Newspaper editorial pages have been slobbering over presidential candidates forever…
As in well over 100 years, but who’s counting? Hardly anybody these days except Hillary Clinton, John Katich who’ve been cleaning up this election cycle in the outdated game..
Take the Indianapolis Star‘s non-endorsement endorsement of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump.
“A President Trump would be a danger to the United States and to the world,” the Star warned readers.
Readers who once-upon-a-time relied on newspapers for news, information and opinions.
No mas.
These days daily newspapers are information sources of last resort on all but the most local of issues.
“You know, editorial boards across the country hardly have their pulse on the nation,” CNN consultant Kayleigh McEnany quipped in response to the Indy Star‘s shot at Trump.
“Virtually every newspaper endorsed John Kasich from the New York Times on down,” she continued. “They really are completely out of touch. They have no idea what the American people want. You know, editorial boards, I don’t think people are taking their marching orders from them.”
A recent roundtable of editors and publishers on the CNN media watchdog show Reliable Sources agreed that between social media and the Internet, newspaper endorsements had become passé and some were no longer even offering them.
Whereas in the past, candidates would bend over backwards to court newspaper editorial boards to try win their endorsement, these days it’s hard to get the top candidates to give the editors the time of day.
And face it, anybody waiting around to read what an ink-stained, underpaid septuagenarian thinks about Donald or Hillary isn’t likely to being racing to a voting booth on election day.
As for newspaper editors being out of it, one doesn’t have to look beyond the ain’t-what-she-used-to-be opinion section in the Kansas City Star.
“Maybe Kansas City dodged a bullet when Cleveland nabbed the GOP convention,” reads the headline atop its it’s April 5, 2016 editorial suggesting that possible Donald Trump protests would offset any positive economic benefits to hosting the convention.
Seriously?
The eyes of the world and untold millions of dollars and publicity pouring in and the Star thinks we should be glad Cleveland got it?
Now here’s something approaching another shocker:
“Until recently, newspaper editorial pages overwhelmingly favored Republican presidential candidates,” according to a 2011 New York Times story. ”
In recent years, newspaper presidential endorsements have tipped towards the Dems.
So how out of touch are newspaper editorial boards?
Despite Trump’s overwhelming lead, he’s only managed to garner two endorsements (three if you count the National Enquirer) the New York Post and New York Observer.
So now newspaper editorials make no difference in a candidates campaign?
Our journalism professor from topuka says no.
Well hernia…go ask any campaign manager or candidate if they matter. Ask Hillary
if getting her name and picture and endorsement of the major nyc papers plastered
on the front cover of newspapers read by 6 million people and the EXPERTS WILL
DISAGREE WITH YOU.
It probably makes no difference to you coming from a gossip column career and
now running a 12 man viewership blog.
But it makes a huge difference…and adds something very very important to the
campaign itself.
1, The papers invite the candidates into the room and get to ask some very tough
questions and they do get answers. It’s taped. It’s public knowledge and the
candidates get hung if they make a single mistake. Since people in the media
get very few chances to question candidates these sessions force the candidates to
give their views and positions that they never have to give on the campaign trail
except in short sound bites. The journalists know the issues and the candidates
better than many in the candidates own staff. And they get to emphasize in their
articles the good and bad ……but the experts (not some clown running a
blog with articles like phony jewelry heists/phony stalking stories/and using as their
main reporters boon headed bar owners who haven’t been right on any subject since
the 1990’s. The experts…from the highly paid consultants believe that endorsements
do matter from the papers. Despite your lack of any knowledge in the political
arena…despite you and your head writer being literally wrong on every major
subject…..I say it again…you’re wrong.
2. Candidates campaigns can become legitimized by a newspaper’s endorsement.
Ask anyone in the political biz. It’s credibility….it’s FREE EXPOSURE…and an
incredible amount of positive press that candidates barely get from the newspaper
media. The campaigns use these endorsements in tv ads….radio ads…and in a world of 24/7 massive news cycles a newspaper endorsement can help a campaign
become a serious contender.
