# If Trump wins the White House, will the Mainstream Media admit it? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 18, 2016, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239 "2016-09-18T07:32:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/1 "2016-09-18T07:32:48Z")
Just got online tonight and began perusing some of the country’s major news sites to see what was up. Apparently Donald Trump has virtually erased Hillary Clinton’s lead in some of the major polls. Here’s how this fact came to light: _Fox News_: “TRUMP TALKS TOUGH: Back to ‘Law and Order’ as polls show tight race” _Drudge Report_: “WIRE: TRUMP CATCHES CLINTON IN ELECTORAL COLLEGE…” _NY Times_: Crickets _CNN_: Crickets _USA Today_: Crickets _NPR_: Crickets Of course all the cricketing sites had numerous articles and/or opinion pieces lambasting Trump for one offense or another, but not a peep was to be found anywhere to acknowledge the fact that the race is now neck and neck. So now that Trump’s candidacy has given the mainstream media self-granted permission to throw off its poorly maintained charade of impartiality and come down four square in opposition to Trump and apparently only print negative items about him, I find myself wondering about the quandry it will find itself in should Trump actually win the election. Will the media report it in the manner of a catastrophe, something along the lines of _“ **OH, SHIT, TRUMP TAKES WHITE HOUSE! THE END IS NEAR!** ”_, or will they follow present form and just remain silent on his victory, unable to bring themselves to acknowledge it and contenting themselves instead to snipe at him editorially and in smaller articles over any and everything he and his administration thinks, does or says? We live in interesting times. ---
**Author:** ![voltaire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voltaire/32/313_2.png) [@voltaire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voltaire)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/2 "2016-09-18T07:43:33Z")
\*\*If Trump loses the White House, will the Republicans admit it? \*\*Or just switch it up to Ivanka 2020? ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/3 "2016-09-18T07:59:09Z")
They won’t have to admit it for long, as Trump will have blown the tits off the world by the end of his first week in office. I’m an agnostic, but if Trump wins, I’m offering myself up to [Nyarlathotep](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyarlathotep), or one of the other Elder Gods, as long as they devour me before Trump takes the oath of office. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/4 "2016-09-18T08:19:43Z")
I, for one, remember how, when the 200 election happened, the mainstream media never reported on who won it at all. No sirree Bob - not a peep from them about who the president was the entire eight years. Did we even _have_ a president between 2001 and 2009? I’m not entirely sure we did - Fox and Drudge have been reporting for the longest time that 9/11 and Afghanistan were Clinton’s fault, and how Iraq and the 2008 recession were Obama’s fault, so if there’d been a president in between them you’d think they’d have given him some of the blame. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/5 "2016-09-18T13:33:50Z")
After the democratic national convention, when Clinton began pulling way ahead in the polls, what did the front pages look like for Drudge and Fox and NYT and CNN? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/6 "2016-09-18T13:47:54Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I, for one, remember how, when the 200 election happened… And I thought\* I\* was old… Probably the news cites, esp NYT, are focusing on the explosion in Manhattan last night. They want this to be a horse race, so they have every reason to want to report that the polls are tightening. But why they focus on the popular vote is nuts since it’s the EC that matters, and Clinton is still significantly head in that race. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/7 "2016-09-18T13:55:14Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > \*\*If Trump loses the White House, will the Republicans admit it? > > \*\*Or just switch it up to Ivanka 2020? TRUMP is first runner-up, Clinton finishes next to last. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/8 "2016-09-18T14:00:02Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > I, for one, remember how, when the 200 election happened, the mainstream media never reported on who won it at all. Seriously, I was never sure whether Severus or Caracalla was really emperor. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/9 "2016-09-18T14:11:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > And I thought\* I\* was old… > > Probably the news cites, esp NYT, are focusing on the explosion in Manhattan last night. They want this to be a horse race, so they have every reason to want to report that the polls are tightening. But why they focus on the popular vote is nuts since it’s the EC that matters, and Clinton is still significantly head in that race. Currently the EC vote is firmly 0-0. If in fact Trump were to win the popular vote he would almost certainly win the electoral college. Any model that says otherwise is wrong. Any projection that had Clinton with a big EC lead is assuming she will win the popular vote. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/10 "2016-09-18T14:16:08Z")
Yes, if Trump wins the mainstream media will admit it. Next questions: are the media allowed to report when Trump states a falsehood, or is that out of bounds? Are any criticisms of Trump legitimate or is he some sort of perfect being who is incapable of error? ---
**Author:** ![ultimate11](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/49beb7/32.png) [@ultimate11](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultimate11)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/11 "2016-09-18T14:25:57Z")
I’d love to see the New York Post cover when it happens. (Unfortunately for my father, I’m heading home in a couple of weeks). ---
**Author:** ![Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pearl_Clutching_Provocateur)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/12 "2016-09-18T14:37:21Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Yes, if Trump wins the mainstream media will admit it. > > Next questions: are the media allowed to report when Trump states a falsehood, or is that out of bounds? I want President Trump treated like President Obama. So the answer is no ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/13 "2016-09-18T14:43:08Z")
> [@Pearl\_Clutching\_Provocateur](#): > > I want President Trump treated like President Obama. So the answer is no Yes, understood. Having accurate information that fails to confirm one’s pre-conceived notions is confusing and annoying. I understand. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/14 "2016-09-18T15:00:12Z")
Rant. Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/15 "2016-09-18T15:05:28Z")
When I think about what kind of stupid asshole would actually support Trump, I’m often at a loss as how to visualize them. Then I remember, oh yeah, Starving Artist. ---
**Author:** ![Paranoid\_Randroid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paranoid_randroid/32/18_2.png) [@Paranoid\_Randroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paranoid_Randroid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/16 "2016-09-18T15:10:48Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > If in fact Trump were to win the popular vote he would almost certainly win the electoral college. Any model that says otherwise is wrong. Any projection that had Clinton with a big EC lead is assuming she will win the popular vote. Depending on how much trust you put in FiveThirtyEight’s simulations, it may be interesting to note that its models show very nontrivial chances of Clinton winning the popular vote while losing the electoral college: 6.7 in polls plus, 6.4 in polls only, and 8.8 in the now-cast. Unlikely but not so unlikely that it can be dismissed out of hand. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/17 "2016-09-18T15:24:01Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Rant. Pit. Troll. Ban. I mean, how much more of SA’s schtick do you need? :rolleyes: Do you really think he is sincere when he posts this garbage? We’ve banned long-term trolls before (tho of course it usually took a long highly arduous quest to slay some dragon on some distant mountaintop somewhere to finally get ye olde trigger pulled). ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/18 "2016-09-18T15:40:16Z")
**When Mrs. Clinton wins the White House, will Rightwingnutjobs admit it?** ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/19 "2016-09-18T15:47:14Z")
'Tis a strange, and strained, definition of “Mainstream Media” if it includes “Drudge Report”. CMC fnord! ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2016, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239/20 "2016-09-18T15:47:26Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Troll. Ban. > > I mean, how much more of SA’s schtick do you need? :rolleyes: Do you really think he is sincere when he posts this garbage? We’ve banned long-term trolls before (tho of course it usually took a long highly arduous quest to slay some dragon on some distant mountaintop somewhere to finally get ye olde trigger pulled). I sometimes wonder if the mods are treating him sort of like a cat toy for the rest of the board to play with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-trump-wins-the-white-house-will-the-mainstream-media-admit-it/766239.md?page=2)