Evan Farley, ‘20

May 2019

The 2020 campaign cycle is up and running as Republicans begin the expensive task of holding onto the presidency and Democrats choose someone to deny the GOP that opportunity. It might feel like we never got a chance to recover from the 2018 midterms, but that’s what makes this game so exciting. There is so much media coverage that it can become overwhelming, and many resort to apathy.

There are a whole number of reasons this might happen, but one could be a lack of representation in the reporting. Although there are 20 Democrats gunning for their party’s nomination from a whole host of backgrounds, the white men receive a vast majority of the coverage. From rockin’ Beto to middle America sweetheart Mayor Pete, these men look very much like our first 43 presidents, despite there being a record number of women and people of color in the race like anyone else.

Of course, there are multiple causes why this might happen, but we must be aware of the biases present in media and American society. I do not want to bash the media, as I recognize the vital role of the Fourth Estate in government, but I encourage you all to look beyond the major outlets and look at what remains of local news. Congress (at least in the Democratic caucus) is as diverse as it has ever been, proving that the electorate wants their representatives to reflect who we are as a country.

As the newspaper of a small school with a minuscule readership, I recognize the publication of the Bardvark will not have an impact on the Presidential election, but as young people, we have a responsibility to minimize the bias in the media, and that starts right here. Although I, along with much of the current editorial staff, will not be at BHSEC on November 3rd, 2020, there is much campaign to cover before then. We can do our part by looking at candidates we find interesting, even if major outlets overlook them, and by writing stories here to let your peers know what’s up.

Half of this school will be able to vote for our next president, so let us do our best to stay informed about the latest and greatest.