3. YOu mentioned newspapers endorsing John Kasich. And that’s great for him
because when your opponent is the Dumpster (who is hated by 40% of his
own party who say they won’t vote for him) or Lying Lucifer Ted (who even more
republicans say won’t vote for him) you have just one choice. A somewhat simple
minded right wing moderate who thinks we should sing kumbaya together
and who lies on his part in balancing the budget when it was bill Clinton who did
all the work on that budget)…these editorial boards have no choice. It’s either
the hate/anger/vile dumpster or the most hated man in America right now Lyin
ted…or a lying mild mannered man with some grace and civility. With those
3choices who would you choose. Dumpster can’t read a world map and doesn’t
have any plans on lets say obamacare/middle east/immigration/and won’t get
out between now and November without at least 5 major scandals (can we say
young girls?) and lose every major voting group except the southern rednecks
and the trailer park occupants who have the iq of a dog.
4. WHO’S ENDORSED TRUMPSTER THE DUMPSTER? I HAVENT’ SEEN ANY
MAJOR OUTLETS DO IT…BUT I MAY BE WRONG. HEARNE DO SOME RESEARCH AND GET BACK WITH ME WITH THOSE PAPER’S NAMES.
5. Endorsements still matter…its politics….and if Romney or little marco were
to endorse dumpster in the new York times editorial it would be YYYYUUUGGGEEEE
news.
6. A study was done about celebrities and their endorsements. Those made no
big deal. So much for the terminator endorsing dumpster..he already endorsed
another candidate running against the dumpster.
7. You’re now 0-6 in your own blog! Not good when you own the site.
8. And ask any campaign candidate or manager if endorsements count. A
car salesman may have a completely different perspective than someone who’s
been in politics for decades. It does make a difference because it’s just another
piece of the puzzle of positive press about your candidate.
So as I’ve pointed out before…YOU’RE WRONG!
HARLEY KNOWS. NEVER DOUBT HARLEY.
Words, words, words…
Let’s see, Trump has virtually no newspaper endorsements yet he’s kicking butt and taking names.
Hillary has a zillion of them and without doubt they’re better than a poke in the eye.
However,it’s not just me that is saying they are becoming less and less relevant, the editors of some of the largest newspapers in the country are going on the record and abandoning the practice.
And the candidates are taking a pass on playing the game.
Hillary is beyond old school, of course she’s going to continue to play by 20th Century thinking and rules.
Which in part is why Bernie has been blowing her away with Millennials
sorry again….but you and your millennial b.s.
Even if Hillary splits the millenials (which will never happen
since a recent poll showed 68% of millenials would NEVER VOTE FOR TRUMP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And fortunately that’s all Bernie has…college students and
some far left wing liberals. OUtside that he has nothing…
no blacks..no Hispanics…no seniors (who do come out and vote) no where near the female vote Hillary has) and
she has about 3 million more votes than sanders and she’s
now shoe in for nomination and general election win.
So old man hearne ….you’re playing the old rules…knowing
nothing about demos and polling as Harley does.
But I’ll bet you can do a great wheelie in a recalled vw!!!!!!!
when you understand the inside tactics of politics (which you
have no idea)and when you realize that endorsements turn
to cash and coverage that every candidate would want.
as far as trump is concerned his vile language against the
press will kill him in the general election. Go to redstate.com
and see what’s happening there…not one not one single
positive piece on trump and even many saying they are
sitting out or voting for Hillary so the conservatives can regroup after trump gets stompled (that’s the right wing blog all conservatives pray to).
And of course doesn’t care about endorsements…his followers
can’t read period. Their trailer born and raised and education
was never a big thing in their lives. Look at the polls of
trumps fans…low information/low iq/lack of brains…and
if you swathe recent poll Hillary is up 12 points on trump
and that’s before the unleashing of the most brutal campaign
ever against the lying conman we’re about to see when
1.7 billion in ads crush your buddy and friend DONALD TRUMP.
Hillary is not old school….using one of the most advance
political machines and gotv programs in prez history.
and even if the millenials sit out…Hillary wins by a landslide.
You try to be so hip….
Such an economy of words (and thoughts)!
Brevity is not one of harlinator’s stronger suits.
NO BREVITY IS NOT MY SUIT.
I am being picked up by more sites than I ever imagined and I have a lot to say to the know nothings here at kcc.
sorry…but no one can doubt with facts/ stats
what I say so I assume you
are all just devoid of any real live world details that would prove me wrong.
that’s all it is….use stats and figures to prove me wrong or stfu.
Maybe the uneducated supporters of Trump don’t know how to read. I didn’t say his supporters were uneducated, he did.
P.S…..for all you trump supporters I suggest you read redstate.com a few times.
This conservative republican blog is so anti dumpster that you wonder if any
repbus will vote for this mess.
