Flashy countdown clocks.

Dramatic graphics.

Pre and post debate panels.

If your mind found its way to coverage of a sports game, congratulations. You don’t exactly win a prize, but you get to say you guessed the answer to our question right.

If you found yourself thinking about coverage of politics, well, you get to say the same thing.

There’s so much about the modern media coverage of political material these days that we’ve unwittingly accepted as normal. And it’s not just the manner in which it’s all presented like a prestige drama series. Who can forget the screaming matches? It’s the exact sort of thing that made Republican commentator Ana Navarro so (rightfully) famous. This stuff isn’t normal. It isn’t constructive. It’s entertaining, sure, but it doesn’t do (or even attempt to do) much to inform or educate the audience. Simply put: CNN’s coverage is a mess, so why do we all act like it isn’t? It’s especially noteworthy when taken into account with how sway the news network has in international media, and how many outlets from all corners of the world take their cues from CNN.

The good people over at Vox breakdown the (not-s0) unique manner in which CNN covers politics, and explain just what is so wrong with it. You really should check it out.

Editor