Partisan Echoes & Information Silos: Navigating the Media Landscape of Rural West Texas

Elections & Politics #145 | By: Morgan Davidson| October 8, 2024
Featured Photo: gwtoday.gwu.edu
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More and more, politically aware Americans seem to be having entirely different conversations based on their political affiliations. It’s a running joke in left-leaning media that one would have to frequent fringe message boards like 4Chan or platforms like Truth Social to understand what Trump is talking about. On the other side, you would be hard pressed to find a Republican who knows much or has even heard of the infamous Project 2025 denoting the unfavorability that Republican elites are away it would generate among even their election base.  

While following QAnon conspiracy theories are hardly useful in grasping Trump’s weird comments about windmills or nuking hurricanes, it’s true that the information ecosystems for Democrats and Republicans are increasingly distinct. Each group pays attention to different issues, shaped by their preferred media and partisan interests. In an era where media outlets are driven by clicks and the desire to cater to their audience’s preferences, hyperbole dominates, and the quality of reliable, fact-based reporting diminishes. 

This media division is perhaps most pronounced in rural West Texas, where mainstream outlets like CNN and MSNBC are viewed with disdain, and Fox News reigns supreme. Even here, more far-right sources like Newsmax and OAN have gained traction, especially among those seeking to reinforce their partisan beliefs. 

Analysis 

As noted in my earlier brief on West Texas, voters in this region tend to be older than the state and national averages. This age difference means they rely heavily on traditional media sources like print, radio, and television for their information. While print media is dying in many parts of the country, rural West Texas has been slower to abandon it. Most towns, and nearly every county, still have at least one local newspaper in print. 

One might expect these voters to be loyal to national conservative publications like The Wall Street Journal or The New York Post, but these are rare sights in West Texas outside of major hubs like Amarillo, Lubbock, and Midland/Odessa. Instead, you’re more likely to find The Epoch Times, a far-right outlet that has become popular in these areas. 

Radio remains a dominant force in rural Texas, even though it’s less popular than TV and print. As you lose signal driving through backroads, evangelical sermons mixed with conservative commentary fill the airwaves. Before Rush Limbaugh’s death, radio was arguably the most powerful medium in the region. Today, his replacements, like Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, continue to influence the media landscape, alongside podcasters like Ben Shapiro, whose show has a growing younger audience. 

On TV, Fox News is still king. Among those seeking more partisan content, Newsmax and OAN (when it was available) have strong followings. While all three networks were embroiled in lawsuits over their 2020 election coverage, Fox’s $787 million settlement stands out. Newsmax and OAN reached confidential agreements, but their complicity in pushing disinformation for profit remains clear. 

Among younger conservatives, media habits are shifting. Podcasts, influencers, and platforms like X (formerly Twitter) are becoming more popular. Figures like Tucker Carlson, now unaffiliated with Fox, have found new homes on X, while figures like Andrew Tate and Charlie Kirk capture younger audiences. It’s important to note that some of these figures, including Tate and Steve Bannon, are facing legal consequences—not because of political persecution, but because their content often veers into the realm of dangerous misinformation and other crimes. 

Examples of different coverage can be found on salient issues, such as the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, PA on July 13th. 

Fox News initially covered the story by calling for a reduction in political rhetoric but has since shifted to more dramatic narratives, with headlines like, “Democrats’ Deadly Agenda: Barron Trump Learns His Father’s Been Shot,” and Greg Gutfeld suggesting a civil war because elections “no longer work.” 

CNN and MSNBC, across their platforms, focused on debunking conspiracy theories, with headlines such as “No Evidence Shooter Affiliated with Democratic Party, Law Enforcement Says,” stressing that escalating rhetoric endangers future violence. Both outlets condemned inflammatory speech but emphasized factual reporting. 

Ben Shapiro acknowledged the need to calm political rhetoric, saying the attempt was inevitable due to “both sides fueling the fire.” However, his coverage, while balanced, largely ignored the role of right-wing language in justifying violence. 

Tucker Carlson and Steve Bannon’s War Room framed the attack through conspiratorial lenses. Carlson pushed the idea of “A Larger Elite Plot Against Trump,” while Bannon’s War Room questioned “Who’s Really Behind the Butler Attempt?” Both shows reinforced distrust of official narratives. 

In many ways, it feels like Republicans and Democrats are speaking different languages, and in a sense, they are. As shown by West Texas’ media landscape, Republicans are consuming content that’s far outside the mainstream. Though conservative media figures frequently criticize the “mainstream media” for bias, they’ve built an alternative network that caters to their own biases. In doing so, they’re different from their counterparts on the left, where right-wing media tends to promote pro-Trump narratives, while left-leaning outlets are more often centered around defending democratic norms and institutions, even as both sides seek out news that reinforces their pre-existing beliefs.” 

As party elites signal what their voters should care about, these partisan media networks amplify those issues, often at the expense of factual reporting. It’s no wonder that voters in places like West Texas, immersed in this ecosystem, develop a worldview that feels increasingly detached from that of their Democratic counterparts. The rise of conservative media outlets shows there is no silencing of conservative voices—rather, their reach is expanding, with consequences for how political conversations play out across the country. 

 


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