7 Times Mainstream Media Snubbed Andrew Yang
By Jin Hyun
Andrew Yang is a democratic presidential candidate loved by many, regardless of political affiliation, racial background or socioeconomic status.
He is not, however, very favorable among major media outlets — or at least it appears that way considering the consistent snubs.
The tech entrepreneur turned politician has evolved from the underdog of the race to a fan favorite for many Democrats and Republicans alike. His ever-so-loyal #YangGang has been vocal about the potential media bias and openly mocked news outlets who have undermined the Democrat’s accomplishments on the campaign tour.
For those who are struggling to remember, here’s a list of some of the most memorable snubs to jog your memory.
1. He was left out of MSNBC’s list of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates
In June 2019, when Andrew Yang was beginning to gain more widespread support and publicity, the Democratic presidential candidate was left out of a graphic created by MSNBC which displayed all of the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates.
At this point, Yang did meet the polling and fundraising thresholds to join the June 26 debates but failed to receive any glowing praise, respect or recognition from media outlets.
2. His mic was suspiciously turned off during a debate
Viewers couldn’t help but notice that Yang was unusually silent during the June 27 Democratic presidential debates. A day after this incident, he immediately spoke to his supporters, stating, “There were also a few times, FYI, where I just started talking, being like, ‘Hey, I’d like to add something there,’ and my mic was not on. It’s not like if you start talking it all of a sudden takes over the convo. It’s like I was talking and nothing was happening.”
While NBC later pushed back by claiming that, “At no point during the debate was any candidate’s microphone turned off or muted,” the hashtag #LetYangSpeak had already become widely used on Twitter at this point.
In the following days, videos surfaced supporting Yang’s claim as certain camera angles caught Yang on video speaking into the microphone without being heard.
3. He was kicked out of the September debates less than 24 hours after being accepted
Less than 24 hours after announcing to his followers that he had qualified for the third and fourth Democratic primary debates, Yang received an abrupt email from the DNC, telling him that he had failed to submit four polls that proved he received at least 2%. Apparently, the two polls submitted by the candidate — a July 11 poll from NBC and The Wall Street Journal and a July 19 poll by NBC and SurveyMonkey — could only be counted as one poll as they were both conducted by NBC.
“By the DNC’s own rules, the Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Fox News, and Quinnipiac are all approved organizations, and thus Andrew Yang has qualified for the fall debates. We disagree with the DNC decision and are disappointed with the ruling,” campaign manager Zach Graumann wrote in an email to Yang’s loyal supporters.
“It is frustrating to see the rules be changed mid-game, but our campaign has overcome every obstacle placed in our path, and we will continue to upset the establishment well into 2020.”
In the end, Yang eventually qualified again for the fall debates under the DNC’s guidelines.
4. He was excluded in a graphic in favor of a lower-polling candidate
CNN was mocked by Twitter users and avid supporters of Yang after excluding the candidate in a “New Day” chyron in favor of a lower-polling candidate. While Beto O’Rourke polled at 1%, he was still pictured in the graphic but Yang, who polled at 3%, was omitted.
This prompted the #YangGang to roll out the #YangMediaBlackout hashtag to show support for their candidate and accused mainstream media of being biased against the unconventional candidate.
Yang’s campaign spokesperson Randy Jones told Business Insider that this was an honest mistake, stating, “When the inexcusable graphics were brought to our attention we immediately reached out to CNN. They responded quickly, pledged to remove the incorrect graphics and offered a sincere apology. We have had a productive working relationship with the network thus far and expect that to continue.”
5. MSNBC referred to him as “John Yang”
During a news segment in September covering a viral video of the Democratic presidential candidate crowd surfing at the Asian American and Pacific Islander Democratic Presidential Forum in Costa Mesa, California., MSNBC incorrectly referred to Andrew Yang as “John Yang.”
Anchor Yasmin Vossoughian was covering the story and said, “And John Yang, living his best life, crowd surfing — Andrew Yang, excuse me — crowd surfing on the campaign trail.”
A chyron also displayed the sentence, “JOHN YANG CROWD SURFS ON 2020 TRAIL.”
6. He was left out of a CNN graphic for campaign fundraising
Recently, the 2020 presidential candidate was omitted in a CNN graphic detailing the Democratic candidates with the top fundraising totals. Despite earning $10 million, Yang was left out of the graphic which included Senator Cory Booker who raised $6 million.
“It’s an odd choice to omit the candidate who raised $10 million from this graphic,” Yang wrote in a tweet.
“Maybe next time we should raise $20 million!”
CNN was not the only media outlet to make this mistake, however, as MSNBC was also caught picturing Cory Booker in their graphics instead of Yang, but reportedly updated the graphic for future use following the backlash.
7. A New York Times advertisement made him look shorter
The New York Times was called out for its inaccurate depiction of the candidate’s height in one of their advertisements titled “October Democratic Debate: The Biggest Stage Ever.” Not only did Yang appear shorter in stature compared to his real height, but fellow candidate Pete Buttigieg was also pictured standing on Yang’s foot.
After the backlash, NYT Politics Editor Patrick Healy corrected Yang’s height, as well as the heights of several other candidates, explaining, “The graphic will never be exact because of photo perspective and angles, as well as factors like shoes and posture. We have been scrutinizing the graphic and have made adjustments to the appearances of Yang, Sanders, Harris, and Klobuchar, again with the aim of getting it right.”
Featured Image (left) via Getty
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