This is actually the result of journalism failing to actually spell out each candidate's position. Yes, you can suss it out if you read enough but who has time to read that much?

It's easy to call this guy stupid instead of asking why is it that info not getting to them? https://twitter.com/crampell/status/1312929924089606145

I was actually complaining to a friend today about this specific point.

As part of my job I've had to summarize policy. Almost invariably reading the news article on those policies did not make clear what the policies actually stated.

I had to go to the federal register.

I have a degree in public policy and it was literally my job - I was being financially compensated for this - so yeah I had the time and education to figure it out. Even then I sometimes had to consult colleagues.

Expecting the majority of people to do this is a stretch.

This, btw, is the actual role of journalism. Not this inside the beltway pick a side bullshit. Making clear in plain language the convoluted language of policy, so that the public can make informed decisions.

As an industry, we've abdicated our duty in favor of palace intrigue.

I know some journalists who are incredible at distilling public policy into things that are way more accessible. Uniformly, they've been hired by big publications and their talents wasted.

It's not the skill that's lacking - Big Name pubs mostly don't want it.