“Mobius-strip Journalism” Is A Polite Term For…

This is one of the results when journalists who report on elections orient themselves by reference to what other journalists are saying. (My term for it is Möbius strip journalism.) Another example is when they say, "that tactic worked because, look, we're all talking about it." https://t.co/6HjsDmnQSS

— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) October 28, 2022

"Follow The Narrative" journalism:

The “fresh evidence that the Republicans are poised to retake Congress” is that they’re not winning in any of these four polls of “archetypal swing districts,” and they’re losing one by double digits. https://t.co/aJBJfvPUOZ pic.twitter.com/ErCNqVKFl8

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) October 28, 2022

Especially in election reporting, no one wants to be outside the narrative, even when the narrative is contradicted by the news (I will not call polls “facts”). The “horse race,” above all, must be maintained to the bitter end.

Nobody wants to be caught outside the narrative. That would be like not sitting at the lunch table with the kewl kids.