Introduction
The 2020 US Presidential Election will be one of the significant events in US political practice and the history of the present century. The author of this paper chose the recent debate between Trump and Biden as a research object because it was the first open ideological confrontation between them. Such research through the Society of the Spectacle methodology is necessary to gain an objective perception of the current reality and the present illusion created by the media. This paper aims to explain the framed spectacle by analyzing three media sources, namely CNN, Fox News, and Euronews.
CNN Article Perspectives Analysis
Spectacle as Information
It can be said that analysis by Stephen Collinson of the presidential debate between Trump and Biden may be perceived as information. The analyst describes the main points of their discussion, gives them critical assessments, and provides readers with political predictions. It means that this article informs readers, primarily supporters of the Democratic Party, about reality. It is because they are the ones who perceive this spectacle as a source that tells them about their candidate, the past event, and confirms their presuppositions about the electoral opponent party in general and President Trump in particular (Collinson, 2020). Republican Party supporters may regard the information provided as an illusion or unfounded criticism.
Spectacle as Propaganda
It is safe to say that this CNN article can be considered and perceived as propaganda. Collinson boldly states (2020), “but there was only one candidate to blame for that” (para. 8). It is seen that CNN media source chose the Democratic Party’s side in reality in general and in the electoral race in particular. Therefore, this spectacle forms the illusion of the Democratic Party’s superiority and their principles, thereby creating a reality for both groups of voters in which the Democratic Party dominates the political and social fields.
Spectacle as Advertisement
The spectacle framed by CNN is also an advertisement because it promotes three things, namely the Democratic Party, CNN, and the vote. Collinson (2020) criticizes Trump much more often and harsher than Biden and frequently cites the latter. The media source creates both the illusion and the reality in which the Democratic candidate is a preferable one. Collinson (2020) also advertises the media platform under discussion, providing readers with CNN expert opinions and CNN resource statistics. At the end of the article, the author urges all those who read the news article to vote because every vote determines what political vector social praxis will have for the next four years.
Spectacle as Object of Direct Entertainment Consumption
Collinson’s article is also an object to direct entertainment consumption. It is obvious that the politics-aimed item is of interest to a large group of people, especially political analysts, experts, and reviewers. It can be assumed that this article is more entertaining for Democratic supporters than for GOP adherents because it may cause discomfort to the latter (Collinson, 2020). The spectacle creates an environment where the Democratic Party principles’ dominance is more entertaining and, therefore, more preferable and plausible.
Fox News Article Perspectives Analysis
Spectacle as Information
Halon’s Fox News article, which is spectacular, may be perceived in the form of information. It is because the author of the article describes and comments on the performance, behavior, and arguments of the debaters. According to Halon (2020), “Biden and President Trump sparred over virtually every topic presented by moderator” (para. 4). This article would be equally informative for GOP and Democratic supporters, as well as for neutral voters. Although it is noticeable that the mentioned politics experts and the author are loyal to Trump, nevertheless, the framed spectacle forms such a reality where it is still unclear who won the debate and who would win the election.
Spectacle as Propaganda
Just like the previously reviewed political news article, the Fox News article is also propaganda at its core. As noted above, the author of this work sees that Halon is leaning towards Trump and the Republican Party’s principles. According to Halon (2020), “for Trump’s part, Perino said that although the president “had some great lines…” (para. 5). It is also worth noting that the Fox News article is less biased than Collinson’s CNN one.
Spectacle as Advertisement
Fox News article under review is also an advertisement. The report promotes Fox News because this article is a product of this media platform and political experts by quoting them. Halon (2020) notes that “according to “The Daily Briefing” host, Biden “had more to lose than Trump had to gain,” but was still able to clear the “very low bar that had been set for him” (para. 2). It can be assumed that this media source creates such an environment where only Fox News is perceived as impartial and objective. It also encourages readers to listen and trust the opinions of Fox News experts.
Spectacle as Object of Direct Entertainment Consumption
Fox News’ article on the Biden-Trump debate results is of interest to many people interested in the topics of politics. It means that this spectacle is an object of direct entertainment consumption. The author of this paper believes that the article by Halon (2020) is aimed at a more politically erudite audience as it presents the detailed opinion of political experts, namely Perino and Hume. It is because the author implies in advance that the intended audience is aware of the political views of the cited individuals. It creates such an illusion, and reality, in which GOP representatives and supporters are more educated in political science than their opponents.
Euronews Article Perspectives Analysis
Spectacle as Information
As well as CNN does, Euronews media source provided readers with an article on highlights from Biden and Trump’s past debate. This spectacle can be perceived as a source of pure information. Euronews’ information is considered pure because it is politically neutral and unbiased compared to CNN and Fox News articles. It is due to Euronews being outside the scope of the United States’ political influence (Euronews, 2020). Such a condition creates a reality in which readers are neutral and abstracted from the United States’ political situation that making them see both candidates as equal rivals.
Spectacle as Propaganda
The propaganda is the only perspective that is missing in the Euronews article. It is due to the fact that, as was noted in the previous paragraph, the Euronews article is politically neutral, and the authors are unbiased (Euronews, 2020). It is why the author of this paper believes that the spectacle framed by Euronews media source is not propaganda. Moreover, it cannot become or be perceived as propaganda in reality because Euronews is not part of the US political reality or the US media sphere.
Spectacle as Advertisement
The spectacle framed in the news article by Euronews will serve as an advertisement, just as the previous two do. The authors advertise their media source and the 2020 US election, urging their audience to follow and discuss current political events. The news article creates a reality in which residents of other countries are considered as United States citizens. According to Euronews (2020), “Trump is no stranger to going on the offensive…” (para. 4). It builds an illusion that everyone can influence the results of the election.
Spectacle as Object of Direct Entertainment Consumption
Euronews news article can be viewed as well as perceived as an object of direct entertainment consumption. In contrast to the two previous items, the provided direct entertainment is aimed at a neutral and unbiased audience, namely outside observers who are supposedly citizens of the European Union (Euronews, 2020). It builds such an illusion and reality where a citizen of any state can enjoy watching the upcoming Biden-Trump debates and the 2020 US Election as a whole.
Conclusion
This paper analyzes three news articles related to the past debate between Trump and Biden, provided by three different media sources, to explain the present spectacle of reality and illusion. The author of this work has chosen such media sources as CNN, Fox News, and Euronews. It is because these media sources show opposite political views, each of which in some way framed the spectacle of the 2020 US election. Such perspectives of each of the three articles were analyzed and explained as information, propaganda, advertising, and direct entertainment consumption.
References
Collinson, S. (2020). Trump has no answers on America’s crisis — his debate rage made it worse. CNN Politics. Web.
Euronews. (2020). Trump-Biden presidential debate: Five key takeaways. Euronews. Web.
Halon, Y. (2020). Dana Perino’s debate verdict: ‘Biden cleared the very low bar that had been set for him.’ Fox News. Web.