The Danger of News Media Polarization

We are not yet 100 days into Donald Trump's presidency, but by the sheer volume of news coverage alone, one could be forgiven for thinking that it has been far longer since the inauguration. Depending on one's choice of media outlet, one could also be forgiven for thinking there are two entirely different, but parallel, universes in which that news is being made. The continuous news coverage is aided and abetted by a president whose communication style and media-savvy personality have proved to be a perfect fit for the fragmented media environment that has emerged during the past few years. And the idea of a 'parallel universe' is exemplified when, on two screens carrying two separate networks reporting on the same set of facts, one media outlet is reporting on the existence of classified information that shows alleged malfeasance within the administration while another reports on the failure to find and prosecute leakers of that classified information. None of this is new or noteworthy. Partisan and polarized media exists around the world, in countries ranked high and low on the Freedom House index of democracy. What seems new to us - or at least more transparent with Trump in particular - is how the media has chosen to package the news in a way that Americans have gotten used to consuming it: based on what suits pre-existing thoughts and narratives.