The Current

Donald Trump's Republican bid poses dilemma for media

​Should Donald Trump be taken seriously? The Huffington Post says no. We look at the HuffPo's decision to cover Trump's presidential campaign in their entertainment section... dropping him from their serious political coverage. Our panel weighs in on the wisdom of dismissing The Donald.
Should Donald Trump be taken as a serious presidential hopeful? (Nati Harnik / Associated Press)

Well, he certainly needs little introduction.

Donald Trump, the real estate mogul-turned-reality TV star, has been leading coverage of the nascent U.S. presidential campaign from the moment he threw his hat in the ring -- and let the bombast begin.

His unapologetic remarks -- whether on Mexican immigrants or fellow Republican John McCain -- have made Trump2016 feel at times more "Reality TV" than CNN.

Which could explain why last week, The Huffington Post, announced they'd be covering Mr. Trump in their entertainment section --- not their political pages -- even as polls show him with a very early lead against the Republican pack. 

It's a bold move, and adds to the discussion happening in many media circles -- as editors ask "what to do about The Donald?" 

  • Danny Shea is the Editorial Director at The Huffington Post and he was in New York.
  • James Warren is Chief Media Writer at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and a political columnist at the New York Daily News. He was in St. Petersburg, Florida.
  • Katy Culver is an  Assistant Professor in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication and Associate Director, Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.  
     

How do you think the media should cover a candidate like Donald Trump? What type of coverage do you think he deserves?

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This segment was produced by The Current's Shannon Higgins and Idella Sturino.    
 

RELATED LINKS

♦ Our Coverage Of Donald Trump's 'Campaign' - Huffington Post
♦ HuffPo's wrong to consign Trump to entertainment section - Poynter
​♦ ​Could Republican frontrunner Trump actually win? - The Guardian​