During the recent Black Lives Matter protests of the summer of 2020 frustration peaked in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by a police officer named Derrick Chauvin. The unjust killing and clear example of police brutality lead to national conversations about police racism and police reform to combat such a horrific tragedy from happening. The television news covered the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests extensively over the weeks that followed, protests amassed over other acts of police brutality that happened all across the country at the same. However, depending on what TV station you turned on, you would get a very different story of what Black Lives Matter was all about. Television created narratives of the protests that depending on what channel you happened to be on would give radically different retellings of the events.
One particular TV station that skewed perspectives to be more conservative and Pro (then) President Trump and his actions toward protesters. Fox News is famous for its opinion pieces which run at marquee times (8 PM weeknights) to ensure maximum viewing over news coverage of the event, most notably Tucker Carlson Tonight. Tucker Carlson had choice words for the protests over the death of George Floyd saying this about police brutality at the onset of the protests:
“In any given year, police kill more white suspects, armed and unarmed, than black suspects. And that’s a fact, by the way. It’s not political propaganda. It’s probably true. Yet no one on television will ever say that because that fact threatens the scams they’re working.”
Tucker gave those viewing his show an out against racism and an ability to condemn the protests. Tucker creates a false narrative on prime time television on a show that gets 3.2 million (mostly conservative) nightly viewers. Carlson’s blatantly racist and inflammatory remarks throughout the program creates acceptance for his political and world view regardless of the damage that he is doing. Opinion pieces such as Carlson’s can be persuasive to those who want to hear them and change the entire narrative of protests from a conversation about racism to acquisitions of creating anarchy and ignoring the point of the protests in the first place.
On the other side of the political spectrum is CNN who has a much different coverage of the George Floyd protests instead of opting for an approach that is pro-protesters and against President Trump. Anderson Cooper, the lead anchor at CNN covered when President Trump tear-gassed protesters to move them so that he could take a photo in front of Saint Johns Episcopal Church. Before this action, President Trump gave a speech threatening to become the president of law and order, accomplishing this by using the United States military to end the protests. Cooper responded to this speech with this:
“the vast majority of those protesting they too call for law and order. A black man killed with four officers holding him down with a knee to the neck for eight minutes with nearly three minutes he was no longer conscious for, that is not law and order.”
Cooper appeals to the sentiments of the protesters and unequivocally denounces President Trump for his actions. Cooper clearly shows that he is on the liberal side of the debate about the protests. When watching CNN and Anderson Cooper the viewer will feel sympathy and anger for the protesters. While also showing outrage toward the actions of President Trump and his administration.
Television News is highly politicized and leads to hardline views in one political direction or another. With TV news being on anytime, a viewer is susceptible to the polarization that is difficult to overcome when it becomes entrenched in the minds of viewers. Whether leading to sympathy for protesters or touching on inflammatory racial tones in order to move people further towards one political world view or another.
Television news has become an undeniable polarization factor in American society. I believe Jon Stewart put it best for how I feel about the damaging effects TV news can have. In a televised round table debate Tucker Carlson and Jon Stewart went head to head Stewart captures (in a comedic fashion) what he believes about Tucker Carlson and the direction of TV news.
I made a special effort to come on this show as being bad it’s not so much that it’s bad as it’s hurting America so I want to get him here today and say stop. Stop hurting America I watch your show every day and it kills me I can tell you it’s so painful to watch because you’re partisan what do you call it? Hacks. Which under you have a responsibility to the public discourse.”
Jon Stewart was right, television news is full of dangerous hacks that shape public opinion and can create political views, creating a more polarized America. The effect is especially prominent in times of extreme turmoil such as the protests of the death of George Floyd and the damaging effect it can have the American society.
Journalism 2.0 