Teen Vogue makes ‘nonpartisan’ election guide by changing what ‘nonpartisan’ means
August 1, 2024
Teen Vogue claims to offer its young, impressionable readers a nonpartisan guide to the election. However, the result appears blatantly biased in favor of the Democratic Party, stretching the term “nonpartisan” to its breaking point.
Here’s an excerpt from its coverage:
To highlight where Harris and Trump stand on key issues, Guides.vote shared its nonpartisan guide with Teen Vogue.
Abortion: Ban or Legal?
Harris: Legal. “Every woman should have the right to make decisions about her own body.” Harris emphasizes that “this fight is about freedom.” Under the Biden administration, she has strengthened access to abortion pills, provided protections for abortion patients, and overturned Trump’s federal funding ban on Planned Parenthood. She would sign a national abortion rights bill if Congress passed one.
Trump: Ban. “After 50 years of failure, I was able to kill Roe v. Wade.” Trump achieved this by appointing three anti-abortion Supreme Court Justices, calling it “a miracle.” He believes states should decide for themselves, potentially monitoring women’s pregnancies and prosecuting women for getting abortions. To Trump, abortion is “really not that big an issue.”
The guide presents Harris in a positive light, aligning her with progressive values, while depicting Trump negatively. This portrayal contradicts the conventional understanding of “nonpartisan” as unbiased and neutral.
The term “nonpartisan” is being redefined here to mean “non-political party partisan” or simply not explicitly endorsing a political party. Despite this, the descriptions and evidence remain heavily biased.
Guides.vote, the source of this guide, lists its partners, none of which appear to be centrist or aligned with the broader political spectrum. This “nonpartisan” label is misleading, suggesting a lack of direct affiliation with the Democratic Party while clearly pushing a partisan agenda.
This tactic isn’t new in politics. Those with strong partisan views often claim the “nonpartisan” space to appear unbiased. Teen Vogue’s use of this guide misleads and misinforms its readers, essentially turning them into propagandists for progressive policies while claiming to offer neutral information.