Networks Thinking About Cultivation

A Trump campaign ad aired just before the midterm elections featuring an illegal immigrant from mexico, Luis Bracamontes, who was convicted of murdering two California police officers. The ad links this individual to the “caravan” of migrants from Central America. The ad says, “Dangerous illegal criminals like cop-killer Luis Bracamontes don’t care about our laws. Stop the caravan. Vote Republican.” The link between Bracamontes and these migrants is baseless and racist.

While CNN refused the ad from the start, NBC aired the ad during primetime Sunday night football. The ad aired on Facebook and Fox News as well. After backlash from the public, including an NBC star, Debra Messing, NBC, Facebook, and even Fox pulled the ad. These big players in media are realizing the responsibility they have. Because of cultivation, what viewers see on TV greatly influences the way they see real-world issues. Especially when this content is presented as truth, viewers consciously and subconsciously digest the facts and harsh language used surrounding immigration issues.

While pulling this ad was an important recognition of the power the media has, the controversy unfortunately has given the ad even more attention that it would have had otherwise.