In the final days of the long US presidential election campaign, Mediaweek spoke with the ABC’s US correspondent Carrington Clarke.
He covers the US alongside two colleagues, ABC North America bureau chief Jade Macmillan and foreign correspondent Barbara Miller.
Although Clarke got his first taste of reporting during a stint at Sky News, he actually started his media career at the ABC. “I came across [to journalism] relatively late after being an economist, in my late 20s.
“While still a university student in journalism, doing my masters at UTS, I had a very, very junior position on Fran Kelly’s program when she was hosting RN Breakfast.” The role involved writing digital articles and helping post the daily podcast.
Carrington Clarke then spent three years with Sky News Australia. Mediaweek was lucky enough to work with him on some episodes of Mediaweek TV which ran for a decade on the channel.
His more important work at Sky News included working as a producer, then reporter, then a presenter.
Departing Sky News, Clarke settled at the ABC, first joining the business team under Ian Verrinder.
He started hosting the Friday edition of the TV show The Business. But he was restless for a role as a foreign correspondent. He next spent time with 7.30 before his first overseas posting for the ABC in Seoul, South Korea. He spent 12 months there before moving to the US for what he told Mediaweek is “the best job in the world”.
His time at Sky News prepared him for what lay ahead. “Sky is definitely a baptism of fire. It’s a lean operation. You have to have the ability to do everything.
“I was producing live television within a couple of weeks of arriving. There is a huge amount of trust given to new staff.
“You have to learn how to do everything when it comes to television production. And you are given the freedom to sink or swim. That was super helpful.
“It’s particularly good as a training ground for live crosses and live television generally. It’s just you up there trying to fill a huge amount of air time with interesting, engaging content.”
Carrington Clarke on the campaign trail
Clarke added the ABC too is an important training ground for journalism. “The rigour is extraordinary. There are very experienced, excellent journalists from whom I’ve been able to learn. The same was also true at Sky News.”
Colleagues at Sky News included several now also at the ABC, including David Speers and David Lipson.
After arriving in the US in early 2022, it seems he’s been on the campaign trail ever since. “It feels like I really have been working toward this week, which is quite exciting, but also quite daunting.
“It doesn’t feel completely real at the moment. But it is, it feels extraordinary that it’s this close. The polls are obviously still very tight.
“It’s not like we have a better understanding now than we had even a few months ago about who is going to actually win this thing.
“Watching the American system at play is an amazing opportunity, but difficult to fully comprehend.
“The way they play politics here is just extraordinary theatre, obviously, but also hugely monumental and influential, both for this country, but also for the world. That’s why the ABC has such a big team in the United States.
“What happens in Washington DC will shape the way the world operates, particularly when you have two such contrasting visions for the role that America should play globally.
“Donald Trump is promising the most isolationist policy framework in recent history. You have to go back to the start of the 20th century to see somebody who was promising to slap tariffs on other countries in the way that he’s promising. He will basically pull back from most of America’s military commitments around the world.
“Versus Kamala Harris, who is promising a continuation of the Biden administration’s policies when it comes to foreign policy, in large part, including obligations to allies and commitment to multilateral institutions like NATO. It’s hugely important for Australia, which obviously has a huge amount invested in the relationship with America, including when it comes to our defence capabilities.”
Media coverage of the campaign
There has long been a large number of reporters covering this election. It comes with some challenges, said Clarke.
“It’s quite difficult to get media access to even very large events. Not only are you competing with a huge number of local media who want access, but you’re also dealing now with non-traditional media operators – podcasters, YouTube channels – a range of different types of people who are providing their own form of media.
“What has been a major change in this election campaign is how the different campaigns have been in utilising these new forms of media, bypassing traditional mainstream media, in order to go after the audiences they want.
“I just did a piece about what appears to be the greatest gender gap we’ve seen in recent American politics, particularly among young people. Young people traditionally are supportive of the Democratic Party, but in this campaign, the polling suggests that young women are fully signed up to the Kamala Harris campaign. They’re particularly passionate about things like the right to abortion.
“But young men seem to be becoming more entranced by the Republican side of things, and Donald Trump has this army of young, particularly white, male supporters. What he’s doing very effectively is talking to the media they’re consuming via TikTok or YouTube or podcasts. He’s able to relay that message directly to them in a way that previous Presidential campaigns just wouldn’t have.
“Traditionally they would have gone for the big sit-down 60 Minutes interview. Donald Trump didn’t do 60 Minutes, but he gave three hours to Joe Rogan. That kind of sums it all up.
“Kamala Harris is doing a similar campaign, but going after different segments. She knows she’s doing well with young women. She went on the Call Her Daddy podcast to talk about reproductive rights, and that’s seen as an effective way of communicating to an audience that might not otherwise be engaged.
“One of the fundamental differences between the American and Australian system is voting is voluntary here. A major ambition for the parties is to get people motivated enough that they’re willing to go out and vote.”
Carrington Clarke on a live cross to the ABC
Providing the ABC audience news and current affairs
“There is a huge audience appetite for American news,” said Clarke. “The numbers suggest the audience is really engaged, particularly in recent times, although this has been an extraordinary campaign. There have been many historic moments. Two assignation attempts. You had a president pull out of the campaign after what appeared to be a debilitating debate performance. Interest seems to be even growing and growing as we’re getting closer to it.”
The ABC workload is split between the North American team. “It’s been a combination of sometimes doing shifts. Myself, Barbara Miller and Jade McMillan are over here as the three correspondents. They’re both fantastically talented, brilliant broadcasters and writers who I’m very lucky to work with.
“We also have a team of producers over here and great camera operators as well. We have all been travelling recently to try to get to those key swing states and understand exactly what is going to motivate people to vote here in America.
“One of the key strategic aims of the news division of the ABC is to make sure that we’re getting our content to where people want to consume it.”
Don’t ask Carrington Clarke for a prediction
No one feels sure as to what the result could be. There is growing consensus about one thing. “We don’t think we’ll have a result on the day,” said Clarke. “We also think there are likely to be legal battles in the following days and weeks about how the votes have been counted, if it is particularly close, as the polls suggest.”
The only prediction Clarke was willing to share was regarding a result timeline.
“The best prediction I’ve seen so far is that maybe we’ll see a result by the Saturday after the election.” He’s said he’s not sure just how much sleep he’ll get during that time between the poll closing and a result.
Clarke shared some final thoughts on Donald Trump. “It seems like the country is still genuinely polarised by whether or not he’s been a force for good or a force for evil. To think that there are still people who haven’t made up their minds about him seems extraordinary.
“This is a high-stakes event for him because obviously, he wants to establish himself as a winner in the history books. If he doesn’t, then there are major legal obstacles potentially ahead of him next year.”