# Is Trumps misogyny really bigger news than a killer hurricane? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 8, 2016, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973 "2016-10-08T20:20:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [October 8, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/21 "2016-10-08T22:01:40Z")
The deaths of a few hundred people in Haiti, tragic as they may be, don’t really have any impact on most of us. The outcome of the presidential election will effect the entire human race for decades to come. ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/22 "2016-10-08T22:14:00Z")
Define **bigger**. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/23 "2016-10-08T22:17:28Z")
The stories I have seen dominating the news have not been of the “_Trump said something scandalous_” variety, (life span 4 - 8 days), they have been of the “_Look how many Republicans are ducking and covering and publicly withdrawing support_” variety. This phenomenon has a direct affect on the choice in four weeks of the person who will be the most powerful person on Earth for the next four years. In contrast, hurricanes are always exciting for about the length of time that they are actually ashore, plus a couple more days, unless politics shows up in the story. That the reaction to the revelation of Trump’s admitted sexual assault is being reported more highly than a hurricane that had lost power to only Category 1, (having earlier been a Category 4), before it came ashore, is not surprising, at all. In this case, the partisan Conspiracy Theory regarding a couple of news outlets deserves the same consideration as the CTs regarding the moon landing hoax or similar CTs. (Additionally, there probably will be a lot more news to come regarding Matthew. For years, the news media has focused on wind speeds and eye walls for their hurricane stories, often paying little attention to storm surges. It will be the surges that cause the most damage from Matthew in the U.S. and it will take a day or two for the media to recognize and wade into that.) ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/24 "2016-10-08T22:22:53Z")
As hurricanes go, Matt is only middling and one much like it happens every year. You live in [insert natural disaster type here] country, you take the risk that Nat Disaster will catch you. But having a Presidential race unilaterally implode because a big enough bomb finally went off to get the attention of the stubborn holdouts… you’re talking about the future of the world for the next four, eight or twenty years. Hurricanes and all. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/25 "2016-10-08T23:09:26Z")
A hurricane kills a few hundred people, none of whom I know. A Trump presidency would kill, maim or cripple, or disenfranchise and make second-class citizens of quite a few people I do know. Not to mention upping the chances of global thermonuclear war to a number that would make a high school policy debater cum in his pants. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/26 "2016-10-08T23:33:10Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > As I write this, this latest Donald Trump kerfuffle is the top story on the websites of Fox News, the WSJ, the New York Times, USA Today, the New York Post, the Washington Post, and, from my own UK perspective, the BBC, the Telegraph, and (of all things) the Financial Times. > > CNN/MSNBC do not appear to be bucking a trend; if there’s a skew, it doesn’t appear to be theirs alone. Everyone’s in on it! Also quite conservative news sites like Red State, The National Review and The Weekly Standard ( admittedly none of those sites like Trump much ). But really it is EVERYWHERE, on every news or quasi-news site on the internet, from Politico to 538 to Slate to whomever. It feels like a flipping point moment and that always triggers a feeding frenzy. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/27 "2016-10-08T23:48:06Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > For years, the news media has focused on wind speeds and eye walls for their hurricane stories, often paying little attention to storm surges. It will be the surges that cause the most damage from Matthew in the U.S. and it will take a day or two for the media to recognize and wade into that. Seems Sandy was not enough. ---
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/28 "2016-10-08T23:58:59Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > A hurricane kills a few hundred people, none of whom I know. A Trump presidency would kill, maim or cripple, or disenfranchise and make second-class citizens of quite a few people I do know. Not to mention upping the chances of global thermonuclear war to a number that would make a high school policy debater cum in his pants. Meanwhile, the American press is only lightly covering the rapidly increasing tensions between the US and Russia. My take on this situation is that it is a far more important story than Hurricane Matthew or the presidential election. Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/29 "2016-10-09T00:02:08Z")
You can’t unkill the dead. All that’s left is helping the living. Helping the living doesn’t sell newspapers. A Trump presidency would be the equivalent of a category 97 hurricane hitting a trailer park, without prior warning. That sells newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/30 "2016-10-09T00:23:23Z")
they can both be news at the same time - we have room in our lives for more than one issue at a time :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/31 "2016-10-09T01:09:25Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > The only “historic” fact is that Matthew did _not_ make landfall as a major hurricane, Yes, he did. Three times in fact. He made landfall in Haiti, Cuba, and Grand Bahama, each time as a Category 4. Major hurricanes are considered to be Category3+. Also, he was the strongest hurricane to effect St. Augustine and Jacksonville,FL since 1898. That is historical. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/32 "2016-10-09T01:12:02Z")
