent first of two presidential debates, but because he says what people believe and appears to be victimised – under threat of death – for his views.

In turn, these views are broadcast by both sides as the one side echoes Trump’s sentiments that white nationalists who violently demonstrated against the removal of Confederate statues in August 2017, in the US, had “some very fine people,” on “both sides”. This is the man who has news pundits in the mainstream media claim he is being persecuted after being found guilty of 34 felonies for “… a $130,000 “hush money” payment his attorney Michael Cohen made to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the days before the 2016 election”. A man who played an instrumental role in fomenting the failed insurrection on 6 January 2021, saying things like, “We fight like hell. And if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country any more”, after losing the election and encouraging his supporters to storm the Capitol. The issue is not the reporting of these utterances, but mainstream media houses defending these utterances to this day. 

Balanced and fact-based, critical debate is what is required. This leads to real political discourse as opposed to the furtherance of Jewish space laser myths or baseless accusations that your political opponents are running child-sex rings. 

Partisan media is great, even entertaining, when it gives room to rational thought. When it becomes venomous propaganda, it brews violence and conflict. Broadcasting lies such as a rigged 2020 American election rather than encouraging democratic participation, diminishes it, as people feel the system is against them and participation in it is futile, leading to the events of this weekend. The persistent idea that the other side is out to get you and is at war with you, as opposed to another way to take the country forward, does not lead to votes, but rather a need to violently defend oneself. 

This moment should give pause and leave us to think what role we play in fanning the flames in increasing political intolerance and violence. If not, we may create more people like Thomas Matthew Crooks. DM