Media is to blame for country's division

In 2002 CBS’ Bernie Goldberg wrote his NY Times best-selling book Bias which made the case national media were heavily biased to the left. The media denied it. When the progressive Obama appeared, some in the press admitted their bias but felt a moral obligation to tell “their” truth as opposed to just “the" truth. Then came Donald Trump and the gloves came off. In the media, it is now common to hear Trump voters smeared as racists, NAZIs, garbage, deplorables, dangers to democracy, fascists, etc, and the media don’t blink an eye. Then Trump won.

As I write this my local newspaper still hasn't put our new president on the front page despite a historic comeback. No other Republican has won both the electoral and popular vote since immediately after 9/11. Clearly, the Biden/Harris presidency has been a similar trauma to our country.

Now, the memes are flooding in. Grown-up Harris voters crying their eyes out because she lost and the assassins missed. Such hysteria is a form of mental illness. It has it roots in the corporate media which has divided, mentally abused and exploited these people for decades. Now, it flat-out lies and gives excuses not to think. Our country could not get this divided without a powerful propaganda organ which legacy media has become. 

Trump’s overwhelming success is even more incredible given he had to outflank this corruption of the press who also stumped for his opponent. We need to heal our nation but, I fear the artificial media divisions are so deep they are now part of the national psyche. Only the next generation may be able to put politics aside and look each other squarely in the eye as Americans. For their sake, President Trump needs to make media-enhanced division a top priority as he selects the next FCC Commissioner. I think Vivek Ramaswamy would be a great choice. 

“… the rights of man come not from the state but from the hand of God.”

— John F. Kennedy

DEAN CANNON

Sandpoint

Editor's note: A story about the presidential race ran in the Wednesday, Nov. 6, edition of the Daily Bee at the top of the front page. Multiple stories about Donald Trump's election as president have run in subsequent papers.