Trump win is lesson for media and academia. (2016)

“The election exposed how isolated and insulated journalists and professors are from the typical Trump voter

Prof Mark Grabowski, Adelphi University, New York
The Washington Examiner, 28 November 2016
AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

Donald Trump’s victory was “an epic failure for the media-academia complex. Not just because nearly every poll showing that Trump had little to no chance of winning was a collaborative effort between media outlets and universities.

“Journalists are supposed to inform the public about what’s happening in society. Professors are expected to prepare students for the real world. But this election, both were out of touch with reality. While some correctly predicted the outcome, most of us perished the thought. Our hubris may have even suppressed Hillary Clinton’s turnout and mobilized angry Trump supporters.

“We need to reckon with our flaws, or risk becoming completely irrelevant in the political process.

“…we must stop being insufferable know-it-alls… Trump showed us we’re not as smart as we think. It’s time for some humility.

“But that’s difficult when (you’re) living in a bubble. The election exposed how isolated and insulated we are from the typical Trump voter.” 

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