In this hour-long film, nominated for two Emmy Awards, journalists who covered Donald Trump during the 2016 race for the White House critique their role in the former president’s rise to power.
- Film Viewing Guide
- Lesson Plan: The Media’s Role in Campaign Coverage
- Student Activity: The Media’s Role in Campaign Coverage
- Student Activity: Journalists and Press Freedoms – Quantitative Analysis FRQ
- Student Activity: Trust in Mass Media – Quantitative Analysis Practice FRQ
- Lesson Plan: News Media and Politics
- Student Activity: News Media and Politics
Enemies of the People: Trailer
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.