5. Shows Media Bias

The other aspect that Johnson can use to his advantage in this gaffe fiasco, is the type of coverage he gets on national news networks, versus that of Trump of Clinton. When the two major party candidates are on TV, they are often lobbed softballs, things we already know the answer to or things that are in their wheelhouse of expertise. Though the media may have hard-hitting questions, they are seemingly often afraid to ask them. They fear that if they do, and if a candidate flubs the question, that candidate may not want to return to the show or network. This would hurt the network’s bottom-line, as candidate appearances drive ratings. With Johnson however, they feel they have nothing to lose, since the Libertarian Party is new to the spotlight, and needs media attention and exposure anywhere they can get it.

Johnson should highlight this fact, and call for tougher questions for Clinton and Trump. He and libertarians can put pressure on the media to dig into the real issues, and not allow them to get away with platitudes written on their campaign websites. He should also point out that when the “gotcha” questions fool foreign policy experts on MSNBC and The New York Times, it seems pretty clear that the question was a set-up.