How One of the Most Popular Pop-Culture Magazines Heavily Influences Political Bias
Complex Magazine- although a popular spot for ALL things pop-culture and young adult/teen- is one of the many outlets that cannot seem to shake their biases when reporting on anything politics. So why are outlets, such as Complex, “toxic” platforms for those who are easily influenced by social media.
By: Keegan Hartman
Complex Magazine (“@Complex” on Instagram), during the November elections, went from a common resource that I, like many younger adults, utilized to look at pop-culture news. I would commonly peruse their Instagram and Twitter accounts to find some cool reads on hip-hop (my favorite music genre), fashion (sneakers), and sports. Then, when November elections rolled around, I noticed that Complex would promote “Go out and vote”, and at the same time, promote propaganda for the democratic party. As a libertarian, who, to be honest, was not (and I am not, still) high on either presidential candidate that ran last year, I was disappointed but not surprised in how they promoted the election to the younger crowd.
For those unfamiliar with Complex/Complex Magazine’s startup, a little background: Complex Media/Complex Networks was started by Marc Ecko in 2002. The magazine company’s main offices are located in New York, NY where the magazine’s owner hones from. In fact, Complex’s founder, Marc Ecko, in 2019, contributed $3,000 of his own money to democratic senators and the “ACTBLUE” campaign. Of those aforementioned senators, according to www.campaignmoney.com , Ecko donated $1,500 to Pennsbury School Board member (of Bucks County, PA) Debbie Wachspress. However, Wachspress aspirations for running for congress (a 1st District Congressional Bid in 2019) was short lived. In February of 2020, Wachspress ended her campaign following allegations of her using racial and homophobic slurs in a meeting.
In addition, the other half of that $3,000 donated by Ecko, according to www.campaignmoney.com , was allocated to the non-profit organization ActBlue. ActBlue, which was started back in June of 2004, again, was an organization that was started to financially back “left-leaning nonprofits”, “Democratic candidates”, and “progressive groups” through individual donors by providing online fundraising software(s).
Complex, just like many mediums we utilize to seek the news, has aligned itself with the Game Schema Theory. Through their posts on their magazine’s social media, it’s obvious they choose sides- the Democratic party. Like the Among Us themed post above, you can withdraw that they are not to heavy on one candidate, but at the same time, they are giving advice to young voters, urging them to “go out and vote”. If you preach that notion, then allow for a balance in candidacy information. If you truly want people to seek the polls and vote for the candidate they feel is right for the job, provide research for both candidates running, but don’t brainwash voters with the negatives and slander prejudice towards a certain candidate.
It’s one thing to have an opinion, it’s another thing to be somewhat hypocritical, when your magazine promotes “Go out and vote”, and at the same time promote a certain presidential candidate through your posts. This is why I believe pop-culture magazines, out of anyone in this world, should stay out of politics. Why? Because we already see majority opinion displayed on outlets such as CNN, FOX News, NBC, and ABC. If anything, if you do talk politics, blogs and news networks need to learn the fundamentals: being objective. Honestly, it’s a rarity in news outlets anymore and it’s dangerous, in that, it can cause this “divide”. One side stays right of the spectrum, and one side stays left.