In his important year-end post for his site PressThink, New York University journalism professor and critic Jay Rosen warned, "the world has changed and journalists are in the fight of their lives." Rosen's point is that the way for journalism to earn trust has changed because users now have more choices and more control. He then provides a thoughtful list of ways is which journalists can win trust through transparency.
But how does one win the trust of everyone in the era of Trump, who now is a bully with the White House pulpit? The president proudly claimed in an interview with the Fox Business Channel last October that he "started this whole fake news thing." Of course, that is not true. In fact, according to the Washington Post, "President Trump has made 1,950 false or misleading claims over 347 days."
That the president frequently lies is not fake news, and it is not new news. A Morning Consult/Political poll last December found that only 36% of those sampled thought the president is honest. In fact, 51% of those polled believe he is dishonest, while 60% think he is reckless. Yet his almost daily attacks against the press, mostly false or misleading, have staggered many members of the press.
The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press. Freedom House reports that freedom of the press is in decline around the world, including here in the United States. A record number of journalists have been imprisoned worldwide, including twenty-one on "fake news" charges. Senator John McCain issued this warning to President Trump in December on Twitter, "@POTUS must understand his harmful rhetoric only empowers repressive regimes to jail reporters and silence the truth."
Soon after his return to the White House, following a holiday break in Florida, the president launched another fusillade on Twitter against one of his favorite targets, The New York Times. "The failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, "to give the news impartially, without fear of FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved," his first tweet read. It continued on a second, "Get impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all your phony and non-existent "sources," and treat the President FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you won't have to write and apology to your readers for a job poorly done!"
Clearly the president's claims of fake news and his attacks on news organizations are all a tactic. If he was innocent of sin, if his White House was free of scandal, if his agenda was popular with the masses, he wouldn't have to protest too much. But he doth protest an awful lot! He loves to spin his own alternate reality and lash out at the press. His communications' staff, assorted acolytes and members of Congress echo his attacks because it is in their own personal interest, and the mainstream media is an easy target. Washington Post Executive Editor Marty Baron stoically observed last year, "We are not at war with the administration, we are at work."
But for more news channels, more news sites online, and the growing amount of users who get their news from social media, opinion is now the currency of the realm. An enormous amount of Americans get their information from sources they feel agree with their views, i.e., one's that are consistent with their core beliefs. And some news outlets carefully craft their content to appeal to their likely viewers, and to advance a political agenda. This has left America so politically divided it is hard for people from different regions or ideologies to agree on basic facts, let alone have an rational and calm discussion.
More transparency is important, absolutely, but do Sean Hannity's 3.2 million viewers care if he is transparent? Few of his viewers check around with different sources to get the other side of the argument. And they don't care that Hannity regularly consults with President Trump, who is a big fan of his program. Sure, Hannity is not a journalist, but he is on the Fox News Channel.
The big question is at what point will Americans say enough is enough with the attacks on the press. At what point will Americans be motivated enough to devote time to study all sides of the issues. At what point will Americans take the time to be well informed before making decisions about elected officials, as our Founding Fathers had intended when they wrote the First Amendment. The Fathers wanted to assure that America would not be ruled by a despot, rather that it would always be ruled by the people.
The press is not perfect, but most major news organizations have a process to assure that all of the facts are fully vetted before they are published, and to assure fairness, impartiality, independence and accountability. On the other hand, the administration, the Congress, and government agencies are not always transparent and accountable to the people. That will only happen with a strong and vibrant press.
Journalists may be in a fight for their lives, due to evolving business models and rapid changes in technology, but their survival is essential for the maintenance of this great democracy.
When he finds himself on the defensive, President Donald Trump's go-to tactic is to lash out at the press. On Thursday, Trump once again went on Twitter to unleash his latest assault. "Why isn't the Senate Intel Committee looking into the Fake News Networks in OUR country to see why so much of our news in just made up-FAKE!" he posted. In Trump's world the press should provide a continuous stream of praise for his presidency.
