When candidate Donald Trump talked about the system being rigged, he was referring to the politicization of the Justice Department, various factions of the establishment, and state antiquated voter ID mechanisms, but it was his charges of a dishonest partisan media that was in the forefront.
Have you heard that The New York Times Publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. promises that the paper would “reflect” on its coverage of the election while rededicating itself to reporting on American and the world honestly.
His move was the result of coverage disgust from readers. “Now that the world has been upended and you are all, to a person, in a state of surprise and shock, “wrote Kathleen Casey of Houston, “you may want to consider whether you should change your focus from telling the reader what and how to think, and instead devote yourselves to finding out what the reader (and nonreaders) actually think.”
While Sulzberger continued to insist that his staff had “reported on both candidates fairly,” Michael Goodwin of The New York Post responded,” If the paper had reported on both candidates fairly, it wouldn’t need to rededicate itself to honest reporting.
For the uninformed, recognize that many national news sources – the AP, local TV outlets and local newspapers – take their lead and often quote the Times, known as the paper of record ; thus, its often how those in flyover country form opinions.
Like the Times, the left-leaning Washington Post, is also quoted across the nation. The WP columns of Dana Milbank, which often appear in my small hometown paper, are a good example. In his latest piece, he shares his thoughts with his seventh-grade daughter, beginning with “This is a sad day for our country. I want you to know that I did everything I could to prevent this from happening. My efforts and those of many others came up short.” He recalled writing about the things Trump said, the terrible things he could do if elected, and told her that he was “deeply worried for the nation.”
Surely, you have heard people talk about the “fear” they have with a Trump presidency. You can thank much of the media for hyping that fear.
Let’s face it, journalism is dead in America. Reporters for newspapers and TV networks are held in check by their publishers and news directors. Ever notice how identical words and themes that emanate from the DNC talking points find their way into news coverage?
You will recall how CNN was linked to the feeding of questions to Hillary Clinton prior to debates. Then there was MSNBC’s Chris Mathews mumbling “that’s a bitch,” on-air after learning North Carolina went to Trump. ABC Correspondent Martha Raddatz was visibly fighting back tears on election night.
The problem is that most of the people don’t understand the difference between reporters/correspondents and commentators, with the latter permitted to give an opinion. And that goes for individuals in the business.
How disappointing it was to hear Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, of “All the President’s Men” fame, in separate interviews recently. Woodward, who put together a team of 20 Washington Post writers to uncover dirt on Trump, struck me as a whiner in losing. Bernstein, who wrote a biography on Hillary, was obviously at a loss for words.
I am currently reading Kimberly Strassel’s book, “The Intimidation Game,” How the Left is Silencing Free Speech, the latest in a string of books by journalists, including Sharyl Attkisson, Kirsten Powers, Katie Pavlich and Judith Miller, who have chronicled the demise of the Fourth Estate.
I am hopeful that Trump’s successful identification of much of the media as dishonest will bring about a recognition of the need to return to honesty and integrity in news organizations, top to bottom. Probably wishful thinking.
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