In today’s particularly tense geopolitical landscape, the 2024 U.S. election will be decisive not just for the United States but for the world. During Democracy Week 2024, an event co-organised by the Albert Hirschman Centre on Democracy (AHCD) and the Geneva Graduate Institute with the support of the Permanent Mission of the United States delved into key characteristics of the U.S. media landscape and how these might impact the campaign and election, and thus impact the state of democracy in the U.S. and globally. It featured distinguished experts, including Rodney Benson, Professor of Media, Culture, and Communication at New York University, Jussi Hanhimäki, Professor of International History and Politics at the Graduate Institute, and Irene Khan, UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Freedom of Opinion and Expression, and was moderated by Stephanie Nebehay, Journalist, former Reuters’ Geneva Bureau Chief and Contributor to weekly Geneva Observer.
AHCD Executive Director Christine Lutringer welcomed the audience by highlighting the urgency of addressing these issues during such a critical electoral year in the U.S. She emphasized that democracy is facing unprecedented challenges from polarization and media fragmentation.
State Chancellor of the Republic and State of Geneva Michelle Righetti-El Zayadi noted the rising threat of affective polarization—the growing hostility between political camps—in many democracies. She emphasized that this division has been exacerbated by misinformation and conspiracy theories, which have gained traction through increasingly partisan media outlets. "Democracy is not easy; it is complex," she said, stressing that the role of the media as the "fourth estate" is critical in countering these threats to democratic discourse.
In a keynote speech, Rodney Benson traced the historical transformation of the U.S. media ecosystem, contrasting the relatively stable media environment of the 1980s and 1990s, where shared journalistic norms prevailed, with today’s fragmented and profit-driven media landscape. He pointed out that immigration, a central theme of the 2024 U.S. election, has been at the heart of extreme political rhetoric since 2015, with the media playing a pivotal role in shaping public perception. Benson noted three core challenges threatening democracy today: misinformation originating from political elites, media systems driven by profit maximisation, and the fragmentation of audiences into partisan bubbles. He argued that while public service broadcasters still provide more nuanced coverage, their influence is increasingly overshadowed by commercial media, which thrives on sensationalism.
Jussi Hanhimäki then provided a historical perspective, arguing that the U.S. has long been a deeply divided country, a situation exacerbated by the end of the Cold War. He suggested that the current polarization, while heightened in recent years, has roots in long-standing political divisions that were exacerbated as the media landscape transformed. He also noted that the U.S.’s political divisions have made it more vulnerable to the kinds of threats Rodney Benson identified.
Irene Khan pointed to the human rights implications of the current media environment, reflecting on the U.S. as the world’s oldest surviving democracy. "The First Amendment was written in the 18th century," she said, raising concerns that free speech frameworks are being tested by today’s digital media and social media platforms. Khan stressed that access to reliable information is not just a democratic necessity but a fundamental human right. She pointed out that social media platforms, particularly Elon Musk’s X, are driving polarisation by prioritising content that fuels division. The "free speech absolutism" of such platforms, she warned, is dangerous when it enables the spread of harmful misinformation.
Despite these challenges, Rodney Benson stressed that public engagement and participation, even in an era of polarisation, are "alive and kicking” in the United States.