Lester Holt was supposed to ask questions to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton that Americans were talking about at their kitchen table across the country. Instead we got a journalist who spoke more for establishment politicos than for the average citizen.
Americans tuning in to watch Clinton and Trump go head-to-head didn’t hear many new policy discussions that would affect their lives. Instead, they heard questions about birtherism, Trump’s taxes, and an obscure “No first use” policy.
Holt wasn’t necessarily trying to rig the election for Clinton. He just comes from the same Washington D.C./New York City culture that is on a different wavelength than the rest of the country.
The Washington/New York media complex has a monopoly on debates. The main three news networks are allowed to choose one to be fair, balanced, and reflect the concerns they believe the country cares about.
Only problem is they don’t.
A Bloomberg poll released on Monday showed that only 41 percent of Americans were “bothered a lot” by the birtherism issue while 57 percent said the same about Clinton’s e-mail scandal.
Nonetheless, Holt brought up birtherism and ignored the e-mail scandal.
Voters deserve a moderator who represents their issues, the different regions, and cultures of the country.
At least one debate should feature regional journalists from different states, especially swing states, that could better speak to what Americans are talking about around the kitchen tables.
Respected journalists from across the country like 12 News’ Brahm Resnik from Arizona, Mark Binker of WRAL in North Carolina, or Wisconsin-TV’s Jessica Arp.
For voters to better understand which candidate represents their values, it’s time that news organizations select moderators from the various locations who can ask more questions than those that affect the New York and Washington D.C. bubbles.