Lost in this discussion is who really controls the placement of articles on news websites and on news telecasts…the advertisers. Trump doing something stupid is a constant feeding frenzy. The public gobbles it up, and advertisers are very happy (until their name gets linked with Trump…see Skittles, Ford, Tic-Tac). Hurricane devastating Haiti will only generate interest in areas with larger Haitian populations. Other than that, it is just another natural weather phenomenon. Places get hit by hurricanes and typhoons annually, devastation ensues, and we rarely hear about it. It simply doesn’t generate clicks/eyeballs. And that is what matters. Don’t blame the news outlets. Blame the news consumers. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/33 "2016-10-09T01:30:01Z")
If you want hurricane coverage, the Weather Channel is going wall-to-wall with it. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/34 "2016-10-09T01:51:21Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > He managed to be the top story on CNN’s website, complete with breaking news alerts. Hurricane Matthew, despite having made landfall this morning in South Carolina, seems to not be taken as seriously by them. Why is someone known for being a misogynist idiot making more misogynistic comments treated as more important than a historical storm? Let’s say you were transported back to August 2014, and magically made the top guy at CNN. Which would you do? 1. Cover the ISIL assault on Mount Sinjar and the horrible massacres there. 2. Not cover that story as much, but insure that Paul LePage is not re-elected in two months. Seriously, my little 19 year old angry community college student friend, which do you pick? ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/35 "2016-10-09T02:11:03Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Let’s say you were transported back to August 2014, and magically made the top guy at CNN. Which would you do? > > 1. Cover the ISIL assault on Mount Sinjar and the horrible massacres there. > 2. Not cover that story as much, but insure that Paul LePage is not re-elected in two months. > > Seriously, my little 19 year old angry community college student friend, which do you pick? Obviously option two. Giving terrorists media coverage only encourages them. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/36 "2016-10-09T02:16:07Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > they can both be news at the same time - we have room in our lives for more than one issue at a time :dubious: Right. I’m not sure where a lot folks here are getting their news, but I have seen exhaustive coverage of both. I will be voting for Hillary, mainly because Trump is so much of a buffoon, but I gotta say I am underwhelmed by the ‘shocking’ video. I have no trouble envisioning a lot of powerful men on both sides of the aisle saying the same shit and worse when they don’t think they are being recorded. A lot of the shock and disgust I have heard seems a little hypocritical to me. But hey, at least they were smart enough to stay away from a hot mic. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/37 "2016-10-09T02:47:24Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > To clarify: > I mean proving the obvious doesn’t seem newsworthy. Trump didn’t just appear from the æther one day last year, he’s been a public figure for decades. I was certainly never under the impression that he lived a boring wholesome G-rated life. If you were, well, we _are_ in the pit but I won’t judge. > > This “story” does nothing but prove to his followers AND detractors that they were right all along about who he is and that they’re right to feel the way they do about him. Look, I can’t claim to understand this, but it’s clear that somehow this is having a massive effect on his favorability. I heard it and thought it was massively unsurprising, but the thing has lead to a bunch of Republican leaders who previously were uncommitted or even supported him officially disavowing him. This comes a couple days before the second debate, which is when searches for candidates are high. It’s not surprising news, but for some reason it is actually seems to be the nail in the coffin for a lot of people. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/38 "2016-10-09T02:53:09Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > Obviously option two. Giving terrorists media coverage only encourages them. Sometimes talking to people online is like playing handball against the drapes. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/39 "2016-10-09T03:06:09Z")
What’s newsworthy is what gets eyeballs. It’s about ratings, not what’s “important” (whatever that means). In previous years it may have been a murder trial for an athlete, the POTUS playing hide the cigar with an intern, shark attacks, some starlet shaking her ass, this year it’s The Donald. Some people are saying Haiti is important because of the destruction and death. If the corporate media focused on that sort of material it would mostly be covering Africa and the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2016, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973/40 "2016-10-09T03:40:56Z")
> [@Revenant\_Threshold](#): > > As I write this, this latest Donald Trump kerfuffle is the top story on the websites of Fox News, the WSJ, the New York Times, USA Today, the New York Post, the Washington Post, and, from my own UK perspective, the BBC, the Telegraph, and (of all things) the Financial Times. > > CNN/MSNBC do not appear to be bucking a trend; if there’s a skew, it doesn’t appear to be theirs alone. Everyone’s in on it! Judging from the video, even Donald Trump is part of the conspiracy to discredit Donald Trump and deny him the Presidency. In fact, he seems to be a ringleader of the movement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-trumps-misogyny-really-bigger-news-than-a-killer-hurricane/767973.md?page=3)