As Trump falters, beware of the right-wing media in the final weeks of the election

There was a meme floating around social media after the debate that said “A presidential candidate (who tells his base not to trust the media) told a falsehood during a debate about something he saw on TV.”

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At first glance you might chuckle; however, the problem with that statement is that it’s not hypocritical in the least. It’s not true, and certainly not funny. As the 2024 presidential election enters its final weeks, there’s an escalating concern about the role right-wing media will play in shaping the narrative, spreading disinformation, and inciting unrest. According to Angelo Carusone, the out president of Media Matters, the stakes are higher than ever, as a desperate media ecosystem, aligned with extreme political ideologies, seeks to sway voters through manipulation and falsehoods.

Carusone, an outspoken media watchdog, has long warned about the dangers of this media machinery. As Trump slips in the polls, Carusone believes these outlets will double down, pushing disinformation to new and dangerous extremes.

“They're going to do it because they feel like that's their best path. They're going to do it because they think the ends justify the means,” Carusone said. “And they're going to do it because of pure self-interest.”

The right-wing media has become a vehicle for far-reaching narratives, tapping into fringe groups and extremist ideologies to energize their base. Trump’s strategy, heavily influenced by these media outlets, isn’t focused on persuading new voters but rather on organizing and mobilizing those who operate in the margins of mainstream politics. But the outcomes of this misinformation will affect us all.

This deceptive approach worked in 2020, and Carusone fears it will be even more dangerous in 2024. The presence of figures like Laura Loomer, a far-right extremist, traveling with Trump’s entourage shows just how deeply embedded these ideas have become in his campaign. “It’s a very explicit appeal to an extreme segment. And if he gets away with it entirely unscathed, it means he does more of it,” Carusone warns. “The danger lies not just in the narratives themselves but in how they could spark real-world consequences, potentially inciting violence.”

From Carusone’s point of view, one of the most significant changes in the current media landscape is the absence of Rush Limbaugh, a dominant force in right-wing media for decades. Limbaugh’s death left a vacuum in the right-wing media, and Carusone pointed out that many are now scrambling to fill that void.

“It’s almost like a piñata burst in the right-wing media space,” Carusone explained. “Without Limbaugh’s stranglehold, new voices are jockeying for power and influence, amplifying more extreme and sensationalist content to grow their audiences. This has led to a media environment where the most outrageous narratives—those that burn the brightest—get the most traction.”

The right-wing media landscape, Carusone says, is now spread out with figures like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Loomer, and many others, who pull from the fringes of conspiracy and extremism to build cohesive, albeit dangerous, narratives. “They're not necessarily the widest reach, but they're effective storytellers,” Carusone noted. “Their influence extends far beyond their immediate followers, seeping into the broader political discourse and shaping perceptions even among moderates.”

Carusone said that while moderates may not be consuming this media every day, they’re part of social networks of their friends and family. “They’re reflecting back the impressions of those around them,” Carusone observed..

What makes this election cycle even more precarious is the role of social media. In the aftermath of Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. Musk’s changes to the platform, including the rollback of basic protections around civic engagement, have created an environment ripe for the spread of misinformation. “It’s almost like the surface has been smoothed for these things to proliferate and distribute,” Carusone explained.

Musk sued Media Matters last November, alleging that it misled users of X about the dangers of hate speech on the platform.

This shift has had a ripple effect across other platforms, further reducing the barriers that once slowed the spread of dangerous narratives. The right-wing media, armed with these newly unfettered tools, is better positioned than ever to spread disinformation quickly and broadly. “That’s why I think it will get a lot worse,” Carusone cautioned, “This doesn’t even account for the foreign interference that is likely to resurface in the coming weeks as well.”

Carusone believes the combination of a fragmented, competitive media landscape and the lack of oversight on social media platforms has created a perfect storm. “Right-wing outlets, hungry for influence, are more likely to promote extreme content because it attracts attention, and attention is power in this digital age.”

One of Carusone’s greatest concerns is the spread of misinformation about voting itself. With early voting set to begin soon, he fears that false stories about ballot boxes and voter fraud could trigger violent responses. “What you’re going to get from that is threats of violence, people showing up at ballot boxes to protect them because Trump calls for them to do so. You can see how this spirals out of control.”

It’s so dangerous that Carusone believes this kind of misinformation has the potential to not only influence voter behavior but to create real-world confrontations at polling places, making it harder for people to vote. And that’s really the goal of all this misinformation, to get voters to stay at home — except those Trump voters who feel like they are the ones who will be protected.

Carusone said the groundwork for this kind of chaos has already been laid. The right-wing media has spent years priming its audience to believe that elections are being stolen, and Carusone believes they will push this narrative harder than ever in the final weeks before the election.

“There’s already very fertile ground amongst a right-wing audience to believe that the election is being stolen,” Carusone explained. “As Trump continues to struggle in the polls, the media outlets supporting him will have even more incentive to push these dangerous ideas.”

The speed and believability of these narratives will be greater than in previous elections, Carusone warns. “They’re going to lean into this more aggressively, probably on the front end,” he says. The goal is not just to cast doubt on the election but to activate extremist parts of their audience, making it harder for people to vote and potentially inciting violence.

Carusone believes that early detection of misinformation is crucial to preventing it from spiraling out of control. “Early warning or early detection matters more than anything else,” he said. “If false narratives aren’t caught quickly, they can spread too far to contain. This is why it’s so important for Democrats and media watchdogs to have their “ears to the ground” and respond swiftly.”

However, Carusone also warns that not all misinformation can or should be addressed. “There are things that matter more than others,” he says, noting that some falsehoods won’t significantly affect people’s votes and can be left to fizzle out. “But when it comes to misinformation about voting or ballot boxes, there must be a concerted effort to counteract it before it causes real harm,” he continued.

Carusone emphasizes that who responds to misinformation is just as important as the response itself. “In recent incidents, the most effective pushback didn’t come from mainstream media fact-checkers but from local election officials, like what happened during the debate and the Springfield Ohio official who denied the dog and cat story,” Carusone mentioned.

“It’s a slight difference, but it matters. Right-wing voters are more likely to believe local officials than they are to trust a national outlet like the Washington Post.”

As the election draws near, the role of right-wing media will become even more pronounced, and the dangers it poses should not be underestimated. “From amplifying extremist voices to spreading misinformation about voting, the next few weeks will be a critical time for the integrity of the democratic process,” Carusone’s advised. “It is clear: we must remain vigilant, prepared to combat false narratives, and aware of the real-world consequences of this dangerous media landscape.”