Woocast's Politics & Polls

The media have played a powerful role in the 2016 presidential election. Some critics argue Donald Trump became a viable candidate thanks to his “free airtime,” and that he might not have won the Republican bid without the attention. Others point out blatant sexism in the media given the attention paid to Hillary Clinton’s voice and clothing—something reporters didn’t do as much with male candidates. And Bernie Sanders’ supporters contend “corporate-owned" media are uninterested in scrutinizing his campaign and platform issues. What is the right way to tell the story of the election? What are the roles of polling data and of shoe-leather journalistic coverage? Can they co-exist? Can they help one another? Professors Julian Zelizer and Sam Wang discuss this and more in episode six of Politics & Polls.