Yes,,,,dumpster can fly in and get off his plane and give a speech then fly off
but that doesn’t win in a national campaign. Doesn’t work.
I now believe that as much as 1.8 billion dollars will be spent to kee; trump
out of the white house. He has nowhere near that money. Add never trump/
his opponents in the repubparty and their hundreds of millions…add in hillarys
literall unlimited piggy bank that is sitting in the bank…and you have a 24/7
barrage against the dumpster. He can have all the rallys he wants…but he’s
a wolf in sheep’s clothing. and he’d never spend his own “BBBBIIIILLLIIIOONS”
on a presidential race. Then add in his trial in July where he will testify….his
lawsuits which may have more to them than many of us can comprehend and what
you have is a verficable train wreck about to happen.
Sorry glaze and herne…..this was an easy pick.
find something (which you can’t) to show Harley is wrong.
It’s real simple…HARLEY IS THE GREATEST!
Harleys update….anti trump forces will spend 20-25 million in anti
trump ads inJUNE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Its being reported that the amount goes up to 40 million in july and
they bought out big chunks of the repub convention.
August/Sept./oct: probably northwards of 60 million per month and these
are just a couple of pac’s spending.
does not include DNC spending/Hillary’s pacs/republican dump trump
pacs/the pacs of every Hispanic/latino pac……and the millions of other’
pacs that are meeting in 2 weeks in Chicago.
And lets remember…the repubs wanted the validation of citizens united.
Every dem candidate has pledged to end citizens united and end this
freaky ridiculous amounts of money when the supreme court goes 6-3
liberal for the next 30 years (maybe longer).
Endorsements, whether it is from an editorial board or anywhere else are amazing. So, when an out of work actor,who didn’t graduate from highschool endorses Phinius J Schmuck for Governor, I am really going to listen to that endorsement…Not. In some professions, it is downright illegal, like on Wall Street where all those bankers aren’t. Although the bank can seek an endorsement, the individual broker can’t. With circulation dropping, it is a teal question whether or not the liberal bend of the editorial board is the cause or the effect, like the chicken or the egg. Under somer editorial selections, the name says it all, like determining the Justice Department should go after climate deniers in court. Bet you’d never guess it was Huffington. I would. However, it’s preaching to the choir, as some liberal dreams , “Now a conservative has to believe it.” Well, no such luck. Some twenty year later, and a Montana newspaper is still smarting after finding the local Pachyderm notice took them to task on their editoial choices, and the conservative rag had a higher circulation. The publisher, a conservative, almost fired a few holier than thous. Reputations are preceding some of our esteemed institutions, and they’re not getting read. The Journal sets a higher standard, being even handed. So much for journalism.
“As for newspaper editors being out of it, one doesn’t have to look beyond the ain’t-what-she-used-to-be opinion section in the Kansas City Star.”
What it used to be, wasn’t all that great.
Nice article.
Your point seems to be that more newspapers should be endorsing Drumpf because he is polling better than the other candidates. An editorial endorsement is an opinion–you can agree or disagree with it, but its purpose is not to hop onto the bandwagon of whatever candidates is riding high, or to predict who’s going to win.
It is to evaluate the worthiness of a candidate’s platform and character. Critique an endorsement for its persuasiveness or lack of it, but it’s just stupid to think a rejection of Drumpf is unreasonable. It’s not hard to see why people whose job it is to become knowledgeable about candidates and issues reject the vacuous ramblings of Drumpf.
It would be a lot easier if they just jumped on board and didn’t try to tax the brains of CG and HC with “evaluations of worthiness of a candidate’s platform and character”.
character and our 2 resident punching bags are extreme opposites.
It’s not so much as taxing anybody’s brains that drives newspaper editorials. It’s more a case of the editors wanting to wash our brains because they view their opinions as superior.
Hey, who doesn’t?
OH BABY…OH MY!!!!!!!!!!!
HARWOOD HITS THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD!
PERFECT! I COULD NOT HAVE SAID IT BETTER IN THAT AMOUNT
OF WORDS!!!!!!!! BEAUTIFUL~~~~~~ A THREE POINTER!!!!!!!!!
WORDS OF WISDOM!!!!!!!!!
I WISH I COULD HAVE SAID IT LIKE HARWOOD!
YOU DA KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not really….
My points that times have changed and because the flow of news and information is so great, the public places very little emphasis or importance on what a handful of wannabe power brokers at 18th and Grand or elsewhere think about who they should vote for.