This film, nominated for two 2021 Emmy Awards, is an hourlong examination of the national political press and its coverage of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Top reporters lift the veil on the former president’s toxic relationship with the national news media – and the role they played in the drama. The film explores questions that continue to resonate today about the decline of the public’s trust in the press.
Enemies of the People: Trailer
This minute long trailer gives a sneak peek into “Enemies of the People.”
Enemies of the People: (Media Mistakes Excerpt)
In this excerpt top national political reporters admit mistakes in their reporting on the 2016 election campaign, from inaccurate polling to a misunderstanding of the political sentiments of large swaths of American voters.
Enemies of the People: (CNN’s Missteps Excerpt)
In this excerpt from CEO Jeff Zucker acknowledges missteps in CNN’s 2016 campaign coverage, when many media outlets covered Donald Trump’s campaign as a spectacle that produced higher ratings.
Enemies of the People: (False Equivalency Excerpt)
This excerpt explores how the journalistic instinct for “balanced” reporting on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in 2016 played out, in particular when it came to coverage of the Clinton email investigation.
Enemies of the People: (Historical Excerpt)
This excerpt explores the history of tensions between the press and presidents, charges of liberal media bias and the decline in public trust in journalism.
