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How's the US media covering Donald Trump's ‘trial of the century’? Jon Stewart's no holds barred teardown
The Daily Show host critically analyses US media's fascination towards Donald Trump and its non stop coverage of hush money trial
In an unprecedented move America's former US President is on trial in Manhattan Court in the infamous hush money trial and so is the US media that has pulled out all stops to cover it.
'It's a test of media's ability to cover Donald Trump in a responsible way', said Jon Stewart as he opened the Daily Show to analyse the media jamboree around former US president's unprecedented trial, ‘considering they have performed poorly in the past’
Trump's media coverage under scrutiny
Minute by minute coverage of the Trump trial has overshadowed prime time news with many TV news channels are calling it ‘trial of the century’
‘It’s on, It's happening, History will be made', said an MSNBC anchor. ‘The legal wall are closing in around Donald Trump’, claimed another anchor.
Mocking the coverage Stewart stated, “He arrived at the intersection of American history, where he put a quarter in the parking meter of destiny, leaving the car, looking to avoid stepping in the urine puddle of jurisprudence.”
Stewart's scathing criticism, titled "America's Most Tremendously Wanted," lambasted the media for its overly melodramatic approach to reporting on Trump's trial. “At this point, you’re probably saying to yourself, ‘How many television hours have they devoted to what Donald Trump, a man who has not been off any of our screens for more than 30 seconds in the last eight years, looks like?’ The answer is not nearly as many hours as describing his every movement.”
In a segment filled with pointed criticism, Stewart reminded the media to pace themselves, emphasizing the long road ahead as Trump faces multiple trials. He warned against repeating past mistakes and urged journalists to maintain perspective amidst the media circus surrounding Trump's legal woes.
Watch the full Trump special on The Daily Show here
Trump news coverage means high readership and revenue
Underscored by hours and hours of coverage, burdened with speculations, the US media has been under scrutiny regarding Trump coverage in the past. For years Trump news has meant high viewership and readership for US entities. “With the slightest excuse, they revert to their 2016 all-Trump-all-the-time playbook,” claimed a Guardian opinion piece. The New York Times reported that through February 2016, when the Republican primaries were under way, Trump had earned “close to $2bn worth of media attention” across print, broadcast, online outlets.
