It isn’t the first time Donald Trump has been called a sideshow.
On Friday, the Huffington Post cited the presidential candidate’s exhibitionist behavior as reason enough to move all coverage of his campaign to its Entertainment section. Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim and editorial director Danny Shea made the announcement in a note, writing: “If you are interested in what The Donald has to say, you’ll find it next to our stories on the Kardashians and The Bachelorette.”
It’s a strong stance for a news outlet to banish the coverage of a candidate who is leading polls for the Republican nomination — Trump secured 17 percent support in a Suffolk University/USA Today survey released this week. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush garnered 14 percent.
Some observers wondered whether it was the Huffington Post’s call to make. Others merely questioned the website’s definition of “entertainment.”
Either way, it’s being met with mixed reactions from the media community, which, naturally, aired its opinions on Twitter:
Brilliant decision by the Huffington Post. https://t.co/EA0jkOkp8s pic.twitter.com/EnVKQ1rA5i
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) July 17, 2015
It is not up to The Huffington Post or any other publication to decide which candidates are legitimate. That’s not how this works.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 17, 2015
HuffPo moving Trump to the Entertainment section is also–seriously–an insult to Entertainment, which shouldn’t just be “the dumb news.” — James Poniewozik (@poniewozik) July 17, 2015
HuffPo thinks it’s marginalizing Trump when it’s only marginalizing itself. — Jack Shafer (@jackshafer) July 17, 2015
HuffPo covers Trump “campaign” as entertainment, not politics: A statement and a truth. https://t.co/K77m1VEn8S
— Jeff Jarvis (@jeffjarvis) July 17, 2015
What’s the over/under on how long before @realDonaldTrump‘s name shows up in HuffPo’s politics section? 72 hours? 48? 24?
— Nick Martin (@nickmartin) July 17, 2015
More in Media
From brand deals to equity deals: creators want a stake, not just a fee
The creator economy is moving into a new phase: creators getting into companies at the ground floor through sweat equity or angel investing.
Media Briefing: Publishers question whether personalization actually pays off
Publishers are personalizing newsletters to get more value from readers, but questions remain over whether it’s a meaningful differentiator.
Publishers’ scorecard on Google’s ad tech remedies: they’re progress, but far from a clean win
After years of waiting for the DOJ to finally curb Google’s ad tech power, publishers are finding the devil in these new remedies.