Are Leaders Chosen By The People Or By The Media? #151 | The Zod & Drea Podcast & Travel Blog

Subscribe: RSS

We’ve seen our share of leaders in the world. Or, at least we’ve read about them. Sometimes, they come out of nowhere and have an army of people behind them. Bernie Sanders comes to mind as a leader who rallied up the troops and they believed in him enough to follow. Even before him, Ron Paul, had a following of people with a built up belief system somewhat like Sanders. I remember them writing “Revolution” everywhere during that 2008 election where leader, President Obama won the office with his huge share of followers.

Media breeding leaders

But where did people like this come from? Why did they have that “umph” that caused so many people to fall for their speeches, ideas, or their brand of leadership? Was it their words or simply the media? The media has been instrumental in helping shape minds with audiences before. During the first televised presidential debate, John F. Kennedy squared off with Richard Nixon. The tanned Kennedy was seen next to a shifty-eyed, pale Nixon with bad make-up. The close race wound up with Nixon losing yet half of the voters showing out in record numbers due to the media coverage.

Dr. Martin Luther King Reaching — Dr. King had the community on his back supporting him.

Leaders who are from and attached to their communities usually have a natural following. Take Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for instance. He has famously led people on marches, boycotts, and confrontations with people who openly hated him. Yet, the people believed in him and his beliefs so much, they’d march in the bowels of the Devil. And at that time, that’s close to where they’d wind up. The people had his back and the media covered every piece. Which brings us to today…

24-hour news cycle effect

Clown Trump in front of his minions — Trump uses the media to gain reach.

With a 24-hour news cycle, the most outrageous people wind up in the news circulation of the day. With Trump running for president for the 2016 election, he started off saying ridiculous things about immigrants south of the border. He aimed toward the borderline and overtly racist Americans and they ate up every word with many still believing in his lies over the truths exposed by the media. His leadership is fueled by the media due to them covering every single time he speaks, thus building his foundation. Nobody paid much attention to him until the media did. Today, it’s the same thing: whenever Trump does the usual and gets in front of a camera or crowd, there’s CNN, Fox and MSNBC ready to broadcast it so as not to be left out. Thus, building more people to follow him.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in front of crowd — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the unlikely winner stomping on the establishment

Unlikely leaders build momentum

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was a surprise leader who nobody noticed until she won her seat from the incumbent, Joe Crowley. Her rise was swift and her media outlet, Twitter, was her way of gaining many more followers on her own. The media outlets followed after she became famous by reporting on the negative feedback she’d get from Conservatives as well as her clapback responses!

So, what do you think? Are leaders born or are they largely the making of the media — whether on purpose or accidentally? Join in on this podcast to see what we think. Click in to listen or subscribe via iTunes, Google Play, or others!

Also:
Entertainment: “Shazam” (2019)
Relationships: Zod needs another vacation!

Shortlink for this post: https://znd.mx/QOjZw