The media, for all their faults, did not elect Donald Trump. His supporters knew exactly what they were doing. They heard it all—the racism, the misogyny, the personal attacks, the Russia connection, Trump University, and on and on and on. And they decided they’d rather vote for a bomb-thrower than continue with the status quo. 

On this day of all days, I am loath to cite polling as a way of explaining anything. But as Bill Schneider wrote for Reuters, exit polls revealed that only 38 percent of voters believed Trump was qualified to be president, compared to 52 percent for Hillary Clinton. What does that tell you? 

The angst and recriminations are well under way. Media folks are asking themselves how they could have missed the signs that Trump might win. It will be days, weeks, or months before we have an answer to that question—if ever. But I don’t want to get too deep into the handwringing without reminding you that Clinton actually won the popular vote. Yes she underperformed by a lot. But the Democratic coalition still proved itself to be larger than what the Republicans were able to muster. Not that it matters, thanks to the vagaries of the Electoral College. Weren’t we going to get rid of that 16 years ago, when Al Gore was similarly denied the presidency? 

Now, I certainly don’t want to give the media a pass. They failed in many ways. Let me identify two: Television executives, especially those in cable news, gave Trump way too much unfiltered airtime early on in the mistaken belief that they could use his celebrity to drive up ratings without having to worry that people would actually vote for him. And the media’s congenital predilection for balance too often led to false equivalence. Thus Clinton’s email problems were treated as seriously as any number of major Trump scandals, and her “basket of deplorables” remark was cast as a misstep on a par with Trump’s demented attacks on a Gold Star family. 

I also want to caution the media against characterizing what happened as a “Trump surge.” As we were often told, Clinton and Trump were historically unpopular nominees. Well, as it turns out, if you have two unpopular candidates, then people are likely to stay home. And they did. Trump’s 59.5 million votes were 1.4 million below Mitt Romney’s total in 2012. The problem for Clinton was that she got 6.2 million fewer votes than President Obama did four years ago. The story of 2016 wasn’t turnout—it was lack of turnout. 

So why did Clinton lose? There are many theories. I’m sure sexism played a role, as did Republican mudslinging over a variety of so-called Clinton scandals, most of them overblown. But the single most important factor, in my opinion, was that she simply had been around too long. Political figures have a shelf life, and Hillary Clinton has been on the national stage for 25 years. Coming back from her defeat eight years ago and winning the Democratic nomination was a remarkable achievement. Winning the presidency turned out to be one goal too far. 

On Wednesday, my Northeastern colleagues and I hosted a conversation with students about the election. Our students always impress me, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that their comments and questions focused on substance rather than emotion. Why were the polls so wrong? Why didn’t the press do a better job of talking to Trump supporters? How can we avoid such mistakes in the future? For all the financial challenges that the news business faces, I feel hopeful that the next generation will prove more than capable of fulfilling journalism’s role in a democratic society. 

Finally, I’ve been thinking about what Trump’s victory means to me, my family, my friends, and my neighbors. And one thing that strikes me is that we (and by “we” I mean “I”) have gotten too caught up in national affairs at the expense of our communities. The big national media outlets, including newspapers like the New York Times and the Washington Post, are doing OK. It’s the regional and local news organizations that are really hurting, and that are the key to building civic engagement. 

So—to slightly recast Brian Stelter’s recent commentary on CNN—buy a subscription to your big regional daily newspaper—and to your local paper as well. Make a donation to your local public broadcaster. Get involved in community access television. Write a neighborhood blog. 

Unlike the weather, you can do something about the media. Think of it as a way of maintaining your sanity in the Age of Trump.