This essay is part of a series from nurses across the country who have contributed perspectives during this election season. In this thought-provoking piece, Mary Christine (Christy) Jared, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC, offers a critical examination of the current media landscape and its impact on American democracy. Drawing from her extensive experience as a nursing educator and mental health professional, Dr. Jared presents a compelling argument about the dangers of biased media coverage in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential election.
Dr. Jared dissects the stark contrast in how major news organizations portray Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. She raises alarming concerns about the normalization of divisive rhetoric and the potential consequences for our democratic institutions. Dr. Jared’s nursing perspective bridges the gap between her professional background and the broader societal issues at play, offering readers an insightful analysis of the current political climate.
As we navigate these turbulent times, Dr. Jared’s essay serves as a crucial wake-up call, challenging us to critically examine the media we consume and its influence on our perceptions and decisions. Her words resonate with urgency, inviting readers to reflect on the values that underpin our democracy and the role we all play in shaping its future.
Over the last few months, I have watched with increasing dismay and disappointment how well-known and respected news organizations feature Donald Trump on their sites much more prominently and much more favorably than Kamala Harris. Over the last two to three weeks, this problem – this gaslighting – has surged to extremes beyond what I thought was possible. This has been quite dismaying for a number of reasons.
First, to place Trump and his lies, his cruelty and his xenophobic ways of being in such a flattering light is an obvious and tremendous threat to our democracy. He routinely calls for the killing of his enemies; terms others as animals and vermin and states he wants to destroy the administrative state, force out federal civil servants, and replace them with those who will do his bidding – those who are loyal to only him. This is not how democracy survives.
The media must stop treating Trump’s lies as normal; it has an obligation to reveal and highlight repeatedly the depth of these lies, and clearly explain the ramifications of this outright propaganda. Second, this practice of placing his activities and those of his cronies – Musk, Carlson, Bannon, and the like in the most prominent spaces in news articles – is to promote what he utters, and position what he supports as more important, more newsworthy and more credible than what Kamala Harris is endorsing, supporting and promulgating through her campaign. It continually validates and elevates Trump’s choices, Trump’s goals, and Trump’s aspirations.
Third, when Harris is featured, there is almost always some component of negativity or doubt in the headline, and there is often a photo of her that is unflattering. News organizations understand deeply the impact of these types of subliminal (or maybe not so subliminal) tactics. I do not understand how those in the media, who bill themselves as just reporting the news “as it happens”, can live with themselves as they blatantly foster this double standard in the race for President of the United States. Harris, it appears, must be challenged on almost all aspects of what she claims, states, and does; and how she looks, speaks, and laughs. The fact that she wants to bring people together; to reach across the aisle; to harken back to the days of respect for others and their views; and to lead a country toward unity instead of destruction (a la Trump and his followers) gets a mere shrug in most daily newsrooms.
We are faced with the imminent threat of fascism from the Trump campaign. Much of what Trump says and does is a travesty and is terrifying for those of us who have been enculturated to believe that everyone deserves a chance, everyone should have a voice, and everyone should be able to work hard and reap the benefits of living in a rich country with abundant promise such as that of the United States.
These problems have accelerated over the last 10 years. I often ask myself how did we get to this state? Is it a combination of smartphone addiction, reliance on social media for many aspects of how we live our lives or the multiple ways that our connections to other human beings were severed or harmed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Is it a combination of factors that have led some to view human beings with different identities and beliefs that may be out of the mainstream acceptability, not as similar to all of us, but as “other”? Have we normalized rejecting individuals who may be outside of a narrow circle of what some deem as having the right or the appropriate attributes to live and thrive in our country, and across the globe?
As a professor of Nursing, I teach my students to be kind, to listen, to open their hearts, to serve, and to take their duties to others and their profession seriously. This is a way of thinking and acting that mandates a tremendous amount of knowledge, skill, diligence, and compassion to better others’ lives and to make this a more welcoming world. In Trump’s universe, how does that way of being exist? Or is this abundant promise of America reserved only for him and his followers?
Bio: Mary Christine (Christy) Jared, PhD, RN, PMHNP-BC is a dynamic, goal-driven, and accomplished nursing professional with 32+ years of experience and success in clinical, education, research, and administrative roles in urban healthcare settings. She is a board-certified Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and has previously taught undergraduate maternity and psychiatric-mental health nursing at NYU and Long Island University. She is currently a Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing in New York City.
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