Does the media really want Donald Trump to be re-elected?

Lots of readers dislike the president but does he help pay for the ‘fake news media’, asks Andrew Buncombe

Lots of media outlets have seen subscriptions leap during Donald Trump's presidency (AFP/Getty)

It was back during the last election cycle when Les Moonves, then the chair of CBS News, drew back the veil.

In February 2016, when Donald Trump’s loud and caustic, headline- grabbing presence in the Republican primary was still something of a novelty, he let slip something other media bosses realised, but did not say out loud.

“It may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS,” he said, acknowledging the flood of advertisement money the race had sparked.

In October of that year, National Public Radio calculated CNN had earned an extra $100m (£77m) in advertising revenue than it would expect in a usual election year. No wonder all those anchors allowed Trump to phone in and noisily dominate the news cycle, much to the fury of other candidates.

And it was not just the TV networks for whom Trump was good for business. In early 2017, just as he took office, the Washington Post added to his masthead the words “Democracy dies in the Darkness”, as digital subscriptions ticked up.

The New York Times saw a spike in subscriptions that was the biggest in its history, and last month it reported digital revenues had for the first time overtaken those of print. As one Atlantic headline put it, “The ‘fake news media’ is getting rich off Donald Trump”.

The surge of interest in Donald Trump and American politics, has also been good for The Independent.  We now have more readers in the US than in the United Kingdom, and as our readership has increased, so has the size of our editorial team.

Most recently, The Independent announced the establishment of a new bureau in Los Angeles, here on the west coast, with applications being accepted for editors and reporters. Never before, has The Independent had such comprehensive coverage.

It is an irony, of course, that many of our readers are horrified by Donald Trump and his policies. Readers object to his racist rhetoric, his rejection of science, and his abrasive narcissism. Many would rather see Joe Biden elected as president, with Kamala Harris as his deputy.

What would Les Moonves – who in 2018 was forced to stand down amid allegations of sexual harassment and abuse – say of a Biden-Harris victory from a business point of view? Would that be better for the advertising dollars than a second Trump term?

Who can say. My own hunch is two-fold.

Firstly, readers and the advertising dollars they bring, would be drawn by stories about a Biden-Harris administration as it sought to tackle the challenges of the coronavirus, the tanking economy, and the struggle for racial justice that has gripped the nation. Were she elected, they would be excited to read about the historic vice  presidency of Harris, who may herself become president at some point.

Furthermore, Trump, or his children and anointed successor, are unlikely to go anywhere, even if they lose. People will want to read about Trump’s efforts to undermine Biden, or Ivanka’s attempt to pick up where her father left off.

Good, independent journalism may have never been more important. But that kind of journalism, which informs and empowers a democratic society, has not got any cheaper to produce, whether it is paid for by adverting revenue or alternative income streams.

Which is why subscribers to The Independent – such as yourself – have never been more vital, no matter the outcome of November’s election. Many thanks.

Yours sincerely.

Andrew Buncombe

Chief US correspondent