Presidential Election Series #2: Media Impact on the 2020 US Elections | Professionalism, Partisanship and Pandemic

The media has played an indispensable role in the proper functioning of US elections since the First Amendment established freedom of the press as a cornerstone of American democracy. It has served as a watchdog, a campaign platform, a forum for public discourse, an educator, and an impartial arbiter of information and opinion. With the 2020 US election not only pivotal to the future well-being of the country, but also to how America engages the world, and especially with China, it is more urgent than ever to understand how the media will shape the upcoming election.

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned life upside down, and its effect on election outcomes is not yet clear. But retail politics is on hold, and campaigns have had to adjust to the realities wreaked by the virus, altering the political landscape as well as the media's role in it. The virus-induced social isolation has changed Americans' news habits. More and more Americans are turning to news outlets with like-minded views for their political and election information. Social media has become a popular source of information for voters and serves as an important tool for the candidates. Deep partisan divisions exist in the news sources that Americans trust.

The 2020 election is taking place in an environment of instability, uncertainty, and anxiety in a deeply divided country.

• How will news coverage impact voting preferences and outcomes?
• What will be the impact of social media on the election results?
• What news sources are reliable?
• How will coverage of the candidates' stances on China impact the future of US-China relations?
• Will the media serve as a neutral and objective platform for the free debate of all points of view?
• Or will it fall deeper into partisanship, further polarizing the electorate?

In this session, our experts will try to tackle these questions and much more, to provide some clarity on the roles of traditional and new media in the 2020 US elections.

* Please note this will be a Zoom webinar.