Brian Stelter was CNN’s media critic for many years. He had a regular show called “Reliable Sources.” CNN went through a period of reorganization, and he was fired. The reorganization was a failure, CNN leadership changed. Brian was rehired. He now again writes and reports for CNN.
He wrote today:
Quick – choose a memorable moment from this presidential election year. What did you pick? Maybe Jake Tapper and Dana Bash‘s CNN presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump? Maybe Kamala Harris‘s DNC convention speech, or Trump’s sit-down with Joe Rogan, or his garbage truck photo op? This campaign has been chock full of made-for-TV spectacles and surprises.
But if I had to pick just one moment, I’d choose the day in August when Trump claimed that the VP’s very real crowd was faked. “She ‘A.I.’d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!” Trump falsely shouted on Truth Social.
The episode encapsulated so much about this election. Trump’s use of social media to spread conspiracy theories; an insistence on creating his own reality; a disbelief that his Democratic rival could draw a big crowd at all; a disregard for the fact-checkers who debunked his post.
Plus, I bet many of you have already forgotten about AI-crowd-size-gate. That’s been another trademark feature of this campaign: exhaustion!
Reality itself has been contested during this election year. “The refusal to accept basic, verifiable facts has some observers concerned about a repeat of 2020 false claims of a stolen election if Trump loses,” NPR wrote while debunking Trump’s crowd size lie. It can be incredibly dispiriting for journalists. Imagine trying to convince a skeptic that the Harris rally you covered did, in fact, have a crowd. But it also reaffirms the importance of journalism to vet and verify information.
>> One last point: Trump was scratching at something deep when he said the Harris crowd “didn’t exist.” On this Election Day, some Trump fans find it unfathomable that Harris could win. Frankly, it’s also true that some Harris fans find it hard to believe that Trump could regain power. But someone is about to win. This week, America’s TV networks and newswires are like mediators, helping the country accept whatever the result will be.
