Diplomacy through DM’s: Politicians in the media

Keeping those rules in mind, I think of President Donald Trump publicly threatening to “blast” Iran “back to the Stone Ages” and warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” on an account with over 100 million followers. To this day, almost every "controversial" thing I’ve seen online feels insignificant compared with that post.

Days after Trump posted this statement, those who saw it learned that the comments were intended as pressure on Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Still, it raises the question of whether such an out-of-pocket statement is necessary to get a political point across. A politician's public image matters because it is the part of them that most people actually see. Social media is one of the few things that connects virtually everyone on the planet, so presenting yourself professionally to millions of people is critical to a politician's image. Since their work depends on earning voters’ support, how they present themselves can affect both their ability to get elected and their ability to govern effectively.


When politicians post inflammatory or inappropriate things online, those statements can consume the public's attention at the expense of more substantial news. For instance, news coverage of Trump’s social media posts has often overshadowed reporting on conflicts such as the instability in Syria following the fall of the Assad regime. It is not necessarily anyone's fault.

As a journalist, it is difficult not to report on something as outrageous as threatening to wipe out an entire civilization. However, this leaves less space for coverage of other pressing global events. It is not that those stories are less important than what politicians are posting online. There are countless significant events unfolding around the world, and as a society, we should want to stay informed about them.