Trump is not ignorant about the Founding Father's original intent when they codified a free press in the Constitution. He simply wishes to ignore it in order to manipulate public opinion on his own behalf. Trump is obsessed with how he is perceived, and his regular Twitter storms, directed at the press and other critics, reveal an excessively narcissistic and thin-skinned man.
Trump's latest Twitter tirade followed new developments in the many government investigations into Russian interference with last November's election, and whether the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians. On Wednesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr said, "The Russian intelligence service is determined - clever - and I recommend that every campaign and every election official take this very seriously." As to whether anyone in the Trump campaign colluded, Burr said, "The issue of collusion is still open." Along with the Senate committee, a House committee and a special counsel, headed by Robert Mueller, are also investigating Russian interference.
Trump is frustrated with these investigations and has sought to end them, including firing former FBI Director James Comey. That action and his other attempts to derail the probes have led to allegations that the president obstructed justice. Major news organizations, including The New York Times and The Washington Post, have aggressively reported on the Russian investigations, many times breaking new ground while drawing the ire of the president. Burr responded to Trump's tweet Thursday, saying he would hold the news organizations accountable, "If, in fact, we find news organizations have not covered it factually, I think you will see that in our report."
White House news leaks and fierce infighting have also spilled into the press. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reportedly called the president a "moron" during a Pentagon meeting this summer, according to NBC News. It is no secret that Tillerson and Trump have been at odds on staffing and policy issues for months, but it was noteworthy that, rather than denying he made the remark, the secretary told reporters Wednesday, "I'm not going to deal with petty stuff like that." Trump tweeted, "The @NBCNews story has been totally refuted by Sec. Tillerson and @VP Pence. It is #FakeNews. They should issue an apology to AMERICA!" NBC News stands by their report. Republican Senator Bob Corker added to the controversy Wednesday when he told reporters, "I think Secretary Tillerson, Secretary (Jim) Mattis and Chief of Staff (John) Kelly are those people that help separate our country from chaos."
The Trump administration response in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria's devastation of Puerto Rico received sharp criticism, especially from the Mayor of San Juan, its capital and largest city. While a majority of island's 3.4 million residents struggled with no power, water and food shortages, enormous destruction, Trump inexplicably blamed the problems on the mayor's poor leadership.
When Trump visited Puerto Rico earlier this week he was more focused on the island's financial woes than comforting, telling local government officials, "you threw our budget a little out of whack, but that's fine." He then compared Hurricane Maria with Katrina, suggesting the hurricane that hit New Orleans more than a decade ago was worse. Later, while visiting a relief shelter, the president tossed rolls of paper towels to residents, which humiliated many Puerto Ricans who watched. His visit was widely criticized in the press, which led Trump to tweet, "Wow, so many Fake News stories today. No matter what I do of say, they will not write or speak the truth. The Fake News Media is out of control!"
In August the president lashed out at the press following its coverage of remarks he had made following the violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, several days earlier, which resulted in the death of one protester. In those remarks, the president blamed "both sides" instead of singling out Nazis and white nationalist groups for the violence. At a subsequent campaign rally in Phoenix, the president called the news media "sick people." He added, "It's time to expose the crooked media deceptions and to challenge the media for their role in fomenting divisions and yes, by the way, they are trying to take our history away our history and our heritage."
Could it be that more Americans are growing tired of the president's penchant to distort, twist and misstate the truth? According to a just released Reuters/Ipsos poll of more that 14,000 respondents, confidence in the news media is increasing. Nearly half of those surveyed have at least some confidence in the press, and increase of nearly 10 percent over the past year. Meanwhile, Trump's average approval rating is below 40 percent, according to Real Clear Politics.
President Trump is a deeply flawed man whose beleaguered presidency has been filled with scandal, missteps and controversy. Trump's extreme selfishness makes it impossible for him to be empathetic, self-reflective, mindful and truthful. At her news briefing Thursday, White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders justified the president's press attacks, saying, "we should call on all media to a higher standard."
No, Sarah, we should demand that President Trump apply the highest standards to his presidency.
