Follow Our Post-Election Media Coverage From 'Between The Coasts'

Whether Donald J. Trump wins the presidency or not on Tuesday, it's fair to say that his campaign has prompted a lot of soul-searching from political journalists about how they do their jobs. From concerns about "fake" news sources to a growing anger towards reporters to complaints against covering the election as a "horse race," everyone seems to have a problem with the media.

And it's the same with America's political class, who worry that Trump's success will only inspire other like-minded people to run for office. Their fear is that someone with Trump's attitudes combined with a lot more discipline and tact will be able to accomplish what Trump has not: permanently change the country's democracy for the worse.

What these stories all have in common is that they treat the Trump campaign as a virus and not a symptom. They see the problem as Trump's attitudes and the beliefs of his loudest supporters as some aberration that wouldn't have happened if everyone was only a bit smarter about America and wiser about "how things work."

Trump's supporters certainly include a healthy number of racists, bigots and misogynists. But there are also legitimate worries at play here and the political and media class has been slow to notice the anger. Many people in the middle part of America rightly feel that they're voices aren't being heard and it's an irony of the 2016 election that the coverage has been focused on Trump and not on some of the underlying forces that made his rise possible. The media missed Trump's rise to power and they seem intent on focusing more on Trump's bluster and erratic behavior than looking at some of the issues that have left him a hair trigger away from the Presidency.

A rare exception to that problem was this impressive piece from "This American Life," which took a look at the growing anti-immigrant sentiment in St. Cloud, MN. Producer Zoe Chace provided a look at how otherwise rational voters can find themselves supporting actions that they would have previously dismissed as un-American. It's the type of reporting that has been in short supply this election season, as the media focused on whatever talking point happened to be the outrage de jour.

I'd like to think that the political media coverage - especially on cable news - will be broader and more inclusive post election. But honestly, that seems unlikely. With so much of the national political press embedded in Washington D.C. & New York, talk will quickly shift to the new Administration and whatever spin each party hopes to use to try and frame the new President's first 100 days. There won't be much time spent on how we got here and what we can do to make things better.

Which is why AllYourScreens plans to devote a sizeable amount of our resources in the coming months to a project we're calling "Between The Coasts." We have a couple of specific goals in mind and they are designed to help fill some gaps in coverage you'll find at outlets that are located closer to the seats of political and media power.

We will be providing media commentary based around one simple premise. What would national political news coverage look like if one of the major cable news channels was based here in Minnesota? Rather than focusing on political wranglings and the arguments that shape conventional wisdom, what issues and personalities matter to someone living a 1,100 miles away from the Beltway? We want to look at the issues and arguments that will likely get scant attention from the national press. Each of these pieces will also look at how the national press should be covering the stories and offer up some suggestions for the Beltway press. We'll be calling out news coverage that is too focused on life inside the media power centers and offer up suggestions on what they can do better the next time.

We will also be highlighting regional and local reporting that we think deserves a bigger audience. In some cases, that just means a quick look at an under-appreciated long read. But that will also include guest posts, interviews and much more.

There are a couple of ways you can follow our coverage. We'll be highlighting the newest pieces on our website in a "Between The Coasts" widget you'll find in the sidebar of each page. And you can subscribe To The "Between The Coasts" newsletter by clicking here. Each day you'll receive a round-up of our coverage, as well as links to other stories and people we think you should be following. The goal is to provide a lively snapshot of the stories and ideas that matter to everyone living outside the big media centers of America.

Have any feedback about our idea? Have a story or a person you think we should be covering? Let me know by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., on our Facebook page or follow me on Twitter at @aysrick.