Another way that American coverage of political issues sucks

A bunch of people are posting a USAToday article that makes it seem McCaskill dissed on Ocasio-Cortez, and they’re expressing an appropriate amount of outrage about McCaskill doing that. The thing is, I’m not sure she did.

I don’t have a dog in this fight. I don’t know either politician at all. But I do know outrage bait, and both the USAToday and CNN articles reek of it. First, they smell like cropped quotes. For instance, the CNN article says,

“I don’t know her,” McCaskill said when asked if she’d consider Ocasio-Cortez a “crazy Democrat” like the ones she decried on the campaign trail. “I’m a little confused why she’s the thing. But it’s a good example of what I’m talking about, a bright shiny new object, came out of nowhere and surprised people when she beat a very experienced congressman.”

Had CNN presented the whole interview, there would have been an exchange like, “Do you consider OC a crazy Democrat like the ones you decried on the campaign trail?” And McCaskill would have answered, “I don’t know her.”

In other words, no, she was not talking about Ocasio-Cortez.

The next part of her quote might have been praise, and might have been criticism. We can’t tell because CNN didn’t give us the context. But we do know this—that this is the photo CNN chose of Ocasio-Cortez.

Meanwhile, this is the photo they chose for Kamala Harris.

So, and that’s my second point, who knows what McCaskill actually said—CNN didn’t give us the interview, but an abridged version that skews against Ocasio-Cortez. Harris has nothing to do with this interview.

[Edited to add: why is Harris here? My crank theory is that CNN wants to play Harris against AOC. In other words: clickbaity CATFIGHT!]

The USAToday version is the classic CATFIGHT version that always gets clicks—women fighting is such fun. It’s the depoliticized, hyperpersonalized coverage of political events that has made me loathe USAToday since it was started.

There might be reasons to criticize Ocasio-Cortez’s policies; McCaskill might have made them. But neither CNN nor USAToday went in that direction because policy argumentation doesn’t get clicks.

So, did McCaskill diss Ocasio-Cortez? Maybe. Maybe not. That isn’t my point. My point is that we don’t know from either the USAToday or the CNN article because neither of them is oriented toward giving voters useful information about anyone involved. CNN is part of the outrage machine, and USAToday is the founder of clickbait journalism. I think lefties sometimes forget that CNN is more interested in getting committed viewers than it is in furthering democratic deliberation, and USAToday is an insult to parrots who might find it in their cages.