News Captioning
In CNN broadcasts of daily News, it is normal to have subscripts and captions to explain to viewers the intent of the broadcast if they are joining late, or simply following along. For example, when sharing the weather or traffic, a sub-caption like “Weekly Weather Report for Rhode Island Area” might display below the broadcast. Therefore, these messages carry important weight, because they show the viewer how to interpret what is presented, and can suggest ways of understanding the information that is projected.
Trump Addressing COVID-19
On Wednesday, April 15th, our president Donald Trump addressed covid-19’s active impacts and defends some of the governments responses to the discussions and actions surrounding this pandemic. He defends his reference to coronavirus as the “Wuhan Virus” in addition to addressing his previous negligence of the level of severity this virus contains. What I found most interesting were the sub-captions, as they speak not just to what the President is saying, but how and why he is saying it. This demonstrates the power of the News in eliciting its own opinion, and instilling this view on the public. This can have positive and negative effects, but the impact is never silent. See below for just a few examples from this broadcast.
Responses to Trump’s Broadcast
Below are some responses for those interested in following and understanding the above broadcast and the messages behind Trump’s words and CNNs presentation.
Article from CNN perspective: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/04/seth-meyers-cnn-donald-trump-briefings
Article criticizing CNN: https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2020/04/13/cnn_chyron_at_trump_coronavirus_briefing_angry_trump_turns_briefing_into_propaganda_session.html