Media Ethics in the 2024 US Election: Algorithmic Bias on X and the Political Influencer Pipeline

This paper examines media bias in the 2024 US presidential election, looking at two ethical problems. The first is the way X’s algorithm was used to favour Donald Trump’s campaign after Elon Musk took ownership of the platform and openly backed him. The second is the campaign’s reliance on “manosphere” podcasters and streamers, whose political content often reached young male audiences without clear disclosure of the relationship with the campaign. Using Social Responsibility Theory and the idea of algorithmic accountability, the paper argues that platform owners and political influencers have duties to be transparent with the public. It closes with recommendations for platform governance, disclosure rules and media literacy.